Mention of Taichung city always used to bring to mind its famous landmark of Chungshan Park, quite a tourist attraction with its elegant double pavilion, arched bridge and green boating lake. Taiwan tourist guides invariably included a picture of it, with an accompanying paragraph.
Now Chungshan Park has lost much of its old appeal, and fast-growing Taichung city with its broad streets and tall buildings is attracting attention, investment and people for completely different reasons.
Taichung city's two main traffic arteries--the railway and the freeway--have been important factors in its growth.
Step out of Taichung railway station and the city's commercial heart is right in front of you.
Traffic near the station passes over old Green Brook and Willow Brook, long since covered over. A few blocks farther on brings you to a cluster of commercial buildings--the Far Eastern Department Store, the Tai Yang Tang Bakery, Chang Hwa Commercial Bank, the post office, the telecom building and Taichung Hotel. . . .
Taichung city center has been hit by a number of fires in recent years, but rather than being seen as setbacks, Taichung folks say "the more fires burn, the more we flourish." Despite the rise of a new secondary city center off Chungkang Road, the status of the old commercial center is as secure as ever.
The New Chungkang Road Commercial Hub: The areas between the city center and the Chungkang Road and Chungching Road freeway intersections have been Taichung's major development zones over the past decade.
Of these two strips of real estate, Chungkang Road has the advantage because it's the main route for traffic between Taichung city center, the freeway, Tunghai University and Taichung Harbor.
Rice paddies and green fields have now been spread with asphalt and concrete, on which rise tall buildings with glass curtain walls together with courtyard developments, apartment buildings and detached homes.
The area is littered with garden coffee shops flaunting European-style architecture and extensive grounds, motels, beer halls and KTV's. At night when the neon lights go on, motorists driving on the north-south freeway can enjoy their cheering glow.
Taichung's prosperity peaked three years ago, as hard statistics show.
Real estate is a good example: Between 1987 and 1989, during Taiwan's real estate boom, house prices in Taichung shot up by an average of 500 percent, the highest rate of increase in Taiwan and far above Taipei's 350 percent rise.
In 1989 the income of Taichung residents ranked number two in all of Taiwan with an average household income of NT$661,000, second only to Taipei. But their savings rate, at over NT$151,000 for the year, was Taiwan's highest.
On February 1, 1990, the Taichung Harbor McDonald's set a world record by serving 1,282 customers in one hour.
In 1990 Taichung had 158 cars for every 1,000 people, Taiwan's highest car ownership rate.
Never having claimed a first before, these figures highlight Taichung city's astonishing economic potential.
A Great Economic Powerhouse: "Taichung's economic power derives from its concentration of medium and small enterprises," points out architect C. S. Mu. Taichung city and its consumer heartland of Taichung, Changhua and Nantou counties have Taiwan province's highest concentration of medium and small enterprises, some 14,000 according to CETRA, nearly one-third of the whole province's manufacturing industries.
For example, the Kennex company, makers of tennis racquets and one of Taiwan's foremost brand names, is located at Tantzu, north of Taichung. Industries on the lower slopes of Tatushan, west of Taichung, and at Nankang industrial zone in Nantou, to the southwest, also contribute to Taichung's prosperity.
The Central Taiwan Vocational Training Center, biggest in the Far East, provides local industry with workers of outstanding quality. Educationally, Taiwan Provincial Government figures show that 50.8 percent of Taichung's population over 15 are of senior high school level and above, a proportion second only to Taipei.
The transformation in the status of Taichung's gateway to the outside world--Taichung Harbor--is another focus of attention. With closer contacts across the Taiwan Strait, Taichung Harbor, a mere 4-1/2 hours sailing time from Amoy, is naturally being eyed as a major shipping port once direct trade is opened up.
Rivalling Taipei and Kaohsiung: Taichung's future prospects also include: "upgrading to a full metropolis," "a new international airport," "the high-speed railway," "a science park and development center," "a mass transit system". . . every Taichung resident can rattle the list off by heart.
All of a sudden, Taichung seems to have been "gilded." Some even think that Taichung, like some California brimful of sunshine, hope and opportunity, has attracted people tired of Taipei's clogged traffic and Kaohsiung's industrial pollution to settle here in a new rival city.
But what are things like now, three years after Taichung's economic boom reached its peak?
Leaving chilly, rainy Taipei on a winter's day in December, and walking on Chungkang Road under clear skies with the sun lightly caressing your shoulders, it really does seem a little like the West Coast; clean-lined, soaring office blocks show that Taichung is eager to shake off its old image, dress up in contemporary style, and step on to the international cosmopolitan stage.
But huge banners strung outside buildings reading "whole building to rent" reveal the truth behind Taichung's glittering exterior.
"All these buildings were just put up to breed mosquitoes," smirks a taxi driver. Since the steam went out of spiralling office rents, space can't be rented even after reductions from NT$2,000 or 3,000 per ping to NT$700 or NT$800, and whole buildings stand unoccupied.
Moment of Awakening? According to the Taichung Real Estate Market Survey Federation, as of late 1991 Taichung had about 500,000 pings of completed office space "with an occupancy rate of one-third, the lowest in Taiwan," and according to the federation, "that means at least 300,000 pings are standing empty." Many elegantly designed office blocks are indeed just breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Taichung leads Keelung and Chiayi in terms of unoccupied housing, with a rate of 19 percent.
"Excessively rapid growth inflate our self expectations here in Taichung," neatly concludes Dr. I-chang Chow of Feng-chia University's Department of Urban Planning.
The bigger the balloon of expectation swells, the more liable your dreams will be to burst. Today a host of indicators show that Taichung is facing a key "moment of awakening."
Talk abounds of department stores, KTV's beer halls and saunas that were drawn here by Taichung's consumer potential either closing down, changing hands or switching their business strategy in the past couple of years.
Three years ago Taifu Construction went boldly into the department store business, but both its Taifu Tienlung and Taifu Tienhsia department stores are now under new ownership. When the Japanese Yaohan department store first arrived in Taiwan it chose Taichung in preference to Taipei, but after opening for a few months last year, custom and sales were way below expectations, so its up-market strategy had to be changed.
"At least half the tearooms here have gone west," estimates Keng Tu Yuan teashop manager Lin Chin-chang.
No Avoiding Urban Ills: Population growth and the rising number of vehicles spawned by the boom of three or four years ago have brought traffic congestion and pollution to Taichung, where the quality of life seems to be going from bad to worse.
"The roads are narrow enough in the old city center, but even 80-metre-wide Chungkang Road is often jammed solid in the rush hours." According to taxi driver Hsu Shui-yuan, driving is not such a happy business any more.
Like other places, "Taichung cannot avoid car and motorcycle exhaust fumes, litter and moral pollution," says Chang Yu-mei, secretary of the Taichung branch of the Homemakers' Union and Foundation.
"Taichung was originally planned as a city of 150,000 people, but today the population has grown to 760,000, so inevitably there are negative side effects," explains Taichung's mayor, Lin Po-jung.
Worse still, when the Six-year National Development Plan was unveiled in 1990, the people of Taichung discovered it was a far cry from the blueprint they had imagined for an "international city of commerce."
No clear plan was set out for upgrading Taichung to a metropolis, nor for opening Taichung Harbor to direct cross-strait shipping; the high-speed railway was diverted to a coastal route via new towns far from Taichung city; the third international airport was planned for southern Taiwan; no increases in numbers of universities and colleges were envisaged under the plan; and the mass transit system urgently needed to solve Taichung's transportation problems wouldn't be ready until the year 2020!
"By then my grandchildren will be able to use it to transport my coffin for burial," quips resident Taichung author Ku Ling.
One-sided Outlook, Mistaken Course: Feelings are running high in Taichung.
At a CTS News Forum panel discussion held in Taichung last year, an audience ranging from professors and businessmen to housewives and high school students eagerly questioned the panel of CEPD and Taiwan Provincial Government housing & urban planning department officials and urban planning experts.
"The time is not ripe for Taichung to be elevated to a metropolis," explained Dr. I-chang Chow. "We still have a lot of public works projects to finish, and once Taichung is redesignated it will lose one-third of the matching funds provided by the central government for local reconstruction, which will be a major setback."
"Taichung Harbor may be fundamentally unsuited for direct cross-strait shipping." According to Dr. Chow, the artificially-dredged harbor isn't deep enough for large container ships to dock, "and strong winter gales would hamper shipping access as well as on-shore container crane operations."
Adducing concrete figures, in 1990 Keelung and Kaohsiung harbors handled over 79 million and 190 million tons of freight respectively, whereas Taichung only handled about 21 million tons.
"As for the international airport, the Taichung public may only have in mind their own convenience in travelling abroad, while forgetting the negative effects, such as noise pollution, caused by a big airport." Dr.Chow believes all this goes to show that people in Taichung have a too one-sided outlook.
A Quality of Life to be Proud of: Despite these drawbacks and discontents, in contrast to Taipei and Kaohsiung where saturation development has led to a deteriorating quality of life and urban environment, the citizens of Taichung think their city still offers the finest quality of life in Taiwan.
"Take our Ching Kuo Garden pedestrianized avenue for example. At 83 meters wide and 1.6 kilometers long it's unique in Taiwan and has Tew rivals internationally." According to distinguished architect Kuo Chi-i, designer of Taichung's Cultural Center, Chung Shan Hall and Provincial Fine Art Museum, this pedestrianized, treelined green strip linking the Natural Science Museum with the Provincial Fine Art Museum was tailored specifically to the leisure needs of Taichung.
Tourist sights in the vicinity abound. With the Encore Garden at Takeng, Hsitou, Shanlin River and Sun Moon Lake in Nantou and the central crossisland highway, Kukuan and Lishan mountain area to the north, "you never need rack your brains thinking where to go at weekends," says Kuang Ming Junior High School teacher Hsiao Chang-o.
Although artistic events at Taichung's Chung Hsing Hall and Cultural Center are mounted less frequently than those in Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taichung is way ahead among the 21 counties and cities of Taiwan province with at least 14 overseas artistic events for every 10,000 people. Completed in 1990, Taichung's Provincial Fine Art Museum rivals Taipei's Fine Art Museum in scale and facilities. A recent exhibition of paintings by Mir?drew thousands of visitors. Such events help to enhance local living standards.
Also famed for its high concentration of doctors, Taichung has one medical professional per 112 people, the highest ratio in all Taiwan provinces.
Office Workers' Favorite: The citizens of Taichung enjoy a leisurely lifestyle utterly different from Taipei:
Since Taichung has more space and is a developing area, office workers can easily afford to live near their place of work. So they spend a lot less time commuting than Taipei residents, who generally live farther away.
"Average commuting time in Taichung is less than half an hour," confirms Lin Liang, head of the general affairs section at Kuang Ming Junior High.
A fair proportion of office workers even manage to go home at midday for lunch and a nap. Taking the children to and from school is easier too, so families spend more time together.
"Taichung is a friendly city; there's lots of neighborly contact." Chang Ching-cheng, who teaches at Taichung First Senior High, often takes family outings or has get-togethers with neighbors in the community.
Coping with daily life is simpler for housewives too, with a good sprinkling of traditional markets and supermarkets making shopping easier and allowing them ample free time. Social service work is also an option for public-spirited housewives; Hsu Yu-po, for instance, who lives near the Natural Science Museum, spends half of each day there as a volunteer guide.
There are even those who appreciate Taichung's lifestyle so much that they keep their homes there even though they work in Taipei or Kaohsiung, returning to Taichung at weekends. No doubt they feel the same way as China Times National Assembly reporter Wu Nan-shan, for whom going home to Taichung every week "is like going on holiday and relaxing from the constant tension of deadlines."
After the First Flurry of Excitement: Taichung's advantages in terms of quality of life are what the people of Taichung, upon clearer reflection, are really setting their sights on in these calmer times now that the first flurry of excitement has passed.
"Taichung city differs in character from Taipei." According to CEPD secretary Liu Yu-shan's analysis, Taipei is contained within a closed basin and has long been Taiwan's leading administrative and economic center, a situation which is not likely to change. Kaohsiung is also a major port city with Taiwan's busiest container harbour.
The Taichung basin's advantages lie in its flat topography and easy access by neighboring townspeople, "so although its potential consumer population are scattered in many districts, they can always come into Taichung city center for shopping and entertainment," he says.
"Taichung will continue to be the center of central Taiwan's urban zone." Liu Yu-shan believes central Taiwan is already developing into an urban zone centered on Taichung city and extending north to Fengyuan, south to Changhua and Wufeng and west to Chingshui, Shalu and Taichung Harbor, forming a commercial entity of 2.5 million people. People could not be brought into Taichung city center in the past because of road transport problems.
Exploiting these advantages depends on developing transportation links.
Last year when Taichung hosted the Taiwan Area Games, the city government gave the city a face-lift and finished nearly 200 roadworks and underground drainage projects in time to welcome an unprecedented influx of tens of thousands of people into the city.
With this in mind, the housing & urban planning department plans to devote the lion's share of the NT$550 billion earmarked for Taichung's infrastructure to transportation schemes including the completed two-year plan for a mass rapid transit system, two fast east-west roads, and the highway network linking Taichung with the towns of Changhua, Nantou and Fengyuan.
"Once these transportation schemes are finished, it will only take an hour to drive from these outlying towns to the city center, and only half an hour from the Taichung suburbs," says Liu.
Mayor Lin Po-jung envisages a new blueprint for Taichung as "a versatile city of high-tech industries and leisure agriculture offering culture, education and shopping in a pollution-free environment."
Stepping out of the shadow of Taipei and Kaohsiung and setting a style of its own will be Taichung's biggest challenge in the future.
[Picture Caption]
Soaring new office blocks have transformed the look of Taichung city.
"No. 1 Market," well-known for its snack bars, has been redeveloped into the "No. 1 Plaza" building.
Western-style buildings are a common sight on Taichung's streets, giving you the feeling of being in some foreign city.
A scene traditionally associated with Taichung city--Chung Shan Park.
Sun cakes, a famous delicacy from Taichung's Tai Yang Tang Bakery.
The Keng Tu Yuan teashop occupies spacious grounds the size of a small park.
Folk religion still provides a spiritual focus for many Taichung citizens.
The citizens of Taichung enjoy well planned recreational areas. Shown here is a park next to the city art museum.
(Left, above) The Provincial Natural Science Museum is a rich source of scientific knowledge for the public.
Frequent artistic events enhance residents' quality of life.
Blue skies and ample sunshine have given Taichung the nickname of "Taiwan's California."
Residents of Taichung are never at a loss for somewhere to go at the weekend.
Inadequate public transportation is one of Taichung's most urgent problems.
Today's rice paddies may become the commercial district of tomorrow.
Parks and green space are to be the main focus of Taichung city government's future development plans.
"Taichung city still has a lot going for it!" says Taichung's mayor Lin Po-jung.
"No. 1 Market," well-known for its snack bars, has been redeveloped into the "No. 1 Plaza" building.
Western-style buildings are a common sight on Taichung's streets, giving you the feeling of being in some foreign city.
A scene traditionally associated with Taichung city--Chung Shan Park.
Sun cakes, a famous delicacy from Taichung's Tai Yang Tang Bakery.
The Keng Tu Yuan teashop occupies spacious grounds the size of a small park.
Folk religion still provides a spiritual focus for many Taichung citizens.
The citizens of Taichung enjoy well planned recreational areas. Shown here is a park next to the city art museum.
（Left, above） The Provincial Natural Science Museum is a rich source of scientific knowledge for the public.
Frequent artistic events enhance residents' quality of life.
Residents of Taichung are never at a loss for somewhere to go at the weekend.
Blue skies and ample sunshine have given Taichung the nickname of "Taiwan's California.".
Inadequate public transportation is one of Taichung's most urgent problems.
Today's rice paddies may become the commercial district of tomorrow.
Parks and green space are to be the main focus of Taichung city government's future development plans.
"Taichung city still has a lot going for it!" says Taichung's mayor Lin Po-jung.
