Vibrant Taichung, Taiwan's Creative Heart

In the Seventh Land Consolidation District--former farmland rezoned for construction--where broad green parks are interspersed with luxury apartment buildings, property prices have been skyrocketing in recent years. They are now as high as NT$550,000 per ping (3.3 square meters), nearly on a par with Taipei. Last year, the first Chinese-owned hotel chain in the world, Hotel One--owned by Stanley Yen, a doyen of the hostelry industry--opened a new hotel in Taichung, capturing attention with its style, high tech, and the sailboat design of the 46-story building. This spring, Hong Kong magnate Richard Li visited the site of a new mixed-use redevelopment project at the site of the former Taichung airport, creating a big stir. A lot of people ascribe Taichung's red-hot prospects in recent years to the impact of the Central Taiwan Science Park or people's expectations for eventual opening of the "three links" with China. Nonetheless, along with the impetus of technology and cash, there has also developed a powerful "creative culture."

Last year when the Taike Rock festival was brought to Taichung, chief organizer Ni Chung-hua said during a meeting with the press that Taichung is Taiwan's most creative place. Besides it being the home of the Chun Shui Tang, creators of "pearl milk tea," and the place where Giant bicycles and Thunder Tiger model airplanes were launched, in recent years a number of outstanding design firms have popped up here, such as Duck Image, Scandinavian Designers, and Subkarma.... They are helping local small and medium-sized firms to do design and branding, giving rise to a large "creative industry."

So where do Taichungites get their creativity? How has Taichung been able to attract so many first-rate designers? Can this creativity and vitality enable Taichung to stand out from the crowd and establish a unique style and identity of its own?

World-famous futurist John Naisbitt appeared in Taichung at the end of June. Despite the hefty NT$1600 tag per ticket, the 13th floor of the Splendor-Taichung on Chungkang Road was packed. Before beginning his lecture, he commented "Taichung certainly has changed a lot!" When he was here 40 years ago to observe the agricultural sector, local restaurants still had exhibitions of fire-eating and sword-swallowing. But in recent years, major international stars like Pavarotti and Yo-yo Ma have performed in Taichung, drawing global attention to the city.

Even 20 years ago, the site of the luxury hotel where Naisbitt gave his lecture was a rice paddy, while the glittering focal points of today's Taichung, such as Art Boulevard (where Hotel One is located) were on the fringes of the city. The Fifth Land Consolidation District (LCD) circling off to the west was wilderness, and that goes double for the even more distant Seventh LCD.

Half a year ago, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts held a major league exhibition: Over the past 30 years, BMW had asked 15 leading international artists to make works of art out of its cars, and these finally went on a world tour. Taichung was the only venue in Taiwan, drawing tens of thousands of car aficionados.

A new Metropolitan Opera House is going up in the Seventh LCD. A 2005 competition to choose its design was won by Japanese architect Toyo Ito. Recently the design was named by the media as one of nine future new landmarks of the world.

The youthful city of Taichung is growing rapidly, and is developing an aura of excellence.

Taichung is known far and wide for its nightlife. There are luxurious dance clubs, diversified theme motels and restaurants, and in recent years even street performers have added a new element to Taichung after dark. Shown here is the famous Golden Jaguar nightclub.

Creative mayor sells Taichung

Globalization has leveled barriers between countries, but has intensified competition to be "global cities." On taking office six years ago, Taichung's mayor Jason Hu immediately set out to rebrand his city "cultural Taichung." His thinking: "Wealth will be squandered, power will change hands, and life itself will wither; only beauty and creativity are immortal."

Hu, formerly foreign affairs minister and head of the Government Information Office, was impressed by the experience of the Spanish city of Bilbao, which revived its fortunes by hosting a new Guggenheim Museum. In competition with major Asian cities, Hu devoted enormous effort to getting Guggenheim to open a branch in Taichung. The two sides even signed a preliminary agreement. But the project came to naught because of disputes over sources of funding, lack of central government support, and other problems. Amidst comments of regret and criticism from observers, Hu remained upbeat.

"Trying to get the Guggenheim was like lighting a match: it set aflame Taichung's international reputation," he says. For example, Taichung would never have become known to so many internationally renowned architects were it not for the Guggenheim plan, and the competition for the Metropolitan Opera House would probably not have attracted nearly so many entries from world-class architects.

The first major cultural infrastructure project completed in Hu's term--an outdoor amphitheatre--opened last year. Although views on its quality differ widely, the structure has hosted concerts by artistes such as Jolin Tsai, and events such as the Central Taiwan Lantern Festival. Crowds of over 10,000 can enjoy the romance of a live performance under a cool night sky. As one middle-aged taxi driver says, "It's really a fun atmosphere!" He is delighted that in the past few years Taichung has changed its former reputation as a haven for vice and says the level of culture has risen quite a bit.

If you want to understand the "aesthetics of daily life" that make consuming such a pleasure in Taichung, don't miss the restaurants on Kungyi Road and Wenhsin Road. The picture on the facing page shows part of the restaurant Tea Work.

Corporations follow the leader

"We in the corporate world have been deeply impressed by Mayor Hu's commitment to arts and culture," says Sandy Hsiao, who was in the construction industry for many years and now chairs many of Taichung's cultural and arts foundations. In the past, performers like Yo-yo Ma or the Vienna Philharmonic would only appear in Taipei. But now that Taichung's cultural ball has gotten rolling, the business community has enthusiastically contributed money and logistical support. Hsiao routinely digs into her own pocket to buy one or two hundred tickets to invite business friends to attend performances.

In 2005, when Pavarotti did his final world tour, his only performance in Taiwan was in Taichung. The tens of millions in costs of the show, aside from ticket revenues, were all covered by contributions from 20 local firms. Local firms have also funded major folk music performances.

Looking back, the Guggenheim concept may have been overreaching, considering that what Taichung was most notorious for at the time was pole-dancing by scantily clad young women. It seems the top-down, government-led high culture typified by Guggenheim and Pavarotti was a little ahead of its time. But now that the match has been lit, corporate support for the arts is being drawn to the flame, perhaps paving the way for a future more successful Guggenheim-type project.

Liou Yaw-hwa, director of the urban planning department at Feng Chia University, opines that although the large amount of time that Jason Hu devoted to the Guggenheim in his first term may have led to neglect of other aspects of city government, the process definitely inspired the growth, and improved the quality, of cultural creative capabilities in the private sector.

Meanwhile, as everyone awaits the next big idea for a landmark arts project, other cultural processes continue to mature: the efforts long undertaken at the grassroots level to develop an "aesthetic of daily life" and "understated luxury" in terms of dining, dress, residential architecture, and transport. Indeed, these may become the cutting edge of fashion and taste for all of Taiwan in the future.

One clue comes from the recent low-key fad for weekend trips to Taichung.

Construction industry veteran Hung Tsu-yi has discovered that lately many of her Taipei friends enjoy driving to Taichung for the weekend. They go to a restaurant, visit the Idee department store, and then choose a stylish motel for the night. It's the same feeling as going to Hong Kong or Singapore for a couple of days.

Taichung City's building industry is second to none in Taiwan. Behind many new luxury apartment complexes and designer motels you will find young architects brimming with new ideas. The photo at right shows a piece of public art that forms a landmark on Chingkuo Boulevard.

New consumer aesthetic

A part of Taichung "style" that has always been around has been a creative and varied culinary culture. Taichung shop Chun Shui Tang, which is most representative of Taiwanese tea culture, is the home of "pearl milk tea," a hit with Chinese communities worldwide. The artistic teahouse Wuwei has adopted a rustic style with a thatched roof and bamboo walls; it is especially popular with Japanese visitors. And Rose House, a chain of Victorian-style shops offering English-style afternoon tea, also calls Taichung its birthplace.

But novelty-loving Taichungites aren't content to rest on their laurels. Following on the heels of the once popular "garden coffee houses," there's now a new wave of restaurant architecture.

On Wenhsin Road, on the margins of the Seventh LCD, is Tea Work. The restaurant asked Taiwan's cutting-edge interior designer Chen Shao-Zen-Tao, famous for "soft architecture," to do the basic design, creating a culinary space that would be a dialogue between the insubstantial and the substantial. There has been an uninterrupted flow of visitors since its opening, and it has become a culinary landmark. "During the day you can sit in the open-air section and enjoy the sunshine, the breeze, and the flowing water. At night the whole place lights up like a huge bonfire... it's awesome!" enthuses one consumer on a blog. Importantly, to enjoy this unique setting, all you need to do is order the basic set meal for NT$250 (about US$8).

Large free-standing restaurants with high ceilings and distinctive architectural styles have gone up one after another along Kungyi Road these past four or five years. There are European gardens, castles, white structures like those of the Greek isles, and faux-primitive wood structures, with design and decor costing tens of millions of NT dollars. Not only is the architecture varied, there is also a good division of labor when it comes to the food, with no overlap: You can choose French, Japanese, New Orleans, fusion, surf-and-turf....

In addition, dating back to a little earlier than the Kungyi Road phenomenon, along both sides of Art Boulevard are small restaurants that make their mark with the refined quality of their culinary arts.

"The chefs are often much better than you'd expect, like Ms. Li of the Fleur de Sel French restaurant and Papa Mio Italian restaurant," says architect Chiang Le-ching, who is mad about fine dining. The Ms. Li in question left home at 15, and after learning her trade in a five-star hotel, traveled all over the world and picked up a lot from master chefs. With her acute sensitivity for ingredients, and magic touch in preparation, her culinary skills are first rate.

If you want to understand the "aesthetics of daily life" that make consuming such a pleasure in Taichung, don't miss the restaurants on Kungyi Road and Wenhsin Road. The picture on the facing page shows part of the restaurant Tea Work.

Surprising motels

There is also much admiration for the creativity of the new generation of motels. Several years ago, Sunshine Motel revolutionized the field when it became the first high-class motor hotel. Motels have since departed from tacky, suggestive decor to simpler, classier looks, or have adopted the style of holiday villas. The accoutrements too have been upgraded in elegance and function: rose petals and bath oils are de rigueur, and there are big screen TVs, karaoke, saunas, grills,indoor waterfalls, and even personalized swimming pools.

Yet these new motels built to luxury specifications don't charge luxury prices. At only NT$3-4000 a night, despite a restriction allowing one to check in only after 9 p.m. (afternoons are reserved for short-term rest stays), they continue to attract domestic and foreign tourists like magnets.

"I have a client in manufacturing who comes here with his wife every weekend, with a bottle of fine wine. They check into a different motel each time," observes Duck Hsieh. A lot of parents bring their children to play in the enormous baths, enjoying a fantastical leisurely afternoon.

Feng Chia professor Liou Yaw-hwa often arranges for foreign visitors to Taiwan to stay in a motel in order to experience real Taichung style. They invariably come away amazed that such small motels seem more to match the specifications of first-class private clubs. "They'll never want to stay in an ordinary business hotel again!" he laughs.

Taichung's creative capabilities are in its people. In recent years the economy there has been doing well, giving rise to even more vitality in the private sector. The photo shows a corner of a showroom for Strauss furniture, a label created by Yong-Jin Wooden Furniture. The round building at right is a Starbucks created by restructuring the former Yong-Jin Wooden Furniture guardhouse.

Readers' trade union

Taichung is rooted in people. The bold, fresh aesthetic and creativity of daily life there is brought into play not only in consumption and recreation, but also in "social networks" with people at their core. For example, Tunghai Book Studio, with its highly literary atmosphere, has recently tried to put together a "readers' trade union" to bring together like-minded people to keep their ideals going. It's really an intriguing experiment.

Located near Tunghai University, Tunghai Book Studio is a counter-culture bookstore specializing in gender studies, Taiwan studies, the environmental movement, and similar lines of social thinking. When booklover and Tunghai grad Liao Ying-liang and several friends founded the shop ten years ago, they felt that in the area around a university there should never be a complete lack of bookshops providing food for independent or alternative thinking. Their goal has never been profit, as the shop itself reveals: There are chairs set out for people to read, listen to music, or just chat, and the shop has evolved into an off-campus gathering place and intellectual focal point, or just a place where students at a loose end can spend some time in a genteel and welcoming atmosphere.

However, their ideals of running a bookstore in the spirit of change are being tested by trends like the advent of Internet shopping and trading, and a decline in interest in reading among students. "When students only come in here because textbooks are sold at a discount or because it's convenient, then what we can achieve becomes more and more limited," says the tall, slender, slightly bearded Liao Ying-liang. When something is difficult, offers no material return, and seems to have lost its importance, then why go on with it?

But a group of long-standing customers can't bear to see this kind of space become history. With independent bookstores in the downtown area closing one by one, these like-minded people with social activism running through their veins have come up with a new mission: How can an independent bookstore be run sustainably? "This is not only an issue for ourselves, but a problem to be faced by all who are struggling to hold on or who wish to open an independent bookstore in the future, as well as readers who enjoy shopping in independent bookstores."

Thus was born the Readers' Trade Union. They are aiming for 200 members, with dues of NT$500 per month, to cover the shop's day-to-day expenses and personnel costs. With basic finances taken care of, the shop operators can focus on providing value-added services. In return, members get to buy books at cost and have a say in shop activities.

"Right now the model mainstream bookstores follow when staging activities is for the store to do all the decision-making and planning, and then interested readers can show up if they want. But we hope readers will work with us to decide what to do and even help us run the events," says Liao Ying-liang. So far they have more than 140 members. Although this number still leaves them some distance from their goal, Liao tells new customers who seem ready to dig into their pockets right away, "Don't rush into joining, this isn't charity. First come by, have a coffee, read a bit. We'll all get to know each other, and when you understand and genuinely identify with our values, then you can reconsider joining."

If you want to understand the "aesthetics of daily life" that make consuming such a pleasure in Taichung, don't miss the restaurants on Kungyi Road and Wenhsin Road. The picture on the facing page shows part of the restaurant Tea Work.

Field of dreams

The Readers' Trade Union is an attempt to combine the forces of a particular social group. But even in the early 1980s, before there was formal "community development" anywhere in Taiwan, the island's earliest integrated community was budding near Tunghai University, driven by the concept of "a town built on art."

A big piece of land next to Tunghai University had been developed with "villas" and high-rises, but sales were poor, and the area fell into semi-deserted disrepair. "At that time these high-class villas were being rented out to students very cheaply, while other residences were rented mostly by poor and disadvantaged groups. The streets were covered with garbage and stray dogs," recalls architect Chiang Le-ching. Later the landowners decided to start over from scratch, and they asked Pai Hsi-min, a graduate of Tunghai's architecture department, to help out. Unwilling to see the area next to his beautiful alma mater continue to be so derelict, he courageously took on this "hot potato." He hooked up with a few friends and they formed a construction company, bringing together a group of idealistic young people hoping to construct a long-dreamed-of "Utopian" community.

Once the first phase of structures were complete, they adopted the creative idea of having artists move in to give the street character. The idea was an instant hit, and based on this reputation as a "humanistic community," the apartments sold out completely despite being 20-30% more expensive than real estate in Taichung City. Phases two and three were rushed forward together, and the "Utopia at the foot of Mt. Tatu" became the dream residential district for the rising middle class. It also caused the outside world to sit up and take notice of Taichung's building industry.

Chiang Le-ching, who joined the project fresh out of university, relates that the architect, planners, and designers who worked on it eventually spread out across Taichung's construction industry and into academia. Equipped with both humanistic inclinations and practical experience, they have had a considerable effect on investors' attitudes toward architecture. For example, Chain-Anchor Architechture Co. initiated a long-term lecture series on architecture and organized trips to see important buildings and styles at home and abroad. The firms Best Giving and Treasure Dragon both produced periodicals to promote architectural aesthetics and form a focal point for community consciousness. Treasure Dragon even got involved in community development, and set down long-term community roots. This is another distinctive aspect of Taichung's architectural and construction culture.

The Tunghai Book Studio, with its warm intellectual and humanist atmosphere, has launched a "readers' trade union" in hopes of establishing a business model that can keep independent bookstores alive.

Added-value living

Soil rich in humanism and life is often the best place for the growth of creative blossoms in the recreational industry as well. Taichung has nurtured the now globally famous Giant bicycles and Thunder Tiger model airplanes. In recent years the future stars of Taiwan's self-designed home products industry have also been coming out of Taichung.

On Wenhsin Road Section 1 there is a three-story building shaped like a coffee cup. Next door to it is highly modernistic glass-and-wood "concepts for living" store that looks more like a fine arts museum; it has already become one of the sights that Taichung people most recommend to visitors. The big coffee mug, a Starbucks, was built by restructuring the guardhouse at the entry to the Yong-Jin Wooden Furniture Company. Because of its remarkable shape, it is often the number-one shop for retail coffee sales of any Starbucks in Taiwan. The building next door is an outlet for Yong-Jin's own Strauss furniture line.

Established in Taichung in 1951, Yong-Jin got its start producing cabinets for TVs, sewing machines, and record players. In the ODM era Yong-Jin adopted a different strategy from the crowd, so while competitors were exporting cheap knock-offs to the US market, Yong-Jin set its sights on the Japanese and Scandinavian markets, which had more rigorous quality standards. For a while they even supplied IKEA.

Next, when the gloss had worn off furniture exports, and those in the industry were moving their operations overseas, Yong-Jin opted to stay in Taiwan. Third-generation corporate head Steve Chiang went to Scandinavia for a furniture show more than ten years ago. When he tried to buy some stylish furniture, he was refused because he was from a Taiwanese company in the same industry. (Taiwan was then quite infamous for pirating designs.) Hit hard by the refusal, Steve Chiang decided to embark on the path of production under the corporation's own brand name.

Originally furniture made under the Strauss label was only for export, but later development of the domestic market turned out to be highly successful. At various times more than 600 furniture stores in Taiwan have carried Strauss products. But they ran into problems persuading dealers to sell higher-priced Taiwanese made furniture, and there was resistance to innovative designs. So Chiang again broke new ground, expanding into retail and opening stores featuring the Strauss brand. There are now four outlets in Taiwan.

Admiring the richly textured, cleverly designed pieces in the bright and spacious Strauss showroom, it is hard to imagine that Chiang cut his academic teeth on mechanical engineering at Chengkung University, and had to learn about furniture entirely on his own. It reminds one of the story of the master Japanese architect Tadao Ando, who never took any formal training in his professional field.

Photo studios specializing in children's photos must be unique to Taichung. The dinosaur motif of this studio must certainly attract a lot of customers.

Fertile soil for creativity

So it is clear that Taichung is a place where novelty and innovation thrive. But what is the secret to this creativity?

"People from central Taiwan get straight to the point, they're very pragmatic and tolerant. They happily embrace new ideas and new things," says Liou Yaw-hwa, who, having grown up in southern Taiwan and studied in northern Taiwan, and now teaching in the central region, is in a position to compare. People in Taipei are more aggressive and competitive, yet more remote, and somewhat self-satisfied and biased against things from outside; while people in the south have a strong regional identity, and tend to like things the way they are, so they are not to open to change.

You can see the tolerance of Taichung people in many facets of life.

In early July, author Lung Ying-tai, Mayor Jason Hu, and tourist industry doyen Stanley Yen held a seminar on how to define and enhance a city's appeal and reputation. Lung was surprised to learn that the audience included city councilors from different parties as well as business leaders. "In my experience, city councilors don't attend seminars. So there must be really something special about Taichung!"

And while in other cities the pan-blue and pan-green parties are always at each other's throats, this is not so in Taichung.

"Taichung people just want to see results. They don't care what party you're from, and they aren't burdened by history," observes Chiang Le-ching. Divisive tactics won't fly here.

Taichung people aren't so status-conscious in business either. "Clients from northern Taiwan usually ask how may employees you have, how upmarket your address is, and so on. But clients from Taichung don't give a damn about that stuff," says Liao Chia-ling, executive director at Scandinavian Design Consultants. That's why you'll find many Taichung design companies tucked away in small alleys; they don't need to set up in some high-profile high-rise like their Taipei colleagues, just to give clients a sense of confidence.

Taichung folks are open-minded about new things and people, but are also self-confident about what they want and how to live. Yong-Jin chief Steve Chiang is often asked why he didn't move to Taipei, with all its resources. He answers that while it might be possible to do design just about anywhere, if you want to develop your own brand name, "you have to have your own unique style." He feels that only in the land where he was born and grew up can he come up with products that are moving and full of vitality.

Taichung City's building industry is second to none in Taiwan. Behind many new luxury apartment complexes and designer motels you will find young architects brimming with new ideas. The photo at right shows a piece of public art that forms a landmark on Chingkuo Boulevard.

The Heart of Taiwan

In contrast to the crowding and frantic activity of Taipei, Taichung is more spacious and open, with 4.91 square meters of green space per person, second highest in Taiwan. The leisurely, comfortable living environment often puts the city first in rankings of where people would most like to live." No wonder that members of the creative class virtually unanimously find it an appealing place for quality of life.

"In places where the pace of life is too fast, it's hard to find down time to really think about things," says Duck Hsieh. Denmark native Gideon Loewy, design director at Scandinavian, says that in Taichung nobody is fighting to be Number 1, and sales are not everything. You can knock off work early, have a coffee, enjoy some of the rich selection of outdoor activities or nightlife, and find some outlet for the pressures of being a designer.

Interior designer Chen Shao-Zen-Tao, about half of whose projects are in Taipei, insists on living in Taichung. "Taipei is too commercial, and I can't feel at home there. Taichung people are more frank and open, they're not so uptight. Even when it comes to fashion they stick to the same attitude of comfort and peace of mind." Only in Taichung can he be completely "human."

Richard Florida, author of The Creative Class, says creativity will be the main motive force behind the next wave of urban growth. The key to a city's prosperity and success often lies in whether it can retain its creative class. A locale must possess the Three T's--talent, technology, and tolerance--to attract creative people and inspire creative capabilities.

Central Taiwan Science Park, which began operations three years ago, has made a big contribution to the 3T's with its annual production value of over NT$1 trillion. The kind of city that Florida says has the best chance of enjoying a successful creative economy is quietly taking shape.

It is dusk, and as you meander through the broad plaza in front of the National Museum of Fine Arts, there are people strolling on the expansive lawns, and others just coming out of an exhibition. There are people gazing at distant clouds as if in profound contemplation, and children happily trying to get their kites aloft. After the sun goes down, elegant strains of music come from a distant outdoor stage. The atmosphere is intoxicating. Not only is Taichung a happy place for designers and creators, there is hope that this very palpable warmth and happiness can spread throughout Taiwan, that these alternative "Taichung values" will ferment elsewhere, and that the prospect of Taichung becoming "the heart of Taiwan" will not be that far away.

Have a cappuccino! When you have a coffee in Taichung, you can not only appreciate the aromatic brew, but get a complete sensory experience involving sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.