Follow Liu "the Bird" Kexiang on a tour of Taichung....
Sampling pastries and visiting historic buildings with Sunny Lion,
Savoring sweet and sour candies with Elephant,
Riding a train with Deer,
Strolling green lawns with Frog,
Accompanied by Bear in the Fengjia Night Market,
How fun Greater Taichung is!
Taichung's Central district area is dotted with historic buildings that have attracted a growing number of young entrepreneurs to set up art and cultural workshops. To keep the public updated regarding Central Taichung, the Taichung City Government Information Bureau has specially created the "Taichung Camera" APP as a mobile tour guide that visitors can use to experience the uniquely-appealing character of each local site and attraction.
The "Bird" character was inspired by renowned Taiwanese writer Liu Kexiang, also nicknamed "Bird". Bird serves as a tour guide while introducting five areas in Central Taichung that are home to five other very cute and energetic characters--Deer, Lion, Frog, Elephant and Bear. Through fun interactions with these five animals, users get to learn more about each place.
 
The diffusion effect created by social networks allows users to discover a rejuvenated Central Taichung, as "Taichung Camera" lifts the curtain and allows visitors to see the city's oldest district in a different light.
  
Photograph, Import and Post--three steps to fully enjoy Taichung with Taichung Camera APP.
Learning about Taichung is super relaxing with Bird
If your "Taichung Camera" guide experience whets your appetite for more, you are very welcome to join a tour personally led by "Bird" to visit some special shops and witness in person the revitalized face of this beautiful city.
With the railway station at its core, Central Taichung boasts a well-connected transportation network and is the land-transport hub for the city. In addition, the buzz generated by the green, under-development BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) System being heavily promoted by Taichung City Government--which has also generated the "8 Happy Kilometers" free bus-ride initiative--has also given a big boost to the rail station and its surrounding area, successfully transforming it into a "cultural station" where many art and cultural events take place. The Stock 20 art gallery, located just behind the station, has also added more artistic charm to this area.
A highlight among Central Taichung cultural establishments, Stock 20 has hosted all kinds of activities, from exhibitions to musical performances. In the new app, "Deer" is a photographer, shooting song and dance performance by "Bird" in front of Stock 20.
There are three major shopping districts in Central Taichung--ZiYou Road, JiGuang Street and Electronics Street. These commercial areas provide a wide variety of daily-living products and draw a stream of regular customers. The birthplace of Taichung's famed sun cakes, ZiYou Road is lined with shops selling these sweet pastries. In addition to numerous restaurants featuring both local specialties and exotic cuisine, fashion stores and a number of nightlife spots have congregated in the JiGuang Street Shopping District, illuminated with vivid neon lights. In the Electronics Street area, visitors can purchase not only electronic, audio-video, computer and other technology related products and accessories, but also Japanese comic books, magazines, models, games and software. The owners of these electronics stores have a tremendous depth of knowledge in this field and can provide all kinds of solutions for your electronics-related challenges.
All of the distinctive qualities noted here are, of course, included in the app. The Lion character represents sun cakes, while Deer dresses up in glamorous outfits and Bird is an electronics DJ. The goal is to leave users with deeply-embedded impressions of each of these areas.
 
Enjoying tasty sun cakes at historic sites
The former Taichung City Hall, built during the Japanese colonial era, is undoubtedly one of Central Taichung's most representative historic buildings. In the app, Lion--dressed up in a baroque style--spices up the landscape, and users can import their own photos to make this mobile tool a more fun and personal experience.
Huatai Coffee Shop, standing on XingZhong Street by Second Market, serves coffee with a flavor that mixes an appealing bitterness and acidity with a soothing aftertaste.
Keeping a low profile on this alley, the old cafe exudes a strong retro vibe from the '70s, its interior decorated with simple, but vintage, items such as some old radios, a record player, simple flower-patterned fabrics and a framed Marylyn Monroe picture. The atmosphere, dimly illuminated with incandescent lights, is filled with nostalgia. This was the first cafe also serving meals to open in 1970s Taichung and attracted many celebrities. At a time when mocha coffee dominated the market, the boss stepped out to offer his creative mixture of Mandolin and Brazilian coffee beans, later famed as "Manba Coffee". Its strong aroma and smooth taste are very unique and, if you're in the neighborhood, it's strongly recommended that you give it a try.
 
Left: Taichung Camera APP spokesman Liu Kexiang, Deputy Mayor Cai Bingkun and
the directors of many city departments attended a promotional press conference.
Right: Huatai Coffee Shop tells its story and experiences from the '70s.
Strolling on the park grass, checking out handmade dolls
Near Taichung Park lies the history-filled QingCao Street, where two young, creative entrepreneurs set up their own business.
When you turn into the alley where Shun Coffee stands, you'll be greeted by fragrant coffee aromas, marking a place where you can relax over a coffee and enjoy an intimate conversation with this savory brew. The shop's young boss is a coffee connoisseur, although it's intriguing to discover that there was a time he didn't drink coffee at all. What triggered this passionate relationship with coffee? Visit the shop and find out. Renovated from the ground up, this once old and dilapidated house is now an attractive venue, where attention to little details reveals the owner's commitment to his dreams. The boss loves having guests sit at the bar and watch him prepare the coffee as he shares coffee-related stories. Despite life in a fast-paced city, happiness can be found easily in such corners, allowing you to slow down and feel again.
Visitors walking through the doors of the Qianzhi Handmade Doll Shop are captivated by a progression of beautiful dolls, each an exquisite and creative work. Besides dolls, country-style decorations, doll accessories, and shoes are also sold here. The artists of these creations invest excruciating attention into the fabric details and materials used. The owner of the shop also encourages artists to include Taiwanese elements when making of dolls so that each is unique in its own way. A small exhibition area has been specially created as a showcase for the artists as well as guests.
 
Left: Shun Coffee welcomes all to join the coffee-making
process.
Right: Qianzhi Handmade Doll Shop displays a great number of
small dolls.
Besides fun games, the "Taichung Camera" APP has included information and photos from more than 50 Central Taichung sites, which can be easily located via a GPS function embedded in the app. All are welcome to download the "Taichung Camera" APP and follow "the Bird", Liu Kexiang, on an exploration of this area's historic buildings, wonderful foods and other attractions.
 All guests have the chance to win a stay in the top-quality Holiday Inn Express and 53 Hotel, dine at Park City Hotel, or take home items from more than 200 gifts, such as Paochuan Sun Cakes and many other products sponsored by Electronics Street and ZiYou Road Shopping District. All you have to do is post a photo of you taken with the app on the "Taichung Camera" Facebook page by the end of February, 2014. The more photos you post, the more chances you'll have of winning a prize. Download this app now for the chance to win!
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January 2014
