Taichung

Infobox TW City
Name=Taichung City
TW_Name=臺中市




Abbr=Central City
TW_Abbr=中市
Nickname=Cultural City
TW_Nickname=文化城
Capital=West District
Region=Central Taiwan
Leader_Titles=Mayor
Leader_Names=Jason Hu (胡志強)
TotalArea=163.4256
AreaRank=Ranked 18 of 25
Population=1,040,725
PopDate=August 2006cite web|url=http://webeng.tccg.gov.tw/general.php?page=general_brief_01&id=10&pid=5|title=Taichung's Population|accessdate=2006-09-29]
PopRank=Ranked 9 of 25
Density=6205
Districts=8
Website=http://www.tccg.gov.tw/eng/index.htm
Website_TW=http://www.tccg.gov.tw/
Bird=Little egretcite web|url=http://webeng.tccg.gov.tw/general.php?page=general_brief_01&id=7&pid=9|title=Taichung's City Bird: Little Egret|accessdate=2006-09-29]
Flower=Christmas Kalanchoecite web|url=http://webeng.tccg.gov.tw/general.php?page=general_brief_01&id=8&pid=8|title=Taichung's City Flower: Christmas Kalanchoe|accessdate=2006-09-29]
Tree=Palimara Alstoniacite web|url=http://webeng.tccg.gov.tw/general.php?page=general_brief_01&id=9&pid=7|title=Taichung's City Tree: Palimara Alstonia|accessdate=2006-09-29]

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Taichung (zh-tptwp|t=臺中市 or 台中市 (also matches simplified)|hp=Táizhōng Shì|tp=Táijhōng Shìh|w=T'ai-chung-shih|poj=Tâi-tiong-chhī) is a city located in west-central Taiwan with a population of just over one million people, making it the third largest city on the island, after Taipei and Kaohsiung. It is officially administrated as a provincial city of Taiwan Province in the Republic of China. The city's name means "Central Taiwan."

Geography

Taichung City is located in the Taichung Basincite web|url=http://webeng.tccg.gov.tw/general.php?page=general_brief_01&id=3&pid=10|title=Taichung Geography|accessdate=2006-09-29] along the main western coastal plain that stretches from northern Taiwan along the west coast nearly to the southern tip. The city is located just north of 24° north and about 120.5° east longitude.

It is surrounded completely by Taichung County. Taichung City borders Tanzih Township (潭子鄉) Fongyuan City (豐原市), Sinshe Township (新社鄉), Taiping City (太平市), Dali City (大里市), Wurih Township (烏日鄉), Dadu Township (大肚鄉), Longjing Township (龍井鄉), Shalu Township (沙鹿鎮), and Daya Township (大雅鄉).

The Central Mountain Range lies just to the east of the city. Lower, rolling hills run to the north leading to Miaoli County. Flat coastal plains dominate the landscape to the south leading to Changhua County and the Taiwan Strait to the west.

Climate

The average temperature of Taichung city is about 23 °C (73 °F), with an average annual rainfall of 1,708 millimeters (67.25 in).cite web|url=http://webeng.tccg.gov.tw/general.php?page=general_brief_01&id=2&pid=12|title=Districts & Landmarks|accessdate=2006-09-29] The city sees an average humidity of 80%. Taichung has a milder climate than other major cities in Taiwan. Due to the protection provided by the Central Mountain range to the east and the Miaoli hills to the north, Taichung is rarely severely affected by typhoons. However, occasional typhoons emerging from the South China Sea will pose a threat to the city as evidenced by Typhoon Wayne in 1986 which struck Taiwan from the west coast near Taichung.cite web|url=https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc/atcr/1986atcr/pdf/wnp/12w.pdf|title=Typhoon Wayne (12W)|author=Joint Typhoon Warning Center|type=PDF|accessdate=2007-05-04]

Demographics

Taichung’s population was an estimated 1,040,725 in August, 2006. There are slightly more females in the city (50.97%) than males.

24.32% of the people are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly.cite web|url=http://webeng.tccg.gov.tw/general.php?page=general_brief_01&id=10&pid=5|title=Taichung's Population|accessdate=2006-09-26]

Fertility rate in Taichung City for women of childbearing age in 2007 was 1.165 for each woman according to Ministry of Interior statistics.

Educational Attainment

According to the Ministry of Interior, there are 846,863 residents over the age of 15. Of those, educational attainment is as follows: graduate degrees - 33,371 (3.9%); university or college degrees - 136,076 (16.1%); junior college degrees - 122,442 (14.5%); senior high school - 55,432 (6.5%); vocational high school - 168,349 (19.9%); junior high school - 78,729 (9.3%); junior vocational school - 1,949 (0.2%); primary school - 80,004 (9,4%). The official literacy rate for the city is 99.04%.

History

Early history

Taiwanese aborigines populated the plains that make up modern Taichung City. They lived by cultivating millet and taro and were hunter gathers. Several local names in central Taiwan, including Shalu Township and Lukang Township in Changhua County contain the word for “deer.”cite book|author=Roy, Denny|year=2003|title=Taiwan: A Political History |publisher=Cornell University |page= 27]

Taichung was founded in 1705 as a part of Changhua County with the name of Dadun (ch: 大墩; p: Dàdūn; w: Ta-tun; lit. large mound). At this point in history, the Qing Dynasty, formed by invading Manchus in the 1640s, was consolidating its hold on western Taiwan, which it had wrested from the Cheng family in 1682. As a part of strengthening its control, a garrison was founded in 1721 near the site of present-day Taichung Park by Lan Ting-chen.

All was not peaceful for Qing authorities in central Taiwan. North of the city, at the Dajia River, an aboriginal revolt broke out in 1731 after Chinese officials moved in and compelled them to provide labor. After being joined by other aboriginals, they drove as far south as the county seat of Changhua in May, 1732 before being chased into the mountains by Qing forces.cite book|author=Roy, Denny|year=2003|title=Taiwan: A Political History |publisher=Cornell University |page= 22]

Another rebellion, this one in 1786, against Qing authorities had its roots in the nearby town of Dali, just south of Taichung City. Led by Lin Shuang-wen, it began as an attempt to overthrow the Manchu government and restore the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, as they moved northward, they turned to slaughter and looting. They were eventually defeated by a coalition of Hakka, Quanzhou Fujianese descendants, and Aboriginal volunteers who joined with the government to defeat the rebels.cite book|author=Gardella, Robert |chapter=From Treaty Ports to Provincial Status, 1860-1894 |year=1999|title=Taiwan: A New History|Editor=Rubinstein, Murry A.|Publisher=M.E. Sharpe |page= 164]

Qing Dynasty rule era

Taiwan became a province of Qing-dynasty China in 1885, and the city, named Dadun at the time, was designated capital of Taiwan Prefecture, one of three prefectures in the newly created Taiwan Province.cite web|url=http://english.tccg.gov.tw/general.php?page=general_brief_01&id=5&pid=1|title=From Aboriginal Homeland to Modern City: A Look at Taichung's Rich History|access date=October 4, 2006] It was also initially designated as the provincial capital, and Qing official Liu Ming-chuan received the authority from the Guangxu Emperor to oversee development of the area. However, four years later, Liu was forced to “retire” by Empress Dowager Cixi, and the provincial capital was moved to what is now known as Taipei.

Japanese colonial era

China lost the Sino-Japanese War in 1895. As a consequence, the Qing Dynasty was forced to surrender Taiwan to the Japanese in the Treaty of Shimonoseki. The Japanese changed the name of the city from Dadun to Taichū (台中), and began to develop the city, setting themselves out to make it the first “modern” area of Taiwan.cite book|author=Roy, Denny|year=2003|title=Taiwan: A Political History |publisher=Cornell University |page= 36]

However, Taichū bore the brunt of early Japanese repression. There were many rebels who stated that they had accepted amnesty from the earlier period of rebellion when the Republic of Taiwan was declared in 1895. However, many of those same people continued anti-Japanese activities. On May 25, 1902, some 360 rebels and their families accepted invitations to surrender and receive amnesty and rewards. Instead of receiving amnesty, once inside, the Japanese locked the doors and slaughtered the former rebels.

Taichū Park was completed in 1903. The old north gate, one of the few Liu-era structures to survive the Japanese reconstruction of the city was move to the new park.Fact|date=October 2007 To this day, Taichung Park is one of the most popular places in the city for people to relax.

The first market in Taichū was built in 1908 along JiGuang Road between ZhongZheng and ChengGong Roads. It is still used today, and is a popular spot to purchase food and other items in downtown Taichung.Taichung Middle School (now known as Taichung First High School) was founded in 1913 by Lin Hsien-tang and his brother Lin Lie-tang, two wealthy Taiwanese intellectuals of the era. This was done in an effort to teach children the Culture of Taiwan and to foster a spirit of Taiwanese localization movement.

Taichū Train Station was completed and began operation in 1917, and still operates today.

Taichū was officially designated as a city by Japanese Imperial authorities in 1920, and Taichū City Hall was completed in 1924 after eleven years of construction.

A Taiwanese cultural association founded in 1921 in Taipei by Lin Hsien-tang was moved to Taichū in 1927. Most of the members of this association were from Taichū and the surrounding area. The city became a center of Taiwanese culture and nationalism.

The newfound prosperity of Taichū was eventually squandered by the war effort. When World War II ended in 1945, Taiwan’s economy, like Japan’s, was in shambles.

Chinese Nationalist-rule era (1945-1996)

The Japanese were forced to surrender to Republic of China (ROC) forces on behalf of Allied forces on 1945-10-25, who came across the Strait on U.S. ships and accepted their surrender on behalf of the Allied Powers.

The early post-war era was one of transition and turmoil for Taiwan. Taiwanese nationalists had divided into three prominent groups, one of which was known as the Taichung Clique. These were men with relatively high social standing during the Japanese era, such as Lin Hsien-t’ang, Yang Chao-chia, Yeh Jung-chung, and others. These men attempted to take what they believed to be their rightful place as the political leaders of the island. However, the administrator of the island, Chen Yi, opposed this faction as it contained many people, especially merchants and landlords, who had opposed his policies.cite book|author=Phillips, Steven |chapter=Between Assimilation and Independence: Taiwanese Political Aspirations Under Chinese Nationalist Rule, 1945-1948 |year=1999|title=Taiwan: A New History|Editor=Rubinstein, Murry A.|Publisher=M.E. Sharpe |page= 286]

Under the authorities of the Republic of China, Taichung had become the center for organized crime and associated businesses.Fact|date=February 2007(http://english.tccg.gov.tw/index.php?print=print&page=government_report_01&id=1)

The Kuomintang (KMT), also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party, relocated the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan upon losing the Chinese Civil War to the Communists.

Taichung was declared a special municipality in 1949 by the ROC government.

Politics

Local Politics

Unlike Taipei in the north, which is solidly in the Pan-Blue (pro-unification) political camp, and the southern cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan that are solidly Pan-Green (pro-independence) , Taichung is far more balanced with the city leaning Blue and the county leaning Green. In fact, each of the two major political parties has won a mayoral election among the last three with at least 49 percent of the vote (Democratic Progressive Party in 1997 and the Chinese Nationalist Party in 2001 and 2005.) Similarly, the Chinese Nationalist Party majority in the City Council is not as large as it is in other cities, and is only negligible when one excludes Beitun District, which is solidly pro-Chinese Nationalist Party. As a result of the relative moderate stand of the city residents, political upheaval and violence are far rarer in Taichung than in other large cities of the country.

Government

Taichung City’s executive branch is headed by mayor Jason Hu of the Chinese Nationalist Party. Mayor Hu won re-election in December, 2005 with more than fifty-eight percent of the vote.cite web|author=R.O.C. Central Election Commission |title=R.O.C. 2005 County/City Magistrate/Mayoral election results|url=http://210.69.23.140/vote3.asp?pass1=F2005A0000000000aaa |access date= October 10, 2006] This makes him the first candidate to achieve more than fifty percent of the vote in the Democratic Era of Taiwan, and represents an improvement of more than nine percent over his 2001 showingcite web|author=R.O.C. Central Election Commission |title=R.O.C. 2001 County/City Magistrate/Mayoral election results|url=http://210.69.23.140/vote3.asp?pass1=F2001A0000000000aaa |access date= October 14, 2006] despite the fact that he was one of four candidates (as opposed to there being only three in 2001.) The 1997 election was won by Chang Wen-Ying of the Democratic Progressive Partycite web|author=R.O.C. Central Election Commission |title=R.O.C. 1997 County/City Magistrate/Mayoral election results|url=http://210.69.23.140/vote3.asp?pass1=F1997A0000000000aaa|access date= October 14, 2006] Taichung’s legislative branch is a unicameral 46-member City Council. Each member is elected from one of six multiple member districts where each voter has only one vote. Thus, none of the elected council members has anywhere close to a majority of votes in their electoral district.

Council member breakdown by electoral districtcite web |Author= Taichung City Council | url=http://www.tccn.gov.tw/index.htm |title=Introduction to City Council members |access date= October 10, 2006] Council member breakdown by political party

Districts

Taichung is divided into 8 geographical subdivisions:cite web|url=http://webeng.tccg.gov.tw/general.php?page=general_brief_01&id=2&pid=12|title=Districts & Landmarks|access date=September 29, 2006]
#Beitun District(北屯區): Geographically, this is the largest district in the city, spreading from the north to the northeastern-most reaches of the city. It includes the comparatively rural area of Dakeng. It also includes the Taichung Folk Park and Morrison Academy.
#Central District(中區): This is the smallest and most densely populated district in the city. It is home to the Taichung Train Station, Taichung Park, and a large number of traditional businesses in the downtown area. This district is home to the original suncake shop on ZiyouRoad (自由路) and is where most of Taichung's major businesses used to be located.
#East District(東區): Literally on the other side of the tracks from the main part of the downtown area. The Taichung Central Department Store is located here.
#Nantun District(南屯區): Occupies the southwestern-most portions of the city. There is still considerable farmland in this area, but a High Speed Rail is expected to open in a few months in adjacent Wuri, and the Taichung city government plans to move the city hall into this district. Currently, Nantun is most well-known for high property values and expensive, luxurious cottages, which have in turn attracted many large department stores into adjacent areas of Xitun District.
#North District(北區): Nestled between Central and Beitun Districts, it is home to the Taichung First Senior High school and Yizhong Street (一中街,) one of the best known night markets in the city. It is also home to the Natural Science Museum, Chungyou Department Store, and Zhongshan Hall.
#Xitun District(西屯區): This district spreads out to the western edge of the city and is home to Feng Chia and Tunghai Universities. It is also the location of many of the new, fashionable shopping areas in the city and is the area of greatest growth. The Taichung Industrial Park, World Trade Center, and the Chaoma Bus Station, a major embarkation point from the city. Major department stores include Idee, Shinkong Mitsukoshi, and Tiger City.
#South District(南區): Occupying the southernmost part of the city, it is home to National Chung Hsing University and the Taichung Industrial High School.
#West District(西區): West District is home to the National Fine Arts Museum as well as the Municipal Cultural Center. A lot of cultural activities were held here. This area is also known for its restaurants, which have attracted many people come with their reputation for exotic cuisine. Taichung’s City Hall is here, as is National Taichung University. Sogo Department store is in the northern part of the district.

Recreation

Professional Sports

The Sinon Bulls is a professional baseball team playing in the six-team Chinese Professional Baseball League. While they are identified with Taichung City, many of their “home games” have been played outside of the city due to the inadequacies of the old Taichung Baseball Field. The team was expected to move into the newly completed Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in 2008, but it turns out that no CPBL games will be played in the newly built stadium, with the exception of the annual all-star game on July 20.

Other Sporting Activities

Taichung hosts two road races annually. The ING Marathon preparation 10K race is held every September in the Metropolitan Park. The Supau Cup Marathon is held on the city’s streets every autumn, either in October or November.

Museums and Cultural Centers

*National Museum of Fine Arts: The National Museum of Fine Arts is located on the corner of Wuquan West Road and Meicun Road. It houses the world’s largest collection of Taiwanese art. There is a stream and nice outdoor area outside of the museum that is very popular with families when there is good weather.
*National Museum of Natural Science (NMNS): Located on Xitun Road, this is a popular local attraction with children. NMNS together with National Palace Museum in Taipei and the National Science and Technology Museum in Kaohsiung are called "the Museums of Taiwan". Across 22 exquisite acres, the Museum is a six-venue complex housing the Space IMAX Theater, Science Center, Life Science Hall, Chinese Science Hall, Global Environment Hall and the Botanical Garden, excluding the Earthquake Museum in Wufong, which is dedicated to public education on seismology, located just 10 kilometers east of the main complex of NMNS. Over 30 permanent exhibit areas cover subjects on astronomy, space science, paleontology, ecology, gems and minerals, Taiwanese Aborigines, and tropical plants. Rotating special exhibits are a constant occurrence. It is also a place filled with hands-on exhibits that will delight children and adults of all ages.
*Municipal Cultural Center: The Municipal Cultural Center is located on Yingcai Road on property adjacent to the National Art Museum.
*Taichung Folklore Park: This park is dedicated to presenting a more traditional Taiwanese way of life. It includes a combination of authentic and recreated buildings and streets in an attempt to recreate a more rustic Taiwan.
*Taichung Winery: Dating back to the Japanese-era, this still- operational winery also includes a Wine Museum, which has displays on wine-making and the history of the winery.
*Stock 20: This converted railroad warehouse provides exhibition space for regular displays of modern art. Adjacent warehouses have been converted to provide studio space for local and foreign artists, and are frequently open to the public.
*Wenying Hall: A frequent venue for local art exhibitions and events. It includes an art display area along with a folk art museum and Zhongzheng Hall.

Performance Venues

*Zhongshan Hall: Zhongshan Hall is a popular venue for a variety of performances including musical, opera, ballet, dance, theatrical, and other performances. Seating capacity is 1,692.
*Fulfillment Amphitheater: This recently completed outdoor venue is located in the Wenxin Forest Park and is suitable for a wide range of outdoor performances.*Zhongxing Hall at National Taichung Library

Temples

Temples can be found all over the city of Taichung. While many of them are of recent construction, others are considered historic and are indicative of the changing currents through Taichung’s history.
*Confucius Temple
*Martyr’s Shrine: Adjacent to the temple is the Martyr’s Shrine, dedicated to the hero’s of the Republic of China.
*Pao Hueh Temple: This is a Buddhist temple which features the “Big Budda.” The gold, seven-floor Buddha is dedicated to Maitreya. The temple grounds also include a Japanese Shinto shrine.
*Cheng Huang Temple: This temple was established during the Qing Dynasty, and has since been renovated numerous times. Its main festival is the 15th day of the sixth lunar month.
*Wan Chun Temple: Established during the height of the Qing Dynasty more than two hundred years ago, it is home to a couplet written by Emperor Kuangshu. It is also noted for its life-like carvings.
*Li Ancestral Shrine:
*Wen Chang Temple: Built around 1825, this temple is dedicated to the “Scholar God.” Students frequently come to pray prior to exams to get good scores.
*Le Cheng Temple: Over two hundred years old, the Le Cheng temple is dedicated to the goddess Mazu, and is known locally as the “Hanxi Mazu.” It includes an ancient cauldron and other artifacts.
*Wan He Temple: This temple was built during the Qing Dynasty in thanks to the goddess Mazu. It is noted for exquisitely-designed carvings.

National and Municipal Historical Sites

:National Category 3 Historical SitesChang-Liao Family Shrine, Wenchang Temples, Lin Family Shrine, Chang Family Ancestral Shrine, Wanhe Temple, Lecheng Temple:National Category 2 Historical SiteTaichung Train Station,:Municipal Historical SitesLake Pavilion in Taichung Park, Chishan Gate, Japanese-era Municipal Building:UnclassifiedTaichung City Hall

Other Annual Activities

*The Taichung Jazz Festival takes place annually through the month of October. It features a variety of acts at numerous venues throughout the city.

Economy

Taichung has a vibrant, diverse economy that incorporates traditional businesses, small family-run shops and factories, large industrial areas, and a thriving commercial sector.

The heart of Taichung’s economy has long been the small business. The small business sector still thrives in the city and is in most evidence in the downtown area with small eateries, traditional markets, and other various family businesses. Taichung's [http://icetea.com.tw/ Chun Shui Tang] teahouse (春水堂) is where bubble tea was invented, by a teahouse owner, Liu Han Chie(劉漢介).Fact|date=June 2007 Taichung is most famous for its suncakes (taiyang bing).Fact|date=June 2007

Xitun District is the home of Taichung’s Industrial Zone. Taichung’s World Trade Center Building is the symbolic heart of the zone, where various trade shows and exhibitions are held throughout the year. Most of Taichung’s traditional manufacturing base is in this area, which is the area of Taichung City that is nearest the port.In the northeast part of Xitun District, along the border with neighboring Taichung County, a new Science-based Industrial Park is under construction and is partially open. This is expected to bring in thousands of additional quality jobs into the city.

The growing prosperity of Taichung residents has resulted in the explosive growth of the upscale retail sector, with the opening of massive up-market department stores, as well as the construction of more luxurious condo complexes in the rapidly growing areas near the new government complex, as well as the growth of up-market neighborhoods in Beitun District.

Night Markets

Taichung has several open-air night markets that feature local food and diversions: [Citation | last = Chiu | first = Lisa | publication-date = | date = | year = 1998 | title = ABOUT TOWN: Hitting the Night Markets | periodical = Compass Magazine | volume = 5 | issue = 5 | series = | publication-place = Taichung, Taiwan | url = http://www.taiwanfun.com/central/taichung/articles/9808/9808AboutTown.htm | accessdate = 2007-10-10 ]
* Feng Chia Night Market - located adjacent to Fengchia University
* Zhong Hua Night Market - located in the heart of Central District, along ZhongHua (Jung Hua) Road.
* Zhong Xiao Night Market - located south of the Taichung Railroad Station around the intersections of ZhongXiao, Taichung and GuoGuang roads.

Education

Taichung City offers a full range of educational opportunities for its residents. From Kindergartens to National Universities, Taichung has schools that fit nearly every need from bilingual kindergartens to world class public and private university education.

Below is an accounting of the schools that can be found in Taichung City:

*3 public universities
*6 private universities
*3 junior colleges
*7 public senior high schools
*7 private senior high schools
*4 vocational high schools
*2 special education schools
*25 public junior high schools
*7 private junior high schools
*58 public elementary schools
*7 private elementary schools
*3 international schools
*3 Chinese language training centers (including Taichung County)
*undeterminable number of kindergartens and cram schools

Transportation

Train Service

Taichung Station is located on JianGuo Road (建國路). There is a small square in the front of the station, and numerous bus companies have stations within a three-minute walk of the station. They provide comprehensive local bus service along with long-distance bus services, many of which are to towns not served by trains.

Taichung Station lies on the mountain line, which splits from the coastal line from Changhua City to the south of Taichung, to Jhunan, near Hsinchu, to the north.

The first southbound train departs for Pingdong at 6:05 in the morning while the first northbound train departs for Taipei at 6:10 am. The last trains in the early morning depart at 2:37 am and 2:46 for Pingdong and Taipei respectively.

There are two other local train stations within the city limits of Taichung. They are Taiping Station located in Beitun District and Daqing Station in South District. Both are only serviced by local trains.

The new High Speed Rail Road is finally completed. You can go to Taipei and Kaoshiug in 40 minutes. The Taichung High Speed Rail Station is located in Wurih and is served both by local trains as well as free shuttle buses.

ea Port

Taichung Harbor, located on the coast in Taichung County, is the second largest cargo facility on the island capable of handling container shipping.

Despite being the second largest port on the island of Taiwan, there are no passenger ferry services available and the port is closed to unauthorized personnel.

Inner City Traffic

Unlike other major cities, Taichung has no expressway crossing the city. The heaviest traffic congestion is on Taichung Harbor Road (台中港路), which can come to a stand still not only during rush hour, but also on weekends or late evenings as many of the most popular shopping centers and movie theaters are on that stretch of road. Other busy stretches of road include SanMin Road near Chungyou Department Store and Yizhong Street, especially around 9:00 PM, when local cram schools and baseball games typically let out.

The downtown area is vaguely a grid pattern with Ziyou Road (自由路) and SanMin （三民路） running basically southwest to northeast while Zhongzheng Road (中正路) and Linsen Road (林森路) run northwest from the center of the city, in addition to the more narrow one-way roads that follow the grid pattern as well.

A large number of multi-lane roads then lead out of the downtown area in all directions. Some of them are divided by a physical barrier or median to enhance safety. These roads include Taichung Harbor Road (台中港路), Wuquan West Road (五權西路), Beitun Road (北屯路), Taiyuan Road (太原路), Hanxi Road (旱溪路), Guoguang Road (國光路), Zhongqing Road (中清路,) Wuquan South Road (五權南路) and Wenxin South Road (文心南路).

Stop lights and lane indicators are generally observed on major streets, but are often viewed more as suggestions rather than legally enforced traffic rules unless traffic police officers are present. Speed limits are often not enforced, except where specifically designated speed detection cameras are present and marked with signs, making traffic conditions some of the most dangerous on the island. Most major intersections have traffic signs with Romanized names. However, despite the fact that Taichung City has recently declared Hanyu Pinyin the official Romanization (citiation needed) system for the city, there are numerous signs leftover from previous Romanization regimes while the a large number of minor intersections have no Romanization of any kind. Navigation in Taichung city is extremely difficult for those who are unable to read Chinese characters.

Mass Transportation

The city currently does not have a subway, lightrail or any type of (MRT) system, though construction on the first line of the municipal MRT system is scheduled to begin in October 2007 with completion of the Wurih-Beitun line schedule for completion in 2012 or 2013.Fact|date=October 2007

While a bus system exists covering parts of the city, it is not reliable in all places. Among the bus companies providing local service are Taichung Bus Company（台中客運,） Fengyuan Bus Company (豐原客運,) Changhua Bus Company (彰化客運,) and Presidential Bus Company. While heavily congested areas have buses, other areas have intermittent to no service. While there is theoretically a schedule when buses are to arrive, they are often not reliable. Signs at bus stops are not bilingual, not complete and often, not current.

Freeways and Expressways

National Highway No. 1 (國道一號), also known as the Sun Yat-Sen Freeway, passes through the western part of the city and has three interchanges in Taichung City. One is at Zhongqing Road (中清路), another at Taichung Harbor Road (中港路) and the southernmost at Wuquan West Road (五權西路).

Taichung-Changhua Expressway (中彰快速道路,) is the main stretch of Provincial Highway No. 74 that runs from northwestern Taichung City through part of Taichung County into the northern part of Changhua City just to the south of Taichung. At some points, it is just a few dozen meters east of the Sun Yat-Sen Freeway. While it does not connect directly to that highway, it does have an interchange with National Highway No. 3 (國道三號) in Taichung County, where one can then access it in a couple of minutes.

Taichung-Nantou Highway (中投公路,) also known as Provincial Highway No. 63, runs from Dali City (just south of the border from Taichung City) to Nantou County. It can be accessed by driving out of Taichung City on Wuquan South Road, where it becomes the Taichung-Nantou Highway within a kilometer of the city line. While there is no direct interchange with National Highway No. 3, one can get off in Wufeng and, after about two minutes on surface roads, easily access the highway.

Taichung International Airport

The Taichung International Airport is the third, and newest, international airport in Taiwan.

The Taichung International Airport civilian terminal is located on the western corner of CCK Air Force Base, about 20 kilometers (12 mi) from Taichung City. The main road linking Taichung and the airport is Zhongqing Road (Provincial Route 10.) The airport is located within a kilometer (1,100 yd) of the Shalu (沙鹿) Exit on National Highway Number 3.

In 2002 Ministry of Transportation and Communications began working on a plan to move air traffic from Taichung's ShuiNan Airport to the Qingquangang (CCK) Air Force base as a first step to converting CCK into a new international airport to facilitate larger aircraft.

The airport opened in early 2004, and the expanded facility at Qingquangang (CCK) Air Force Base has a much longer runway capable of handling larger aircraft. International charter flight service from the city began the same day.

The opening of The Taichung International Airport did spark a spat of partisan controversy about being incomplete and safety concerns were raised.cite web|url=http://archives.californiaaviation.org/airport/msg29475.html|year=2004|month=3|day=4|title="New Taiwan airport sparks political squabble"|access date=October 16, 2006] The fact that Taiwan has more airports per capita than any other country in the region and prohibits private airplanes fell on deaf ears because the anticipated and protracted opening of direct links with the Chinese mainland are expected to require an increase in air traffic.

Taichung's airport currently handles daily scheduled flights between Taichung and the cities of Taipei and Hualian, as well as the offshore islands of Penghu (Pescadores) and Jinmen. Airlines operating out of Taichung include Mandarin and UNI. International air services are expected to continue growing to include charter flights between Taichung and South Korea, plus special charter flights to other destinations and possibly the Chinese mainland.

Romanization

Taichung City is in the process of implementing Hanyu Pinyin on road signs throughout the city. However, there are still signs displaying spellings from previously used Romanization systems as well as Tongyong pinyin and systems that do not conform to any standard system.cite web|url=http://webeng.tccg.gov.tw/general.php?page=general_brief_01&id=15&pid=15 |title=Romanization of Taichung's top 50 Main Roads|accessdate=2006-09-29] Unlike Taipei City which uses a capital letter at the beginning of every syllable, Taichung City uses the standard form of Hanyu pinyin on street signs erected in recent years. However, the municipal website uses the Taipei system. Most major intersections have at least one sign containing some form of Romanization. Nearly every intersection in the downtown area has signs in Hanyu pinyin. However, outside of the downtown area, while coverage by Hanyu pinyin signs is improving, many intersections have sign in other Romanization systems (especially Wade-Giles and MPS2) or no Romanized signs at all.

Sister cities

Taichung has signed sister city agreements with nineteen cities in nine countries since 1965. They are listed below along with the dates that the agreements were signed.cite web|url=http://webeng.tccg.gov.tw/general.php?page=general_brief_01&id=16&pid=16 |title=Taichung City Diplomacy|accessdate=2006-09-29]

*flagicon|US New Haven, Connecticut, USA (March 29, 1965)
*flagicon|KOR Chungju, Republic of Korea (November 27, 1969)
*flagicon|BOL Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia (November 21, 1978)
*flagicon|US Tucson, Arizona, USA (August 31, 1979)
*flagicon|US Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA (April 18, 1980)
*flagicon|US Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA (October 8, 1981)
*flagicon|CAN Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (April 2, 1982)
*flagicon|ZAF Pietermaritzburg, Natal Province, Republic of South Africa (December 9, 1983)
*flagicon|US San Diego, California, USA(November 19, 1983)
*flagicon|US Reno, Nevada, USA (October 8, 1985)
*flagicon|US Austin, Texas, USA (September 22, 1986)
*flagicon|US Manchester, New Hampshire, USA (May 8, 1989)
*flagicon|NZL North Shore City, New Zealand (December 17, 1996)
*flagicon|US Tacoma, Washington, USA (July 19, 2000)
*flagicon|MHL Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands (July 19, 2002)
*flagicon|HON San Pedro Sula, Honduras (October 28, 2003)
*flagicon|PHL City of Makati, Republic of the Philippines (July 27, 2004)
*flagicon|PHL General Santos City, Republic of the Philippines (September 5, 2006)
*flagicon|US Columbus, Georgia, USA (November 11, 2007

References

External links

* [http://www.tccg.gov.tw/ Taichung City Government Website zh] [http://www.tccg.gov.tw/eng/index.htm en]
* [http://www.tchb.gov.tw/ENG/e340.php?targE=tr2 Taichung Harbor Website]
* [http://www.ntl.gov.tw/English/ National Taichung Library]
* [http://www.splendor-taichung.com.tw/ The Splendor Taichung]