Extremely thoughtful and practical: Taichung English Administration Service

Words by Taichung City Government Secretariat
Translated by Angel Pu

Taichung undoubtedly qualifies as Taiwan's most livable city, thanks to its comfortable climate and vibrant culture. In order to provide foreign residents with an even better, more convenient life here, Taichung City Government created the Taichung English Administration Service last June (2012).

In an effort to get direct feedback from foreigners over the past year, city government representatives have visited various organizations such as the Central Taiwan Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taichung City First Service Center of the National Immigration Agency, American Institute in Taiwan, Taichung City American Chamber of Commerce, and Morrison Academy-Taichung. The goal of the visits is to understand the needs and problems that foreigners face while living, investing and traveling in Taiwan, and to help them resolve such problems. In addition to extending the scope of English services, the city government is helping international residents organize various events and introducing them to all kinds of music festivals, exhibitions, traditional festivals and famous night markets in Taichung.

Besides the well-known Yizhong Street shopping area and Fengjia Night Market, Taichung is also home to natural attractions in the Dakeng Scenic Area and the mountain towns of Dongshi and Guguan, known as the city's pleasant "back yard". Fun events take place almost every month, including the Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Blue Ocean Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and New Year's Eve Countdown Party. With all these and much more, you will never find yourself without fun, interesting events in this magical city.

Taichung is famous for its variety of unique cultural attractions and resources, such as the "Poetry Bus" which displays poems about Taichung on public buses so that passengers can learn more about the city during their rides. Public institutions such as the National Museum of Natural Science, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and Taichung Cultural and Creative Industries Park, and four Taichung City cultural centers also cooperate with the city government to hold various cultural events such as the Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition, Taichung City Mazu International Festival, Taichung Instruments Festival, Taichung Jazz Festival, Rock in Taichung Festival, and Taichung Saxophone Competition.

One of Taichung's most thoughtful services may be its provision of free bus rides within an eight-kilometer radius, which gives backpackers and other travelers easier access to the city. Taichung's recently-expanded Ching Chuan Kang International Airport adds another excellent transportation option for visitors, in addition to the existing local highway network and High Speed Rail.

There are many ways to have fun in Taichung and it only takes a weekend to experience both urban enjoyments and scenic, natural attractions. Taichung's well-developed transportation system allows you to easily travel through and between the city's mountainous areas, coastline and outlying "Tun" districts, and its unique B&Bs are yet another appealing local experience.

Taichung is a foreigner-friendly city and we welcome people from around the world to visit and savor our vividly colorful lifestyles. We also hope that you will make use of our English services to learn more about the city, resolve any problems you might encounter and, most importantly, share Taichung's beauty and attractions with the rest of the world.