taipei to changhua travel time

A Travel Guide to Changhua, Taiwan’s “Bamboo Town”

Changhua is one of Taiwan’s less visited cities and counties (Changhua City is the capital of Changhua County). It is on the central west coast of Taiwan, between Taichung and Yunlin , with mountainous Nantou to the east.

Changhua city is in the north of the county, bordering Taichung, and is even sometimes considered part of Greater Taichung . The city’s most famous sight is the huge Great Buddha on Baguashan – most people only catch glimpses of it as they whizz through the city on the train or National Freeway 1.

But the reason you are most likely to pay a visit to Changhua is the port town of Lukang , one of the most traditional towns in Taiwan . Its well-preserved temples and Old Street are the perfect place to experience authentic Taiwanese culture. It’s easiest to visit as a day-trip or overnight trip from Taichung.

Table of Contents

Changhua Introduction

Long home to coastal plains aboriginals , Changhua later became a base for Han Chinese as they took over the island. The Chinese built a bamboo fort there, hence it came to be known as “bamboo town” (半線城).

Over time, Changhua’s port town Lukang grew to become one of the most important settlements in Taiwan, second only to Tainan in the south (the capital at the time).

It is unique because it was decidedly never connected to the train line, so it remained very traditional . It has some of the oldest and best preserved temples in Central Taiwan, not to mention one of the country’s most traditional old streets.

Changhua city today is practically a suburb of Taichung city . It is home to 226,500 people, while Lukang’s population is around 85,000.

In total, 1.2 million are spread across the county. It’s actually the most populous county in Taiwan , ever since former counties like Taipei county, Taichung county, and Kaohsiung county were elevated to city status.

Getting to Changhua

If you want to visit the Great Buddha at Baguashan , it’s best to take the TRA (regular train) to Changhua Station . The Great Buddha is a 25-minute walk or short taxi ride from the station.

The traveling time from Taichung to Changhua station is only 15 to 25 minutes, so this could be an easy half-day trip . A direct train from Taipei could take anywhere from 2 hours 15 minutes to 4 hours, depending on which one you take (see my Taipei guide and Taiwan trains ticket buying guide ).

By HSR , don’t make the mistake of going to Changhua HSR Station – it’s nowhere near the temple. Instead, ride the HSR from Taipei to Taichung (1 hour), then transfer to a local train from Xinwuri (connected to the HSR station) to Changhua Station (10 minutes). See my HSR guide for more info.

To get to Lukang from Taichung city center , take bus 9018 (1.5 hrs) from Taichung Station in the city center. From Taichung HSR station, take Changhua bus 6936 (50 minutes).

There’s also a direct bus from Taipei Bus Station to Lukang, Ubus 1652 (2.5 to 3 hrs, 6-10 departures daily).

Yet another option is to take the regular train to Changhua station, then rent a bicycle or scooter and ride to Lukang. Either can be rented just in front of the station. A local scooter license or IDP is needed for renting a scooter.

Where to Stay in Changhua

It’s pretty rare for international visitors to stay overnight in Changhua city . There isn’t much to see and do there besides Baguashan Temple and Great Buddha. If you do need to spend the night for whatever reason, try Hotel Taiwan Changhua (see on Booking / Agoda ) near the train station or H. 1967 Guesthouse (see on Booking / Agoda ) near Baguashan.

In Lukang , I had a great stay in one of the private rooms at Deer Park Hostel (see on Booking / Agoda ). It was super clean, quiet, close to the Old Street, and had self-check in. And – you can’t miss it – there was a Totoro statue out front.

Top Things to Do in Changhua

Here are the main things to see and do in Changhua City, Lukang, and other places in Changhua county.

Changhua City

In Changhua city, the Great Buddha at Baguashan (八卦山大佛) is the top attraction. The 24-meter Buddha sits in meditation pose atop a hill overlooking the city. You can even climb up to rooms inside the statue for better views of the city.

There’s more to it than just the Buddha – there’s also a large temple behind him, giant stone lion, treetop skywalk, two tall pagodas, fountains, pavilions, and more. The temple combines elements and beliefs from Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

Only five minutes away from Baguashan Temple on foot, Changhua Confucius Temple is one of the oldest Confucius Temples in Taiwan.

It is far less visited or known than the famous Confucius Temples in Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, or Kaohsiung and is worth a quick peek.

Lukang is Changhua’s biggest reason to visit. The township has over 200 historic temples, narrow ancient lanes, and the chance to try several traditional foods.

Lukang Old Street is a long, narrow lane with restored old shop fronts and red lanterns. There are many shops selling traditional crafts and snacks (see the “what to eat” section below).

The old street leads to Lukang Tianhou Temple , one of the most important Matsu temples in the country. There are several other delicious foods for sale around the temple.

Elsewhere in Lukang, it’s worth exploring Jiuqu Lane (九曲巷, or Lane of Nine Turns) and Breast Touching Lane (摸乳巷) – the name comes from the fact that it is so narrow, they considered that you couldn’t help but brush up against someone’s chest when passing by them.

Lukang Lungshan Temple and Wenwu Temple are two other especially significant historical temples.

The newer Lukang Glass Temple (Husheng Temple) on an island off the coast of Lukang (with bridge access) is built almost entirely of glass. It was built by a glass manufacturer on the island. The image on the main altar is Yushan, Taiwan’s tallest mountain, but made of glass. 

Just outside of Lukang, there’s also a unique, or you might say bizarre, coral and shell temple called Changhua Seashell Temple (彰化貝殼廟) or Sanqing Sanyuan Shell Temple (三清三元宮貝殼廟). It’s reminiscent of Fufudingshan Shell and Coral Temple in New Taipei City .

Here’s my detailed guide to Lukang .

Other Places to Visit in Changhua

If you’ve got kids who love dinosaurs, Baiguoshan Theme Park is focused on dinos. The park is near Yuanlin, another town in Changhua. 

Also near Yuanlin, Cheng Mei Cultural Park (成美文化園) is a beautiful manicured park with influences of Japanese, Hakka, Confucian, and Fujian culture.

Best Changhua Tours

I’m not aware of any tours in Changhua specifically or tours of Lukang. There are traditional bicycle rickshaws in Lukang, which you can hire to take you around.

This 4-day private tour makes a stop in Lukang, as well as Sun Moon Lake, Kaohsiung, and Kenting .

How to Plan Your Changhua Itinerary

Visiting the Great Buddha in Changhua City can easily be done in a few hours from Taichung , so consider including this if you have a little extra time in Taichung and enjoy temples.

Lukang could easily be done as a day trip from Taichung . If you’re coming from Taipei, a day trip would be possible but quite long due to the travel time (6 hours return), so spending one night in Lukang like I did would be better.

What to Eat in Changhua

The most famous night market in Changhua City is Jincheng Night Market (精誠夜市). Read more about night markets in Taiwan here .

One traditional Taiwanese food that was invented in Changhua is ba-wan (肉圓), sometimes translated as “Taiwanese meatball”. In Changhua, locals also call it ba-hoe (肉回). The dish is now famous across Taiwan.

The dish consists of a ball of pork, sometimes with mushrooms and bamboo shoots, steamed inside a gelatinous pouch, and usually served with sauce and cilantro.

To find ba-wan anywhere in Changhua, just type “肉圓” into GoogleMaps and many spots will pop up. 彰化阿璋肉圓 near Changhua train station is especially popular. You won’t see them quite as much in Lukang, but you can find them here near Tianhou Temple.

On Lukang Old Street, one specialty you can’t miss is miancha (麵茶 or “flour tea”) – think of it as a hot cereal, but there are also shaved iced or slushy versions. You can find it here or here on the old street.

Another famous Lukang snack is phoenix eye cakes (鳳眼糕), which are small powdery cakes that melt in your mouth. This shop on the old street is a good spot to try them. Yu Zhen Zai Bakery on the main street in town is a name recognized across Taiwan. They also have phoenix eye cakes and other baked items, but are a little pricier.

Around Tianhou Temple, popular street foods include oyster omelets , ox tongue cookies (牛舌餅), and monkey shrimp (蝦猴), which are little mud shrimps deep fried and served with basil.

Changhua Events

Lukang is the best place in Taiwan to watch dragon boat races during the Dragon Boat Festival (5 th day of the 5 th lunar month). Usually the festival results in a three-day long weekend, with races throughout the weekend.

While most cities in Taiwan just have races and maybe a few food stalls, Lukang’s Dragon Boat Festival comes with a plethora of traditional activities, like Taiwanese puppet performances, drumming, street carnivals, and more. Read about the history of the dragon boat festival in Lukang here .

A Travel Guide to Taichung, Taiwan’s Middle City

A travel guide to yunlin, taiwan’s off-the-beaten-track county, leave a comment.

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Taipei to Changhua

Best options, other options, taipei to changhua schedule, transportation from taipei to changhua.

• Trains RUB 1,889
• Buses RUB 1,015
• Ferries are not available
• Flights are not available
• Taxis are not available
• Vans are not available

Facts about the transport from Taipei to Changhua

Popular routes, from taipei.

• Taipei → Taichung
• Taipei → Kaohsiung
• Taipei → Taoyuan Airport
• Taipei → Sun Moon Lake
• Taipei → Tainan
• Taoyuan Airport → Taipei
• Taichung → Taipei
• Kaohsiung → Taipei
• Taoyuan City → Taipei
• Keelung → Taipei

From Changhua

• Changhua → Taipei
• Changhua → Kaohsiung
• Changhua → Taichung
• Changhua → Tainan
• Changhua → Chiayi

To Changhua

• Kaohsiung → Changhua
• Taichung → Changhua
• Tainan → Changhua
• Taoyuan City → Changhua
• Hsinchu → Changhua

Popular Routes in Taiwan

• Taichung → Sun Moon Lake

How to get from Taipei to Changhua

Travelling between Taipei and Changhua is possible by Bus and train. Train guarantees the fastest travel on this route. Train is the slowest option.

The most expensive ticket will cost you RUB 10,384 if you go by Train; to keep it budget-friendly, opt for a train which will set you back mere RUB 1,889 .

How long does it take to get from Taipei to Changhua?

It can take you anywhere between 2 and 3 hours to travel between Taipei and Changhua depending on the means of transport you choose.

Train is the fastest way to travel between Taipei and Changhua. Train will bring you to your destination in 1h 19m. Train does a much slower job and take about 3h to reach Changhua.

How much does it cost to get from Taipei to Changhua?

Travelling between Taipei and Changhua can be as cheap as RUB 1,889 if you opt for a Taiwan High Speed Rail train and as expensive as RUB 10,384 if you buy a THSR Pass Train ticket.

Here is the list of how much you can expect to pay travelling by each means of transport available for this route.

How many trips per day are there between Taipei and Changhua ?

• 31 from Taipei to Changhua starting from 06:00 Taipei until 21:11 Taipei

Check above for a bus, train, flight and ferry timetable from Taipei to Changhua.

What mode of transportation is the best one for my route?

There is a choice of transportation means any time of the day with Train remaining the most popular option due to their reasonable pricing and comfort.

Out of 1000 travellers who bought tickets for this route

• 100% took a train
• Transport Options

Changhua Travel Guide

Changhua facts.

Chinese Name: 彰化县 (zhāng xiàn) Population: 1,271,015 Area: 1,074.4 square kilometers (414.8 square miles) Location: in the central area of Taiwan Island, southeast China Administrative Division: 2 county-administered cities (Changhua, Yuanlin); 24 townships Area Code: 008864 Zip Code: 500 GDP (2019): CNY118.6 billion (USD 17.2 billion)

The Most Populous County in Taiwan

Changhua County is located in the central part of Taiwan Island, bordering the Taiwan Strait to the west, Nantou to the east, Taichung to the north and Yunlin to the south. Changhua showcases neither complex terrains nor a highly modern and prosperous cityscape. What attract tourists' attention are the wonderful cultural sites, beautiful natural landscape and charming coastal scenery. There are academies, Lukang Small Town, old mansions and temples. In terms of natural attractions, the Daduxikou with large wetlands is the favorite of bird watchers. The Pakua Mountain which is regarded as the landmark of Changhua provides a panoramic city view. When you visit Changhua, of course, do not miss the specialty snacks such as the Changhua Meatballs and Lukang Oyster Omelet.

Attractions - Things to Do

How to Get to Changhua

Changhua Travel Tips

One must not miss the many varieties of delicious local foods, such as meatballs, cat mouse noodles, Yuanlin sweetmeats, pork intestines with ginger, flat noodles, pork in wine sauce, braised pork prunes, and smoky sausages. Jingcheng Night Market and Lukang Luhe Night Market are good places to taste these foods. In addition, Yuzhenzhai offers pastries like pineapple cakes, phoenix eye cakes, and ox tongue biscuits.

34 Best Stops Between Taipei and Changhua City

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How long is the drive from Taipei to Changhua City?

The direct drive from Taipei to Changhua City is 111 mi (178 km) , and should have a drive time of 1 hr 49 mins in normal traffic.

If you’re going on a road trip from Taipei to Changhua City, we did the research for you and compiled some great stops along the way — with New Taipei , Taichung , Wanhua , and Taoyuan , as well as top places to visit like Qianshuiwan Seaside Park and National Palace Museum, or the ever-popular Yangmingshan National Park.

Top cities between Taipei and Changhua City

Wanhua district, new taipei city.

Taoyuan City

Taichung city, best stops along taipei to changhua city drive, yangmingshan national park.

Qianshuiwan Seaside Park

National palace museum.

Beitou Hot Spring Museum

Raohe street night market.

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Plan your trip. Keep your budget organized. Split the cost between tripmates. Wanderlog does it all.

Shenkeng Old Street

Tamsui district, shilin night market.

Aletheia University

Fort san domingo, taipei 101 observatory.

Xiangshan Trail

Don’t forget to pack anything

Stay organized with a to-do list, packing list, shopping list, any kind of list.

Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf

Lover's bridge, bali old street, chih nan temple, shihsanhang museum of archaeology, maokong gondola station, maokong gondola station, chiang kai-shek memorial hall.

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Bangka Lungshan Temple

Mitsui outlet park, new taipei city yingge ceramics museum, 新旺集瓷the shu's pottery｜許新旺陶瓷紀念博物館｜文化導覽｜q咖啡輕食｜台灣陶藝｜文創設計｜手拉坯手捏陶馬賽克陶瓷貼花彩繪｜集瓷cocera｜許家陶器品kogatableware|陶瓷品客製｜, other popular road trips from taipei, explore nearby places.

• Changhua City
• Nantou City
• Miaoli City
• Hualien City
• Pingtung City
• Taitung City
• Pingtan County
• Hui'an County

All related maps of Changhua City

• Map of Changhua City
• Map of Yuanlin
• Map of Taichung
• Map of Nantou City
• Map of Douliu
• Map of Miaoli City
• Map of Chiayi
• Map of Taibao
• Map of Puzi
• Map of Toufen
• Map of Hsinchu
• Map of Zhubei
• Map of Hualien City
• Map of Magong
• Map of Tainan
• Map of Taoyuan
• Map of New Taipei
• Map of Banqiao
• Map of Wanhua
• Map of Yilan City
• Map of Taipei
• Map of Da'an
• Map of Pingtung City
• Map of Taitung City
• Map of Kaohsiung
• Map of Keelung
• Map of Ruifang
• Map of Pingtan County
• Map of Shishi
• Map of Hui'an County
• Map of Quanzhou

Changhua City throughout the year

• Changhua City in January
• Changhua City in February
• Changhua City in March
• Changhua City in April
• Changhua City in May
• Changhua City in June
• Changhua City in July
• Changhua City in August
• Changhua City in September
• Changhua City in October
• Changhua City in November
• Changhua City in December

Looking for day-by-day itineraries in Changhua City?

Get inspired for your trip to Changhua City with our curated itineraries that are jam-packed with popular attractions everyday! Check them out here:

• 1-Day Changhua City Itinerary
• 2-Day Changhua City Itinerary
• 3-Day Changhua City Itinerary
• 4-Day Changhua City Itinerary

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i drive from taipei to changhua city.

Yes! You can drive from Taipei to Changhua City.

How far is Changhua City from Taipei by car?

The drive from Taipei to Changhua City is 111 miles (178 km).

How long does it take to drive from Taipei to Changhua City?

Driving from Taipei to Changhua City should take you 1 hr 49 mins in normal traffic.

How much would gas cost from Taipei to Changhua City?

Gas from Taipei to Changhua City would cost around $10 to $23 , depending on your vehicle's fuel efficiency.

Where should I stop on the way from Taipei to Changhua City?

You could check out Qianshuiwan Seaside Park and National Palace Museum, or the always popular Yangmingshan National Park!

What are the best cities to visit between Taipei and Changhua City?

People love visiting New Taipei, Taichung, and Wanhua, among others.

What's the weather like in Taipei?

It depends on when you visit! We've compiled data from NASA for each month of the year: see the links below for more information.

• Weather in Taipei in January
• Weather in Taipei in February
• Weather in Taipei in March
• Weather in Taipei in April
• Weather in Taipei in May
• Weather in Taipei in June
• Weather in Taipei in July
• Weather in Taipei in August
• Weather in Taipei in September
• Weather in Taipei in October
• Weather in Taipei in November
• Weather in Taipei in December

What are some other road trips from Taipei?

There are plenty! Below you'll find links to all the road trips we've assembled for Taipei.

• Taipei to Taichung drive
• Taipei to Kaohsiung drive
• Taipei to Tainan drive
• Taipei to Hualien City drive
• Taipei to Chiayi drive
• Taipei to Taitung City drive

• Itinerary + map in one view
• Live collaboration
• Auto-import hotels and reservations
• Optimize your route
• Offline access on mobile
• See time and distance between all your places

RAILWAY Travel: CHANGHUA and YUNLIN

Visiting changhua, yuanlin, and douliu.

Text: Steven Crook,  Photos: Vision

Head south of Taichung City in central Taiwan and you’ll come to Changhua and Yunlin counties. While not known as first-tier tourist hotspots, these counties indeed offer a number of intriguing places to visit, within walking distance of railway stations no less.

When Taiwan-bound tourists list the places they hope to see during their stay, the counties of Changhua and Yunlin are seldom mentioned. Those who have time to venture far beyond the greater Taipei region may spend a day or two in Taichung. They’re also likely to head out to the wondrously quaint coastal town of Lugang in Changhua County. But the rest of this county – and all of Yunlin County, perhaps except the coffee-growing region of Gukeng – get scarcely a look-in.

Along the stretch of railroad between Changhua City (the administrative and economic center of Changhua County) and the town of Dounan in Yunlin, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA; www.railway.gov.tw ) operates 12 stations for the convenience of commuters and tourists.

You may be familiar with the name of one of them. Ershui Railway Station , in Ershui town, is where many people change trains so they can explore the popular Jiji Branch Line .

In this article we’re going to look at Changhua and two other stops, highlighting some attractions which the majority of tourists blast past in their eagerness to get up to high-mountain Alishan National Scenic Area or further south to Tainan City.

Changhua City

We’ll start in Changhua City, 2.5 hours south of Taipei by the fastest TRA Tze-Chiang expresses. TRA tickets are much cheaper than Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) fares (no more than NT$415, compared with up to NT$820), and the TRA station also puts you within walking distance of most points of interest in the city. Changhua’s THSR station is 29km south of the city center; convenient for some people, but not for our purposes.

These days, Changhua lives in Taichung’s shadow. But it wasn’t always so. In 1723 the town was chosen to be the capital of one of Taiwan’s three imperial prefectures, making it the most important settlement between Tainan in the south and the port of Tamsui in the north. More than 60 years later, Lin Shuang-wen – one of the more successful rebel leaders in Taiwan’s tumultuous imperial-era history – declared himself “emperor” after seizing the town.

On arrival in Changhua, pop into the station’s visitor information center if you need maps or leaflets. If you’d rather pedal than walk, there’s a YouBike ( chcg.youbike.com.tw ) rental station directly across the road; the YouBike shared-bike scheme here operates in the same way as its namesake in Taipei.

About 10 minutes by foot north of the station you can see something certainly unique in Taiwan, and perhaps unique in Asia. The Changhua Roundhouse (open Tuesday to Friday 1pm ~ 4pm and weekends 10am ~ 4pm) is a semi-circular structure built in the 1920s with space for up to 12 locomotives, where they can be kept out of the sun and rain when not in use. A turntable in front of the roundhouse rotates a short section of track, allowing railway engines to be turned up to 180 degrees on the spot, facilitating their entry into a vacant bay or return to service.

Roundhouses existed wherever steam locomotives were used, because – unlike modern diesel or electric engines – steam trains are difficult to reverse. At one point Taiwan had six functioning roundhouses, but this is the only survivor. Amazingly, the turntable is still in regular use, so you’ve a decent chance of seeing an engine brought out or parked.

It’s perhaps no surprise that Taiwan’s remaining steam locomotives are the most highly prized machines sheltered in the Changhua Roundhouse. One of these metal titans is over 100 years old, and it occasionally returns to service.

From the roundhouse, return to the YouBike station, then make your way east along Guangfu Road. When you reach Minsheng Road, turn south. On your right, 700m from the TRA station, you’ll find Yuanqing Temple .

This place of worship was founded in 1763, but was gutted by a calamitous fire in 2006. The principal icons, among them effigies of the Jade Emperor, survived the blaze, and are now housed in a fully reconstructed shrine. The paintings that adorn the beams are still bright and unsullied, unlike those in many old-time temples where incense smoke over time covers artwork.

Cater-corner from the temple there’s a traditional tatami-maker . Tatamis are hard straw mats 7-8cm thick; the word is Japanese, but has been part of the local vocabulary since the Japanese colonial era. The owner responds positively to passersby who ask if they can take photos.

From here, continue southward along Minsheng Road. Almost immediately, you’ll see on your left the stately Changhua Confucius Temple (open 8:30am ~ 5:30pm Tuesday to Sunday; closed Monday and national holidays). Like every attraction mentioned in this article, admission is free.

You can enter the temple’s grounds by the side door or through the front entrance on Kongmen Road. Compared to the temples in Taipei and Tainan that honor China’s greatest sage, this edifice gets few visitors, even though it’s considered one of Taiwan’s three most important Confucian shrines.

If you spot peeling paint, or decorations which look a little faded, it’s because parts of this complex are nearly 300 years old. Inside the central chamber are bian (inscribed plaques bearing four Chinese characters) presented by an 18 th -century emperor of China as well as two former Republic of China presidents.

After the Confucius Temple, before heading east along Kongmen Road toward Baguashan (Mt. Bagua; more on this coming up), look across Kongmen to where Zhonghua Road meets it at an angle. Here you’ll espy a clothing store housed in what was originally a movie theater. This elegant building at No. 43, Zhonghua Road, which dates from the early 1950s, boasts a gorgeous Art Deco façade. If you step inside, go upstairs to appreciate the wooden roof-frame.

Continue east along Kongmen Road, and you’ll come to a cluster of public buildings around the intersection of Zhongshan Road. Just behind the Changhua Public Library you’ll find the Museum of the War of 1895 (open daily 9:30am ~ 5:30pm).

This little museum commemorates a decisive engagement during Japan’s seizure of Taiwan following the Sino-Japanese War of 1894~95. On August 27, 1895, Taiwanese forces protecting Changhua failed to hold back the invaders, allowing them to proceed south and complete their takeover. There’s no English inside, but the friendly volunteers at the door will hand out an English-language leaflet for you. The museum has no windows, because it occupies a former air-raid shelter built during the standoff between the Chinese Nationalists (KMT) and Chinese Communists in the 1950s.

The museum is at the foot of a hill, and on the right of the entrance you’ll see some stairs leading up. This is the most direct way to reach the top of Mt. Bagua , part of the Baguashan Scenic Area, and a massive seated Buddha. The peak of Mt. Bagua is just 97m above sea level, but from it you can sometimes see as far as the wind turbines that dot the coast. The Great Buddha , 23m high and painted a very dark brown, contains bilingual displays about the origins of Buddhism (open daily 8am~8pm).

A recent addition to Mt. Bagua is the Baguashan Skywalk . Just over 1km long, from it you’ll get good views to the south and inland. Leaving Mt. Bagua, saunter west down Guashan Road to its T-intersection with Dongmin Street, take a left, then take a left again a few steps later on Section 1, Gongyuan Road. Seen immediately is the distinctively Japanese dark-tiled roof of the former butokuden , also known as the Changhua Martial Arts Hall , a gorgeous 88-year-old structure that is usually not open to the public.

The butokuden stands between two other points of interest. Right beside it on the right is Jiexiao Shrine (open 9am ~ 12 noon Tuesday and Sunday only), a beautiful and atmospheric temple founded in the 1880s to celebrate central Taiwan’s “chaste and filial women.” In addition to the usual incense and fruit, cosmetics feature among the offerings made here.

Back at the aforementioned T-intersection, on the way back to the city center, is the swish new Changhua County Art Museum (open 9am ~ 5pm Tuesday to Sunday). The exhibitions here rotate frequently, so do take a look inside.

Back on the train and moving south, the next major town is Yuanlin (16 minutes and just NT$21 on a local train). Just before the train pulls in, look to your right. Right next to the elevated railway tracks, you’ll see the Yuanlin Railroad Granary , 18 concrete silos built in the mid-1970s. After just seven years’ use, this facility was closed. Since then it has been opened to the public from time to time, but was closed at the time of my visit.

Two of Yuanlin’s more intriguing sights are in the same neighborhood, a mere ten-minute walk east of the TRA station. One is Singsian Tutorial Academy (open daily 7am ~ 7pm), on Sanmin Street. Like similar institutions built during the Qing Dynasty, this is a shrine/school where ambitious young men would study for the imperial examinations. People still come here to pray, or to study in the side chambers.

More surprising is the Police Museum (open 9am ~ 11:30am and 2pm ~ 4:30pm Tuesday to Sunday), to the academy’s immediate north, housed in a Japanese-era bungalow and home to a cracking collection of police equipment from the 1940s to the 1980s. Among the items on display: Uniforms; Japanese-era swords; Geiger counters; evidence-collection kits; batons; handcuffs (and the type of rope officers were issued before handcuffs were standard); a bulletproof face mask; and a fearsomely complex Chinese-script typewriter. Every item is labeled in English as well as Chinese.

My last stop: Douliu, the sleepy capital of Yunlin County, NT$73-113 from Yuanlin and seldom more than 51 minutes by train. There’s no real need to stray more than 800m from the TRA station, where you can get a hard-copy map from the visitor information center.

Douliu’s most photographed thoroughfare is Taiping Old Street . Rightfully, too: It has several splendid Art Deco/Baroque shop houses which date from the 1920s, back when Douliu was an important commercial center. The West Market is site of a dense agglomeration of fruit, vegetable, and other vendors between Aiguo Street and Yunlin Road. If you’ve never seen a traditional morning market in Taiwan, this is an excellent one to explore.

Not nearly so crowded is the area around the former police dormitory on nearby Yunzhong Street. The characterful wooden buildings here have been renovated and leased out as coffee shops and galleries, forming a “creative cluster.” If you’re traveling with young kids, do let them run around on the grass beneath the banyan trees while you enjoy a latte. The pace of life here is far slower than in Taipei – and that’s why you came, isn’t it?

Looking for a hotel in Yunlin? Check out the offers at mrhost !

Aiguo Street 愛國街

Baguashan Scenic Area 八卦山風景區

Baguashan Skywalk 八卦山天空步道

Changhua Confucius Temple 彰化孔廟

Changhua County Art Museum 彰化縣立美術館

Changhua Martial Arts Hall 彰化武德殿

Changhua Roundhouse 彰化扇形車庫

Ershui Railway Station 二水車站

Guangfu Road 光復路

Guashan Road 卦山路

Jiexiao Shrine 節孝祠

Jiji Branch Line 集集支線

Kongmen Road 孔門路

Lin Shuang-wen 林爽文

Minsheng Road 民生路

Museum of the War of 1895 1895 八卦山抗日保台史蹟館

Police Museum 警察故事館

Singsian Tutorial Academy 興賢書院

Taiping Old Street 太平老街

West Market 斗六西市場

Yuanlin Railroad Granary 鐵路穀倉

Yuanqing Temple 元清觀

Yunlin Road 雲林路

Yunzhong Street 雲中街

Zhonghua Road 中華路

TAICHUNG COAST — Many Interesting Spots!

taiwaneverything.cc/2017/08/10/taichung-coast/

5 Things to Do in LUGANG

taiwaneverything.cc/2017/09/14/lugang/

Further reading on other sites Josh Ellis Photography: Taipei Railway Workshop (臺北機廠) Changhua Confucius Temple (彰化孔子廟) Synapticism: Xiluo Theater 西螺大戲院 Changhua Bus Terminal 台汽客運彰化總站 The Beautiful Island — Polish Girl in Taiwan Soy Sauce traditional factory: WanChuang Soy Sauce (丸莊醬油) Factory Everlasting Journey — DISCOVERING TAIWAN Historical buildings of Douliou

About the author

• Steven Crook

Steven Crook, who grew up in England, first arrived in Taiwan in 1991. Since 1996, he’s been writing about Taiwan’s natural and cultural attractions for newspapers and magazines, including CNN Traveler Asia-Pacific , Christian Science Monitor , and various inflight magazines. He’s the author of four books about the country: Keeping Up With The War God (2001), Dos And Don’ts In Taiwan (2010),  Taiwan: The Bradt Travel Guide (2010), and  A Culinary History of Taipei: Beyond Pork and Ponlai (2018)

http://crooksteven.blogspot.com http://bradttaiwan.blogspot.com

• Steven Crook #molongui-disabled-link TAITUNG Train Ride -- Lovely Countryside!
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• Steven Crook #molongui-disabled-link The NEIWAN Branch LINE in Hsinchu County

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A Comprehensive Guide to the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR)

The Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) service is only for those who want to travel outside of Taipei. Opened in 2007, it travels almost the entire length of Taiwan (220 miles) at speeds in excess of 185 mph.

• Ticket Types
• How to Buy Tickets

Destinations

The high speed rail runs down the west coast of Taiwan, from Taipei in the north to Kaohsiung in the south, in under 100 minutes.

Trains generally run from 06:00 – 24:00 in intervals ranging from a few minutes to an hour (depending on the time of day). Unless you are catching a train at night, you won’t need to wait long for a train.

The high speed rail trains are always on time.

Click here for a Full Timetable of departures

There are only two lines – Northbound and Southbound – so you simply need to ensure you choose the right direction before boarding – and a total of 12 stations, 3 of which are in Taipei – Nangang, Taipei Main Station and Banqiao.

For a more detailed look at the THSR route, visit the Destinations section below.

THSR trains have 12 carriages :

• 1 Business Class (carriage 6)
• Carriage 7 has wheelchair spaces
• Carriages 10 – 12 are for non-reserved seating

The seats are comfortable with ample leg room, plus they recline and even rotate 180 degrees to facilitate passengers travelling in a group.

The Business Class carriage has more comfortable seating and fewer seats, whilst also giving passengers extra leg room. Additionally, there are complimentary drinks and cakes, a complimentary newspaper (in English if you require), with plug sockets, headphones and lights by each seat.

Toilets are in all odd-numbered carriages, and there are vending machines in some carriages selling drinks and snacks.

There are some great discounts for foreign travellers if ordering online ( jump to discounts ).

THSR Ticket Types

There are 3 classes of tickets you can purchase:

• Standard Class (with reserved seat)
• Standard Class (without reserved seat)
• Business Class

If you choose not to reserve a seat in standard class, you can take your chances in the unreserved carriages (10 – 12) but if you find all the seats taken, you’ll need to stand.

It is cheaper this way, but if you’re travelling for a while, it’s preferable to reserve one. The price difference between the two are between 3% – 5% depending on how far you travel.

The ticket will have the arrival and destination stations and times, along with the car and seat number. Obviously if you are reserving a seat, you must catch a specific train.

If you’re not reserving a seat, then you can catch any train for a specific date.

Early-Bird Tickets

Early-bird tickets are available if you are willing to book ahead. These can be booked between 5 and 30 days in advance.

Discounts of 35%, 20% and 10% are available for early-bird tickets, although these will not be offered on peak-time trains. Once the 35% tickets get sold, then the 20% tickets will become available and so on until all the discounted tickets are sold out..

35% discount tickets usually get snapped up on the first available booking day so you need to be very quick for these.

Early-bird tickets are applicable to standard adult reserved seating only.

Child Concessions

Children under the age of 6 years can travel for free, only if they do not require an extra seat.

Otherwise, children under 12 years can travel with a 50% discount (if your child is 12 years, you will need to pay the full fare).

There is a limit of 2 children per paying adult for these concessions, and you may be required to show proof of their age if they are above a certain height.

Fares From Taipei Main Station

All prices in New Taiwan Dollars (NT$300 is approximately US$10)

Click here for a full pricing matrix between every station Click here to use the THSR fare-finder website

How to Buy High Speed Rail Tickets

There are a few ways you can purchase THSR tickets:

Purchase on Klook

Ticket counter, ticket vending machine.

• THSR Website

Convenience Stores

This is by far the best option if you hold a Non-Taiwanese passport and are visiting Taiwan for less than 180 days.

• One-way ticket between any two THSR stations
• 2 or 3 day tourist passes
• 5 day joint train pass

You can also reserve seats for all tickets purchased on Klook

The one way ticket will give you a 20% discount on a single ticket. You must select your departure and destination stations when purchasing the ticket.

The 2 and 3 day tourist passes will give you unlimited THSR travel, ideal if you want to do a tour of the major cities in Taiwan, or if you want to make use of the Tourist Shuttle Buses that depart from many THSR stations (see the Destinations section below for further details of these).

The 3 day pass must be used over 3 consecutive days.

The 2 day pass is more flexible, allowing you to travel within 7 days of each other.

You must specify the date of your first journey when purchasing either of these.

The 5 day joint ticket will give you use of both the THSR and TRA (Taiwan Rail). The TRA rail service travels to the centre and east of Taiwan, which are where the most rural, mountainous and scenic areas are located.

There are two types of ticket you can go for

• Standard gives you reserved seats on THSR only
• Express will get you reserved seats on both THSR and TRA

Note that you can only use the THSR service for 2 out of the 5 days with this deal.

After you have purchased a ticket from Klook, you will need to take your printed voucher or e-ticket to one of the THSR Service Desks to reserve seats. Alternatively, visit this website and enter your redemption code and passport number to reserve them

These are located near the THSR entrances. It’s pot-luck as to whether the person serving you will be able to speak English however. I find it preferable to use a Ticket Vending Machine instead.

You will need to tell them the departure date and station, then the arrival date and station if you’re booking a return ticket, and also if you want to reserve seats.

You can pay by card or cash.

These can by found near the THSR entrances and also within the MRT near the stations.

I’ve added a step-by-step guide for purchasing tickets from these machines:

Note that some machines have trouble accepting cash payments. Just move to another machine and try again, or alternatively use your credit/debit card.

High Speed Rail Website

You can book tickets directly from the THSR website. English language can be selected from the top-right.

Click here to book tickets

You can also see if there are early-bird tickets still available using this method.

High Speed Rail App

Download the Taiwan High Speed ​​Rail T Express Mobile Ticketing Service App ( Android / iOS ).

Select the Booking tab and enter all the required information.

Tap Search and select the desired outbound journey, then the return journey if needed. You’ll then need to enter contact information, including passport number and email address or phone number.

After you enter the payment details, you can choose to either collect your tickets from a ticket vending machine or service booth, or use an e-ticket directly on your phone (this option is better).

All convenience stores in Taiwan are equipped with machines where you can purchase THSR tickets from. However, these machines are in Chinese only .

These are the main stations on the THSR route. I’ve included attractions and destinations that can be reached by the Tourist Shuttle Buses (TSB) which depart from most THSR stations. These will take you many top attractions around each county. The cost of these vary but they’re around NT$100 – NT$300 per trip.

For more information about using these, please read this section of my public transportation post.

There are also free shuttle buses that will take you from most THSR stations to the city centre. These are free for anyone with THSR tickets (so ensure you don’t throw the stubs away!).

Click here for information about each station, including all the ways to travel from stations (TRA, TSB, buses, car hire, taxis) and locker availability.

Travel time from Taipei Main Station in brackets

Hsinchu (32 minutes)

Hsinchu is the oldest city in northern Taiwan. Hsinchu County is home to the largest Hakka (aboriginal) community in Taiwan. If you wish to try some delicious Hakka food or rice wine, I would recommend trying it here or in Miaoli.

Although the THSR station is located a few miles from the city, there is a free shuttle-bus service every 20 minutes.

Alternatively, there are two Tourist Shuttle buses that depart from the THSR station:

Click links for route, timetable and pricing

Miaoli (41 minutes)

If you’re visiting Taiwan during spring, I would strongly recommend visiting Miaoli County. The fields and trees be covered in beautiful blossom, and Miaoli has the perfect climate for cultivating strawberries during these months. The Dahu Strawberry Culture Park pays homage to the humble strawberry, where you can pick your own, and eat almost anything strawberry related.

Unfortunately, the TSB doesn’t travel to Dahu, so you would require a private vehicle or taxi. However, the Lion’s Head Mountain Scenic Area is on the TSB and is a great place for hiking (which is also accessible from Hsinchu).

There is one Tourist Shuttle Bus that departs from Zhunan Station, which is a 15 minute bus ride from the THSR station:

Taichung (52 minutes)

Taichung has seen considerable growth in recent years, and is now the second largest city in Taiwan. Although the city doesn’t have a underground system, it does have buses which are efficient and punctual. Easycard is accepted on these.

There is also a Tourist Shuttle Bus service that will take you through many of the city’s main attractions. This departs from Taichung Train Station, which is a 20 minute bus ride from the THSR station.

There is another TSB that leaves from the THSR station, that will take you to one of the largest and most beautiful lakes in Taiwan – Sun Moon Lake. From there you can also take a cable car ride to visit the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, hire a bike to ride, or take a ride on one of the many boats.

Changhua (64 minutes)

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, Changhua is a great area to visit if you enjoy hiking and temples.

There are two Tourist Shuttle buses that depart from the THSR station:

Yunlin (70 minutes)

Much like Changhua, Yunlin County is one of the more rural areas of western Taiwan, with an abundance of temples and scenic areas.

There is a Tourist Shuttle bus that departs from the THSR station that will take you to some of the best temples in the area, along with the Glove Puppetry Museum:

Chiayi (79 minutes)

Chiayi is the best place to travel to the scenic mountain area of Alishan.

Alishan is the most popular national park in Taiwan, and boasts Taiwan’s tallest mountain and waterfall.

You can catch a bus or train to Alishan, journey times are approximately 2.5 hours and 2 hours respectively. Both depart near the THSR station in Chiayi. The train journey is especially recommended – the Alishan mountain railway narrow-gauge line has remained largely the same since pre-war times.

The trains only depart 3 times a day in the mornings. Click here for times. Only two buses depart each day, between 10:00 and 11:30.

Alternatively, there is also a Tourist Shuttle bus that departs from the THSR station:

Tainan (88 minutes)

Tainan city is the oldest city in Taiwan and was the country’s first capital. With a perfect blend of old and new, there is so much history is crammed into every part of the city. Tainan boasts over 500 exquisite buddist and Taoist temples, including the Luerman Matsu Temple.

There is a free shuttle bus that will take you from the THSR station to the city centre. Public transportation isn’t great in Tainan however, so you should use taxis or hire a moped instead.

Alternatively, there is a Tourist Shuttle Bus available to take you around many of the city’s hotspots from the North and South train stations in the city.

Kaohsiung (97 minutes)

Kaohsiung is the third largest city and the largest port city in Taiwan. Like Taipei, it has it’s own underground MRT system which also accepts Easycard . It’s also a great city to cycle around, with many dedicated cycle paths.

Being in the south of Taiwan, it has a sub-tropical climate, so it’s preferable to visit Kaohsiung (and Tainan for that matter) outside of summer months.

If you want to get up-close-and-personal with hundreds of Formosan Macaques, then Monkey Mountain is a fantastic hike where you’ll also be rewarded with some awesome views.

Kaohsiung also has some of the best night markets in the country, including the Liuhe Night Market.

There is a Tourist Shuttle Bus that will take you to Kenting in the south, where you can enjoy the beautiful beaches and soak up the sun. This leaves from the THSR Station and takes around 2 hours.

You can also buy Kenting Express tickets on Klook for a more favourable rate:

Go back to Taipei Public Transport page

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Things to Do in Changhua, Taiwan - Changhua Attractions

Things to do in changhua, explore popular experiences, ways to tour changhua.

3-Day Private Hiking Tour of Jade Mountain

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Strong Taiwan Quake Kills 9, Injures Hundreds

The earthquake was the most powerful to hit the island in 25 years. Dozens of people remained trapped, and many buildings were damaged, with the worst centered in the city of Hualien.

• Share full article

• Hualien, Taiwan A landslide after the quake. Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times
• New Taipei City, Taiwan Books flew off shelves as a home shook. @Abalamindo via Storyful
• Taipei, Taiwan Passengers waiting at a train station as some services were suspended. Chiang Ying-Ying/Associated Press
• Hualien, Taiwan People are rescued from a building that had partially collapsed. TVBS via Associated Press
• Hualien, Taiwan Firefighters rescuing trapped residents from a building. CTI News via Reuters
• Taipei, Taiwan Students evacuated to a school courtyard after the earthquake. Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times
• Guishan Island, Taiwan Rocks tumbling down one side of an island popular for hiking. Lavine Lin via Reuters
• Hualien, Taiwan A building leaned to one side after the quake. Randy Yang via Associated Press
• Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan Watching news on a rooftop of a hotel after a tsunami warning. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
• Hualien, Taiwan Motorbikes damaged in the quake. TVBS via Associated Press
• New Taipei City, Taiwan Damage in an apartment Fabian Hamacher/Reuters
• New Taipei City, Taiwan Water cascading down a building during the quake. Wang via Reuters

Meaghan Tobin and Victoria Kim

Here’s what you need to know about the earthquake.

Taiwan was rocked Wednesday morning by the island’s strongest earthquake in a quarter century, a magnitude 7.4 tremor that killed at least nine people, injured more than 800 others and trapped dozens of people.

The heaviest damage was in Hualien County on the island’s east coast, a sleepy, scenic area prone to earthquakes. Footage from the aftermath showed a 10-story building there partially collapsed and leaning heavily to one side, from which residents emerged through windows and climbed down ladders, assisted by rescuers. Three hikers were killed after being hit by falling rocks on a hiking trail in Taroko National Park, according to the county government.

By late afternoon, officials said rescue efforts were underway to try to rescue 127 people who were trapped, many of them on hiking trails in Hualien.

One building in Changhua County, on the island’s west coast, collapsed entirely. The quake was felt throughout Taiwan and set off at least nine landslides, sending rocks tumbling onto Suhua Highway in Hualien, according to local media reports. Rail services were halted at one point across the island.

The earthquake, with an epicenter off Taiwan’s east coast, struck during the morning commute, shortly before 8 a.m. Taiwanese authorities said by 3 p.m., more than 100 aftershocks, many of them stronger than magnitude 5, had rumbled through the area.

In the capital, Taipei, buildings shook for over a minute from the initial quake. Taiwan is at the intersection of the Philippine Sea tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate, making it vulnerable to seismic activity. Hualien sits on multiple active faults, and 17 people died in a quake there in 2018.

Here is the latest:

The earthquake hit Taiwan as many people there were preparing to travel for Tomb Sweeping Day, a holiday across the Chinese-speaking world when people mourn the dead and make offerings at their graves. Officials warned the public to stay away from visiting tombs in mountain areas as a precaution, especially because rain was forecast in the coming days.

TSMC, the world’s biggest maker of advanced semiconductors, briefly evacuated workers from its factories but said a few hours later that they were returning to work. Chip production is highly precise, and even short shutdowns can cost millions of dollars.

Christopher Buckley

Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s vice president, who is also its president-elect, visited the city of Hualien this afternoon to assess the destruction and the rescue efforts, a government announcement said. Mr. Lai, who will become president in May, said the most urgent tasks were rescuing trapped residents and providing medical care. Next, Mr. Lai said, public services must be restored, including transportation, water and power. He said Taiwan Railway’s eastern line could be reopened by Thursday night.

Meaghan Tobin

Taiwan’s fire department has updated its figures, reporting that nine people have died and 934 others have been injured in the quake. Fifty-six people in Hualien County remain trapped.

Shake intensity

Taiwan’s fire department reports that nine people have died and 882 others have been injured in Taiwan. In Hualien County, 131 people remain trapped.

Agnes Chang

Footage shows rocks tumbling down one side of Guishan Island, a popular spot for hiking known as Turtle Island, off the northeast coast of Taiwan. Officials said no fishermen or tourists were injured after the landslide.

The death toll has risen to nine, according to Taiwan government statistics.

Meaghan Tobin, Siyi Zhao

Officials in Taiwan warned residents to not visit their relatives' tombs, especially in the mountains, this weekend during the holiday, known as Ching Ming, meant to honor them. There had already been 100 aftershocks and the forecast called for rain, which could make travel conditions on damaged roads more treacherous.

Crews are working to reach people trapped on blocked roads. As of 1 p.m. local time, roads were impassable due to damage and fallen rock in 19 places, according to the Ministry of Transportation. At least 77 people remain trapped. A bridge before Daqingshui Tunnel appeared to have completely collapsed.

Taiwan’s worst rail disaster in decades — a train derailment in 2021 that killed 49 people — took place on the first day of the Tomb Sweeping holiday period that year, in the same region as the earthquake.

The earthquake hit Taiwan as many people here were preparing to travel for Tomb Sweeping Day, or Ching Ming, a day across the Chinese-speaking world when people mourn their dead, especially by making offerings at their graves. Now those plans will be disrupted for many Taiwanese.

The holiday weekend would typically see a spike in travel as people visit family across Taiwan. Currently, both rail transport and highways are blocked in parts of Hualien, said Transport Minister Wang Guo-cai. Work is underway to restore rail transportation in Hualien, and two-way traffic is expected to be restored at noon on Thursday, he said.

Taiwan’s preparedness has evolved in response to past quakes.

Taiwan’s earthquake preparedness has evolved over the past few decades in response to some of the island’s largest and most destructive quakes .

In the years after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in central Taiwan killed nearly 2,500 people in 1999, the authorities established an urban search-and-rescue team and opened several emergency medical operation centers, among other measures .

And in 2018, after a quake in the eastern coastal city of Hualien killed 17 people and caused several buildings to partially collapse, the government ordered a wave of building inspections .

Taiwan has also been improving its early warning system for earthquakes since the 1980s. And two years ago, it rolled out new building codes that, among other things, require owners of vulnerable buildings to install ad-hoc structural reinforcements.

So how well prepared was Taiwan when a 7.4 magnitude quake struck near Hualien on Wednesday morning, killing at least seven people and injuring hundreds more?

Across the island, one building collapsed entirely, 15 others were in a state of partial collapse and another 67 were damaged, the island’s fire department said on Wednesday afternoon . Structural engineers could not immediately be reached for comment to assess that damage, or the extent to which building codes and other regulations might have either contributed to it or prevented worse destruction.

As for search-and-rescue preparedness, Taiwan is generally in very good shape, said Steve Glassey, an expert in disaster response who lives in New Zealand.

“ The skill sets, the capabilities, the equipment, the training is second to none,” said Dr. Glassey, who worked with Taipei’s urban search-and-rescue team during the response to a devastating 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. “They’re a very sharp operation.”

But even the best urban search-and-rescue team will be stretched thin if an earthquake causes multiple buildings to collapse, Dr. Glassey said.

Taiwan has options for requesting international help with search-and-rescue efforts. It could directly ask another country, or countries, to send personnel. And if multiple teams were to get involved, it could ask the United Nations to help coordinate them, as it did after the 1999 earthquake.

Pierre Peron, a spokesman for the United Nations, said on Wednesday afternoon that no such request had yet been made as a result of the latest earthquake.

Meaghan Tobin contributed reporting.

At least seven people have died and 736 have been injured as a result of the earthquake, according to Taiwan’s fire department. Another 77 people remained trapped in Hualien County, many of them on hiking trails. Search and rescue operations are underway, said the fire department.

Aftershocks of magnitudes between 6.5 and 7 were likely to occur over the next three or four days, said Wu Chien-fu, director of the Taiwanese Central Weather Administration’s Seismology Center, at a news conference.

As of 2 p.m., 711 people had been injured across Taiwan, the fire department said, and 77 people in Hualien County remained trapped. The four who were known to have died were in Hualien.

Victoria Kim

Hualien County is a quiet and scenic tourist destination.

Hualien County on Taiwan’s east coast is a scenic, sleepy tourist area tucked away from the island’s urban centers, with a famous gorge and aquamarine waters. It also happens to sit on several active faults , making it prone to earthquakes.

The county has a population of about 300,000, according to the 2020 census, about a third of whom live in the coastal city of Hualien, the county seat. It is one of the most sparsely populated parts of Taiwan. About three hours by train from the capital, Taipei, the city describes itself as the first place on the island that’s touched by the sun.

Hualien County is home to Taroko National Park, one of Taiwan’s most popular scenic areas. Visitors come to explore the Taroko Gorge, a striated marble canyon carved by the Liwu River, which cuts through mountains that rise steeply from the coast. The city of Hualien is a popular destination as a gateway to the national park.

According to the state-owned Central News Agency, three hikers were trapped on a trail near the entrance to the gorge on Wednesday, after the quake sent rocks falling. Two of them were found dead, the news agency said. Administrators said many roads within the park had been cut off by the earthquake, potentially trapping hikers, according to the report.

Earthquakes have rattled Hualien with some regularity. In 2018, 17 people were killed and hundreds of others injured when a magnitude 6.5 quake struck just before midnight, its epicenter a short distance northeast of the city of Hualien.

Many of the victims in that quake were in a 12-story building that was severely tilted, the first four floors of which were largely crushed, according to news reports from the time. The next year, the area was shaken by a 6.1-magnitude earthquake that injured 17 people.

The area has some of the highest concentrations of Taiwan’s aboriginal population, with several of the island’s Indigenous tribes calling the county home .

The county government in Hualien released a list of people that had been hospitalized with injuries, which stood at 118 people as of midday Wednesday.

Across Taiwan, one building fell down entirely, in Changhua County on the west coast, and 15 buildings partially collapsed, Taiwan’s fire department said. Another 67 buildings were damaged. One of the partially collapsed structures was a warehouse in New Taipei City where four people were rescued, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency. Another 12 were rescued at a separate New Taipei City building where the foundation sank into the ground.

Peggy Jiang, who manages The Good Kid, a children’s bookstore down the street from the partially collapsed Uranus Building in Hualien, said it was a good thing they had yet to open when the quake struck. The area is now blocked off by police and rescue vehicles. “Most people in Hualien are used to earthquakes,” she said. “But this one was particularly scary, many people ran in the street immediately afterward.”

Lin Jung, 36, who manages a shop selling sneakers in Hualien, said he had been at home getting ready to take his 16-month-old baby to a medical appointment when the earthquake struck. He said it felt at first like a series of small shocks, then “suddenly it turned to an intense earthquake shaking up and down.” The glass cover of a ceiling lamp fell and shattered. “All I could do was protect my baby.”

Chris Buckley ,  Paul Mozur ,  Meaghan Tobin and John Yoon

The earthquake damaged buildings and a highway in Hualien.

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Taiwan on Wednesday damaged many buildings and a major highway in Hualien, a city on the eastern coast, and it knocked out power as it rocked the island.

Across Taiwan, the quake and its aftershocks caused one building to completely collapse and 15 others to partially collapse, according to Taiwan’s fire department. Sixty-seven other buildings sustained damage.

Two tall buildings in Hualien that sustained particularly extensive damage were at the center of the rescue efforts there. Most damage across the city was not life-threatening, said Huang Hsuan-wan, a reporter for a local news site.

Where buildings were reported damaged in Hualien City

“A lot of roads were blocked off. There are a lot of walls toppled over onto cars,” Derik du Plessis, 44, a South African resident of Hualien, said shortly after the earthquake. He described people rushing around the city to check on their houses and pick up their children. One of his friends lost her house, he said.

One of the damaged buildings in Hualien, a 10-story structure called the Uranus Building that housed a mix of homes and shops, was tilted over and appeared to be on the verge of collapse. Many of its residents managed to flee, but some were missing, said Sunny Wang, a journalist based in the city. Rescuers were trying to reach the basement, concerned that people might be trapped there.

Photographs of the initial damage in Hualien showed another building, a five-story structure, leaning to one side, with crushed motorcycles visible at the ground-floor level. Bricks had fallen off another high-rise, leaving cracks and holes in the walls.

The quake also set off at least nine landslides on Suhua Highway in Hualien, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, which said part of the road had collapsed.

Taiwan’s fire department said four people had been killed in the earthquake.

Across Taiwan, 40 flights have been canceled or delayed because of the earthquake, according to Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operation Center.

President Tsai Ing-wen visited Taiwan’s national emergency response center this morning, where she was briefed about the response efforts underway by members of the ministries of defense, transportation, economic affairs and agriculture, as well as the fire department.

A look at Taiwan’s strongest earthquakes.

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake that hit Taiwan on Wednesday morning was the strongest in 25 years, the island’s Central Weather Administration said.

At least four people died after the quake struck off Taiwan’s east coast, officials said.

Here’s a look back at some of the major earthquakes in modern Taiwanese history:

Taichung, 1935

Taiwan’s deadliest quake registered a magnitude of 7.1 and struck near the island’s west coast in April 1935, killing more than 3,200 people, according to the Central Weather Administration. More than 12,000 others were injured and more than 50,000 homes were destroyed or damaged.

Tainan, 1941

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake in December 1941, which struck southwestern Taiwan, caused several hundred deaths, the United States Geological Survey said.

Chi-Chi, 1999

A 7.6 magnitude earthquake in central Taiwan killed nearly 2,500 people in September 1999. The quake, which struck about 90 miles south-southwest of Taipei, was the second-deadliest in the island’s history, according to the U.S.G.S. and the Central Weather Administration. More than 10,000 people were injured and more than 100,000 homes were destroyed or damaged.

Yujing, 2016

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake in February 2016 caused a 17-story apartment complex in southwestern Taiwan to collapse, killing at least 114 people . The U.S.G.S. later said that 90 earthquakes of that scale or greater had occurred within 250 kilometers, or 155 miles, of that quake’s location over the previous 100 years.

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Ministry of culture to fund damaged cultural heritage.

• By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter

The Ministry of Culture is to fund the restoration of cultural heritage that was damaged during the earthquake on Wednesday, Minister of Culture Shih Che (史哲) said on Thursday.

An earthquake, which Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring center measured at magnitude 7.2, while the US Geological Service put it at 7.4, struck Taiwan on Wednesday morning, followed by more than 500 aftershocks as of yesterday, including more than 100 of “moderate” intensity, data from the Central Weather Administration showed.

The ministry began working with professional teams in each administrative region to check the damage to cultural heritage across the country after the major quake, it said in a news release on Thursday.

Earthquake damage to the Lugang Tianhou Temple in Changhua County is pictured on Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of the Lugang Tianhou Temple

The ministry is to complete on-site investigations of the damage as soon as possible and provide funds for restoration work, Shih said.

As of Thursday morning, damage to 59 cultural assets had been reported, including 13 national monuments, 17 municipal monuments, 27 historic buildings, one cultural landscape and one group of buildings, the ministry said.

Among the 59 assets are four monuments designated by Hualien County, the municipality closest to the quake’s epicenter, including the Buddhist Yoshino Shrine (吉安慶修院) and Hualien Old Distillery (花蓮舊酒廠), which has been turned into the Hualien Cultural Creative Industries Park, it said.

In Taitung County, the Wan-an Brick Kiln (萬安磚窯) historic building was damaged, it added.

The Lujhou Li Residence (蘆洲李宅) in New Taipei City, a national monument, was partially damaged, with cracks appearing at the junction between an interior wall and the roof, it said.

Another national monument in the city, the Lin Family Mansion and Garden (林本源園邸), reported sunken and broken floors, cracked wood pilasters in rooms and cracked walls, it said.

The majority of damage to cultural assets nationwide were cracks on walls and floors at 19 places, and components falling off at 15 places, it said, adding that other cases included roof tile displacements, existing cracks expanding, damage to ancillary facilities such as fences, water towers and elevators, and structural damage.

Under Shih’s instruction, the Bureau of Cultural Heritage inspected damage at the Yuemei Tourism Sugar Factory (月眉觀光糖廠) recreation site in Taichung on Wednesday, and visited the Lujhou Li Residence and Lugang Tianhou Temple (鹿港天后宮) in Changhua County yesterday, it said.

The bureau also sought suggestions from academics and experts regarding restoration plans.

The ministry said that there had been no reports of major damage to cultural heritage sites so far.

Although the Huwei Sugar Refinery Plant (虎尾糖廠) in Yunlin County is a designated cultural heritage site, the chimney at the plant that fell down during the earthquake is not designed as part of the cultural heritage site, it said.

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Asia-Pacific New Partnership Brings ‘Design with Nature Now’ to Taipei in 2024

Basic page sidebar menu penn global, february 15, 2024 by weitzman school of design.

Design with Nature Now , the multimedia exhibition  presented by the Weitzman School in 2019  to launch The Ian L. McHarg Center for Urbanism & Ecology, will travel to Taiwan this fall. The presentation inaugurates a new partnership between the Weitzman School and Taipei City Government and the  Taiwan Institute of Landscape Architects (TILA).

The partnership was announced during an official visit by Weitzman Dean Fritz Steiner with  Taipei Mayor Wayne Chiang  in Taipei on January 8, and reflects the City and TILA’s desire “to conduct international dialogue on global environmental issues, promote exchange and cooperation in the post-epidemic era, and contribute to promoting the national policy of net-zero carbon emissions in 2050.”

Since taking office, Mayor Chiang has attached great importance to responding to climate change, notably through the City’s Declaration of a Sustainable Ecological City. In a statement, Taiwanese organizers said, “Through coexistence and symbiosis, we hope to unite citizens’ sense of urban identity in Taipei, and to arouse sustainable cooperation among citizens around the world.”

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