Michigan Tours

Top 17 Things to See and Do in Taichung 

1. Natural Science Museum
   This museum is one of Taichung's biggest attractions. Adjoining the museum is the Space Theatre. The whole complex is constructed in an ultra-modern style but is very tastefully done and worth a visit in your Taichung city sightseeing tours. The museum is open daily except Monday and the day after national holidays.
   
   
2. Confucius Temple
   Though not as old and rustic-looking as the one in Tainan, this temple is larger and more colorful. Like other Confucius temples, it has a dawn ceremony on 28 September, the birthday of Confucius. 
   
   
3. Martyrs' Shrine
   If you visit the Confucius Temple in your private tours of Taichung, it's very convenient to visit the Martyrs' Shrine, as the two are adjacent to each other. The shrine is in honour of those who died fighting for their country.  
   
   
4. PaoChueh Temple
   A few blocks beyond the Confucius Temple is the Paochueh Temple. This temple features a huge Buddha, 31 meters tall. The Chinese call him Milefo, a derivation of the original Indian name Maitreya. 
   
   
5. Universities
   Taichung has four well-known universities. As a tourist, you may not have a big interest to visit the universities in your guided Taichung tours, but one worth seeing is Tunghai University, a co-ed private school with a beautiful campus and innovative architecture. 
   
   This seems to be the unofficial city park - it's certainly larger and more attractive than the real parks in Taichung. The campus is a long way from the center so you must take a bus or taxi. The largest university in Taichung is Chunghsing a public, coeducational institution. Fengchia University is a co-ed private school. Chingy University is a private women's college in Shalu, eight km northwest of Taichung.
   
   
6. Cultural Centre 
   The Cultural Centre is similar to the ones in Kaohsiung and Tainan. Featuring opera, art exhibits, and concerts, the Cultural Centre will probably be of more interest to residents than travelers.
    
7. Taiwan Museum of Art 
   This is one of Taiwan's best art museums to visit in tours to Taichung. The exhibits are rotated, so you'll need to call or pick up a schedule of events if you want to find out what's on.   It's open Tuesday to Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday from 9 am to 8 pm and is closed on Monday.  
   
   
8. Encore Gardens
   This large private garden in the foothills 10 km north-east of Taichung is decorated with European architecture. Regarding raking in the cash, this is one of Taiwan's 'big three' theme parks (the other two are Window on China and the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village). Most travelers should give it a miss - it's a good escape from the city for Taichung residents rather than an international tourist attraction.
   
   There is far better natural scenery in the magnificent mountains in the eastern part of Taichung County. In the evenings, the big attraction is supposed to be the 'water dance' (Shui Wei), a fountain with colored lights and music. The Encore Gardens are heavily touted in glossy tourist pamphlets, so if you have time in your sightseeing or guided private tours of Taichung you might want to have a look. 
   
   
9. Guanyinshan
   About 1 '/2 km southwest of Encore Gardens is Kuanyinshan, a mountain topped by a statue of the Goddess of Mercy. It's actually a very nice climb, though steep with plenty of stone steps. The views from the top are rewarding. The directions for getting to Kuanyinshan are the same as for Encore Gardens.
    
10. Chung Hsing Village
    I wouldn't call this a tourist attraction for guided private tours of Taichung. However, many of the English-language tourist maps published in Taiwan mark Chung Hsing Village with a star, circle or something else to show that it's a special place, but then offer no explanation why it is so.
     
    Chunghsing Village is, in fact, the capital of Taiwan. That is, Taiwan province -remember, Taiwan is not officially a country but a province of China. Taipei is not Taiwan's capital - rather, it's the provisional capital of the Republic of China until the KMT retakes the mainland and re-establishes its former capital at Nanjing. 
     
    Most travelers probably wouldn't want to spend their time there, but some may want to have a look as it is only a short distance away from Taichung. Frequent highway buses heading south of Taichung stop there, including the Sun Moon Lake bus.
     
11. Guguan
    Guguan is a small town and hot-spring resort about two hours from Taichung. Being rather close to the city, it gets very crowded on weekends sightseeing, but it's OK at other times. The scenery is certainly good, though not as spectacular as higher up in the mountains. Kukuan has an elevation of 750 meters.
     
12. Li Shan "Pear Mountain"
    Li Shan, or 'Pear Mountain', is a small farming community along the Central Cross-Island Highway. Some 1900 meters above sea level, the area is famous for growing cold-weather fruits like apples, peaches, and pears, which cannot grow in the subtropical lowlands. It is a retreat for city-bound tourists seeking refuge from the summer heat. Hiking opportunities are limited in Lishan because orchards occupy most of the land.
    
    
13. Fruit Market
    This is what the Chinese come for. You'll hardly have to look at in your private tours of Taichung the fruit market during the summer months; that's just about all Lishan is. However, in Lishan there's at least no doubt about the freshness - it's likely the fruit was picked the same morning. Some orchards even charge an admission fee and let you pick your own, then weigh the contents and charge you as you depart. The dried fruits are a much better deal, and they make good lightweight snacks for traveling.
     
14. Li Shan Culture Museum 
    On the east side of Lishan is a church, and across the highway is an intersection with another road. Follow it uphill, past the elementary school and you'll come to the museum. From the center of Lishan, the hike is only about 1.5 km. The museum is small but interesting.
     
15. Lucky Life Mountain Farm
    Continuing uphill on the same road (five km from Li Shan), you'll come to the Lucky Life Mountain Farm. You'll easily recognize the area by the statue in front of the small farmhouse. The area is surrounded by orchards, and the view from the back porch of the surrounding mountains is fantastic.
    
    
16. Heaven's Pool
    Follow the same road all the way to the summit of the mountain - 12 km from Lishan with an elevation of 2590 meters. Morning is the best time to visit when the weather is likely to be clear but cold. As long as the clouds cooperate, the view is spectacular. The pool, the house next to it and the surrounding grounds are maintained as a sort of sacred shrine - this was Chiang Kai-shek's summer mountain retreat.
    
    You might note - with a certain bit of irony - that Chiang's habit of seeking out quiet mountain retreats and pools got him into big trouble once. In China's Shaanxi Province in 1936, Chiang was kidnapped by his own generals while resting at Huaqing Pool. Coincidentally, the pool was on the slopes of a mountain also called Lishan.
     
17. Wuling Farm
    Wuling Farm was originally conceived as a government-sponsored agricultural project to grow fruit and to resettle retired servicemen who fought for the Republic of China on the mainland. Increasingly the area is attracting tourists, especially young hikers who want to challenge Taiwan's second highest peak, Hsuehshan or 'Snow Mountain', which is 3884 meters in elevation. The area is now part of Hsueh National Park. Hikes; A mountain permit is required for Hsuehshan, but there is no one around to check it. It's a 10 to 12-hour climb to the summit. There are two huts along the way where you can spend the night.