Located in central Taiwan, Taichung City is the economic center of close to 6 million people south of Miaoli county and north of Yunlin county. It is also the transportation hub between southern and northern Taiwan and the key base of cross-Taiwan-strait transaction. It is the “heartland of Taiwan” for its economic and transportation importance. In terms of quality of life, weather in Taichung City is pleasant, and her per capita green space is the greatest in Taiwan. As a result, Taichung has been nicknamed “the most livable city” in Taiwan.
When one is visiting the city, there are brand shopping and leisure areas which are characteristic, comfortable and agreeable, and the real estate prices are lower than those of Kaohsiung and Taipei, making Taichung the city a low-cost living and high-quality place. Coupled with rich educational and human resources from twelve universities and colleges within the city boundary, the competitiveness of Taichung is ranked second in Taiwan, next to city of Taipei only.
Guided by putting citizens first, innovation and efficiency principles, Mayor Jason Hu is devoted to urban reengineering at the turn of the e-century by promoting the following twelve projects: the indicative construction of the 7th Land Consolidation Zone, the international-standard stadium Phase II of the Mt. DaDu Technology Corridor, the Taichung Metropolitan Area Railway Elevation, CBD renewal, Jhennan Recreational Industrial Zone, Southern Taiwan New Cultural Capital, overall redevelopment zone development, Taichung outbound roads, Taichung Metropolitan Area Mass Rapid Transit System, Taichung Shueinan Airport Trade Park, wireless broadband city—mobile Taichung, in order to highlight the charm of Taichung in the e-century and to turn Taichung into a would-be municipality combining culture, amenities and technology.
Living environment
Heart of Taiwan
Location matters. Taichung is located at the heart of Taiwan, and her transportation system has been the development axis of the city over the past 30 years, making it the natural transportation hub of southern and northern Taiwan: Nine-Dimensional Guaranteed Transport & Delivery scheme.
In the Nine-Dimensional Guaranteed Transport & Delivery, the outbound road network connecting southern and northern Taiwan includes: National Highway No. 1, National Highway No. 4, West Coast Expressway (Provincial Highway No. 61) and Taichung-Nantou Expressway (Provincial Highway No. 63), making the city the largest transportation hub of Taiwan. The inland and coastal road networks connecting east and south include: Taichung-Changhua Expressway (Provincial Highway No. 74) and Special Road No. 3 (Taichung Harbor-Shalu), that allowing users to get closer to the ocean. In railway system, after the Taiwan High Speed Railway (THSR) started service in 2006 connects to the MRT green line, it will take about 40-50 minutes to travel from Taichung to Taipei or Kaohsiung. The original train service from the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) will become the most convenient and reliable commutation system within the metropolitan Taichung area.
As the third biggest harbor in Taiwan, the Taichung Harbor has a cargo volume of over 4.5 million tons a month and with ships traveling to all parts of the world. The Taiwan Boulevard not only connects Taichung City and Taichung Harbor, but also invites the world on board the harbor and into the city. The vigorous logistics, warehousing and transit businesses in the area have established the international vision of Taichung City.
Nature and green
The Lyuchuan, Liuchuan, Meichuan, Mayuantou creeks and Fazi river have once decorated Taichung City with a poetic atmosphere. Taichung was a city of rivers and bridges.
Abundant green space is a fortune for most Taichung citizens. Strolling along the 50 meters wide green avenues, from the Botanical Garden, the National Museum of Natural Science, the Civic Square, the National Museum of Fine Arts, to the Museum Parkway forms a jade necklace, with Taichung Park as the jade pendant.
Multidimensional business areas
Diversity and innovation are the competitive source of Taichung as a consumer city. While the service industry is the primary industry of the city, there are over 65000 shops in Taichung. Starting from the world’s first bubble tea, Taichung began to earn its international celebrity as a city with businesses combining gourmet food, culture and creativity. These include the “Jingming First Street Shopping Mall” which integrates coffee and humanities; the “Museum Parkway” that combines premium gourmet food and luxurious visual joy; and the “Tianjin Garment Street” which attracts young students for cheap fashionable clothes. The business diversity in Taichung makes spare time for other things.
Perfect place for technology and industry
Forty-six high-tech manufacturers will invest over $600 billion in their plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park for developing optoelectronic technology, semiconductor, nano-scale technology, biotechnology, precision machinery, telecommunication and aeronautics. The Central Taiwan Science Park will join together with nearby Huanlong Technological and Industrial Park, Taichung Industrial Park, Wunshan Industrial Park, and Taichung City Refined Mechanics Industrial Park to form the Dadu Terrace Technology Corridor. Through vertical integration, these park-like clusters of manufacturing and research works enhance the competitiveness of both the industry and the nation.
