Taichung's New Landmarks: The Opera, Maple Garden and the Green Library — A Two-Day Stamp Route in Taichung
Taichung · 9 places Toyo Ito's opera house, the lake at Maple Garden, the new green library in Shuinan and Fengjia Night Market at night.
If old Taichung is red brick and old bridges, the Seventh Redevelopment Zone and Shuinan are curved walls, glass and wide-open lawns.
Over the past twenty years, Taichung has grown several new buildings worth a special trip. Toyo Ito's opera house looks like a hollowed-out sponge, the old Shuinan airport has become a huge park of grassland, and beside it rises the green building that houses both the city library and art museum.
This route starts at the high-speed rail station. Nine places and nine stamps show you the new Taichung in two days.
The route at a glance
| Place | Category | Area |
|---|---|---|
| THSR Taichung Station | Railway station | Wuri |
| National Taichung Theater | Venue | Xitun |
| Maple Garden | Park & garden | Xitun |
| Taichung City Hall Station | Railway station | Xitun |
| Taichung Central Park | Park & garden | Xitun |
| Taichung Public Library | Library | Xitun |
| Taichung Art Museum | Art museum | Xitun |
| Fengjia Night Market | Night market | Xitun |
| Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium | Venue | Beitun |
Most of the places are in Xitun. Spend the first day on the opera house, Maple Garden and the City Hall area, with Fengjia in the evening, and the second day on Central Park and the green library in Shuinan before a game in Beitun.
THSR Taichung Station: setting off under a shuttle-shaped roof
THSR Taichung Station is in Wuri, its concourse topped by a shuttle-shaped roof. From here you can transfer to TRA Xinwuri Station or take the metro's Green Line into the city.
Collect your first stamp in the concourse, and your Taichung trip begins.
National Taichung Theater: no ticket needed to look around
The National Taichung Theater was designed by Toyo Ito. There isn't a single flat wall in the building. Its curved walls sweep from the floor all the way to the ceiling.
You can explore the lobby without a ticket, then take the lift up to the rooftop garden and look out over the towers of the Seventh Redevelopment Zone.
Maple Garden: a lake among the towers
Maple Garden is a sunken park ringed by the towers of the Seventh Redevelopment Zone, with an ecological lake at its center.
Follow the boardwalk slowly around the lake. Towers above, water below: it's a very Taichung kind of city view.
Taichung City Hall Station: down from the Green Line's elevated platform
Taichung's metro Green Line runs on an elevated track. Come down from the platform at City Hall Station, head west out of the station, and the Taichung City Government building on Taiwan Boulevard is right in front of you.
Collect a stamp here and take a look at the civic center while you're at it.
Taichung Central Park: an old airport turned grassland
Central Park was built on the old Shuinan airport. A huge stretch of grassland reaches into the distance, with wide-open views.
Walk across the lawns and collect your stamp next to the visitor center. On fine evenings, lots of people come here to stroll, walk their dogs and fly kites.
Taichung Public Library: a quiet corner in a busy city
The main Taichung Public Library shares a building complex with the Taichung Art Museum. Step into the library and the noise outside falls away.
Find a seat by the window, leaf through a few books and enjoy a rare stretch of quiet.
Taichung Art Museum: the green library and museum
The Taichung Art Museum was designed by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa and is joined to the main public library, so people call the pair the "green museum and library." The building is made of boxes of different sizes, wrapped in trees.
After the exhibitions, walk straight through into the library and collect both stamps at once.
Fengjia Night Market: every kind of creative snack
Fengjia Night Market is one of the biggest night markets in Taiwan. After dark, stalls line the streets around Wenhua Road, with one inventive snack after another.
Do a lap of the stalls and eat as you go. It's the best way to end day one.
Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium: cheer until the last inning
The Intercontinental Baseball Stadium is the home of the CTBC Brothers. On game days, walk in and join the chants of the whole stadium from the first pitch to the last inning.
Check the schedule, save your ninth stamp for the ballpark, and the route is complete.
Two-day plan
Day 1: the Seventh Redevelopment Zone
- Start in the morning at THSR Taichung Station and take the Green Line into the city
- Get off at Taichung City Hall Station and see the civic center
- Visit the National Taichung Theater's lobby and rooftop garden around midday
- Walk around Maple Garden in the afternoon
- Browse Fengjia Night Market in the evening
Day 2: Shuinan and Beitun
- Visit Taichung Central Park in the morning
- Walk to the Taichung Art Museum and the Public Library around midday
- Catch a game at the Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in the evening
Before you go
- Opening hours, closing days and ticket prices can change, so check each place's official website before you set off.
- The Green Line links THSR Taichung Station with the City Hall area. For Shuinan and the baseball stadium, take a bus or ride a YouBike.
- The baseball stadium only comes alive on game days, so check the CTBC Brothers' schedule before you go. Fengjia Night Market gets very crowded on weekend evenings.
Collecting this route with ExploreStamp
Open ExploreStamp, find "Taichung's New Landmarks: The Opera and the Green Library" among the themed routes and tap "Check in" at each place you reach. The app confirms you're within range, adds the place's stamp to your stamp book and records the date of your first visit. Collect all nine, and an opera house, an old airport's grassland and a ball game will all live in your stamp book.
See the other routes under Explore.
Cover photo: Yao-ting Tsai / Unsplash