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COMPASS MAGAZINE, July 2001. VOL. 8 ISSUE 7

The streets in this area are full of interesting little shops which seem to focus on several main themes—jewelry, watches, shoes, clothing and bread. Heading down Chung Cheng Road on the right side, you will come to what is certainly one of the oldest and best-known restaurants in the area, Ching Yuan Chun, which has been in business for 53 years and specializes in Zhejiang cuisine, serving great meat-filled buns, soups, noodles, seafood, snacks and main courses like ‘drunken’ chicken. The clean, pleasant interior truly looks like classic eateries that one can still see in China but rarely any more in Taiwan. Incongruously, this place is wedged between two more recent neighbors, a Toronto Café and NET clothing store. Impossible to miss on the other side of the road is the Eslite Lungshing store complex, a department store-like building which, among many other things, contains a large eighth-floor Eslite book store and a second-floor Café Piazza, a sizeable, attractive café that serves snacks, meals and European-style coffees.

Electronics Street

Just a little further up Chikuang Street, you will see one of the entrances to the Electronics Street shopping area on the left. Turning in there will take you into a one-block, pedestrian-only area—recently beautified—containing over 60 shops selling all sorts of computer-related hardware, software, parts, games, electronics and audio-visual equipment. This shopping area became famous for its stereo component stores from 1976 on

and, a decade later, metamorphosed into a computer center. Through July 31, a series of special promotional events (see ‘What’s On’ section) are taking place on the street, including musical performances and raffle prize giveaways.

Following the alley from the Chikuang Street entrance straight through the block takes you to Luchuan West Street, bordering the Luchuan Canal. Turn left and stroll along either side of the canal, which is now a pleasant experience, thanks to new walkways, bridges, landscaping and decorative touches, including dozens of tile markers with black-and-white photo images of the area many decades ago. This entire area, between the canal and vintage European-style train station, is overflowing with sounds and smells—from a dozen types of local cooking to Western perfumes—coming from all manner of small establishments. It is also a major haven for English cram schools, Internet cafes and video-game arcades, as well as the city’s main hub for local and inter-city bus transportation.

Walking along the canal and continuing across Chung Cheng Road will bring you to the main entrance plaza to another large shopping and entertainment complex, First Square. Built over a decade ago over the site of the city’s traditional First Market, this slightly
seedy-looking building has become a major city hang-out for the young and restless, who can choose from numerous resident KTVs, MTVs, pool halls, video game arcades, eateries and hundreds of small shops, selling clothing, electronics and enough fashion accessories to keep any teeny-bopper happy. The building is also home to the First Square cinema complex.	First Square

With that, your walking tour is just about over. For an exotic side-trip to the traditional Chienkuo Market, head up Chung Cheng Road, turn left at the train station and continue about a block on Shuangshih Road to the crowded market area, which is particularly picturesque in the early mornings. Adjacent alleys are full of machinery and tool vendors—a handyman’s heaven. Just to the left of the train station terminal, a pedestrian underpass also leads to 20th Warehouse Art Gallery, a series of old railroad warehouses just across the tracks which have been converted into a nice gallery, hosting regular exhibits, and artist studios.

Perhaps the best way to unwind after a long walk and contemplate one’s experiences is to head to Central District’s most dominant structure, opposite the train station. This white skyscraper now houses the eTower computer/electronics mall on floors one and two and what remains of Golden Plaza Department Store on the floors above. For the arguably best view in the entire city, head up the building’s needle-like tower to the UFO Revolving Restaurant (22F, 105, Chienkuo Rd.; open 11:30 a.m.-12 midnight, open to 1 a.m. Fri./Sat.). Day or night, one can take in the entire city in the 105 minutes that a complete 360-degree revolution takes, while enjoying a good Western meal or drink and upscale ambiance.

E-Tower Building

Remember that this tour is just basic exploration of Central District. In any direction, further interesting discoveries and experiences await anyone wanting to venture further into the still-beating heart of old Taichung.

Click on the map above for a larger version
with details of Lakeside's layout.