Trial runs of Taichung MRT’s Green Line have resumed this week after a four-month suspension to repair a major malfunction in the train car coupling system. With Taichung’s mayor recently reassuring the public that the MRT is safe to ride, passengers can enjoy free rides on the line during a one-month test period from March 25 to April 25.
The new line, running across downtown Taichung, connects dozens of tourist attractions, ranging from art museums, historical buildings, to hiking trails that lead to dense forests.
If you don’t have plans yet for the long weekend during Qingming Festival (April 2 to 5), stop by Taichung and explore the city with its new public transport system. Take the high speed rail to Taiwan’s second largest city, change to the Green Line, and get off at stations below to start your trip.
Our list was compiled based on The News Lens Chinese-language edition and Taichung’s Tourism and Travel Bureau.
Get off at Beitun Main Station for Dakeng hiking trails
Dakeng, an area in northeast Taichung, boasts of 12 hiking trails that weave along mountain ridges in deciduous forests. For beginners, get on trails 6-10 (including trail no. 6-1), but if you want to challenge yourself, try trails 1-5 (including trail no. 5-1). Unlike many local hiking trails paved with cement, the Dakeng trails are made of logs bound with ropes.
Get off at Taichung City Hall for National Taichung Theater
Designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, the National Taichung Theater has an intricate interior shaped by a continuously curved structure that is known as the “sound cave.” Ito said being in the architecture awakens memories of being inside caves, the surroundings of our most distant human ancestors. But through curving staircases, you will soon find yourself in a rooftop landscape of artificial peaks and valleys.
Get off at Nantun (南屯) for National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts is one of the largest art museums in Asia. Walking around the museum, you will find yourself at the Calligraphy Greenway, a tree-lined boulevard stretching from the art museum to the National Museum of Natural Science in the south. The museum regularly holds exhibitions of Western art, Chinese brush paintings, and has its own permanent collection of art pieces by Taiwanese artists.
Get off at HSR Taichung Station for Rainbow Village
To save his village from a government redevelopment plan, an elderly local resident painted animals, airplanes, and manga characters on the walls of every surface he could find, saving the buildings from demolition. Today, more than a million people visit the Rainbow Village every year.
Get off at Wenxin Chongde (文心崇德) for Yizhong Street
Close to schools, Yizhong Street used to be where students would hang out before going to cram schools. Now it is a major shopping area for young people. At night, it turns into a night market, where you can find reasonably-priced delicacies.
Get off at Wenxin Yinghua (文心櫻花) for Fengjia Night Market
Close to Fengjia university, Fengjia Night Market is Taichung’s largest and most well-known night market. The night market features all kinds of creative cuisines, like mango pasta, and street food that you cannot find anywhere else.
Get off at Wenxin Forest Park (文心森林公園) for Shenji New Village and Sculpture of Arthas Menethil in Warcraft
Shenji New Village is a dorm compound built half a century ago for government employees. Once abandoned, the village has now been transformed into a lively haven for young entrepreneurs. You can find a cluster of distinctive shops and studios and run into weekend markets selling creative, handmade products.
Located on the Calligraphy Greenway, the Arthas Statue is Blizzard Entertainment’s only bronze statue in Asia. It was designed by Steve Wang, a Taiwanese-born Hollywood designer, with a team of 30.
Get off at Sihwei Elementary School (四維國小) for Yido Mansion and Taichung Military Kindred Village Museum
In the Japanese colonial era, a local businessman built Yido Mansion after marrying his wife. When the nationalist army retreated to Taiwan, the estate was reconstructed as a military village. The private mansion features an eclectic style of architecture that mixes Japanese, Hokkien, and Western elements, and witnesses the modern history of Taiwan.
Built in 1960, Taichung Military Kindred Village Museum is one of the 134 military kindred villages in the city accommodating high-ranking air force officers and their families. It is now dedicated to cultural preservation. You can try out some local dishes and join a guided tour to explore the distinct culture of military villages in post-war Taiwan.
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TNL Editor: Bryan Chou, Nicholas Haggerty (@thenewslensintl)
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