| Taichung 臺中 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — Special municipality — | |||||
| Taichung City · 臺中市 | |||||
| Clockwise from top: Taichung skyline, Taichung Railway Station, Sanmin Road, Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, Taichung's historic city hall, Wind farm in Taichung, Taichung Park | |||||
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| Nickname(s): Cultural City (Chinese: 文化城) | |||||
| Coordinates: | |||||
| Country | Republic of China | ||||
| Region | Central Taiwan | ||||
| City seat | Xitun District | ||||
| Government | |||||
| • Mayor | Jason Hu (胡志強) | ||||
| Area(Ranked 6 of 22) | |||||
| • Total | 2,214.8968 km2 (855.2 sq mi) | ||||
| Population (Octobor 2010)[1] | |||||
| • Total | 2,629,323 | ||||
| • Density | 1,187.1/km2 (3,074.6/sq mi) | ||||
| Population ranked 3 of 22 | |||||
| Districts | 29 | ||||
| Bird | Little egret[2] | ||||
| Flower | Christmas Kalanchoe[3] | ||||
| Tree | Palimara Alstonia[4] | ||||
| Website | English Chinese |
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| Taichung | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 臺中 or 台中 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 台中 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Taichung (臺中; literally "Central Taiwan") is a city located in west-central Taiwan, with a population of just over 2.6 million people, making it the third largest city on the island after New Taipei and Kaohsiung. On the 25 December 2010 it merged with Taichung County to form a single special municipality.[5]
Contents |
Taichung City is located in the Taichung Basin[6] along the main western coastal plain that stretches from northern Taiwan along the west coast nearly to the southern tip. The city is located just north of 24° north and about 120.5° east longitude.
Taichung City borders Changhua County (彰化縣), Nantou County (南投縣), Hualien County (花蓮縣), Yilan County (宜蘭縣), Hsinchu County (新竹縣), Miaoli County (苗栗縣).
The Central Mountain Range lies just to the east of the city. Lower, rolling hills run to the north leading to Miaoli County. Flat coastal plains dominate the landscape to the south leading to Changhua County and the Taiwan Strait to the west.
Taichung has a warm humid subtropical climate (Koppen Cwa), with an average annual temperature of 23.0 °C (73.4 °F), and average annual rainfall of just above 1,700 millimetres (67 in).[7] The city sees an average humidity of 80%. Taichung has a milder climate than other major cities in Taiwan. Due to the protection provided by the Central Mountain Range to the east and the Miaoli hills to the north, Taichung is rarely severely affected by typhoons. However, occasional typhoons emerging from the South China Sea will pose a threat to the city as evidenced by Typhoon Wayne in 1986 which struck Taiwan from the west coast near Taichung.[8]
| Climate data for Taichung (1971-2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 22.0 (71.6) |
22.0 (71.6) |
24.6 (76.3) |
27.8 (82.0) |
30.0 (86.0) |
31.8 (89.2) |
33.0 (91.4) |
32.4 (90.3) |
31.9 (89.4) |
30.1 (86.2) |
26.9 (80.4) |
23.6 (74.5) |
28.0 (82.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 16.2 (61.2) |
16.8 (62.2) |
19.4 (66.9) |
23.0 (73.4) |
25.7 (78.3) |
27.5 (81.5) |
28.5 (83.3) |
28.0 (82.4) |
27.2 (81.0) |
24.9 (76.8) |
21.4 (70.5) |
17.8 (64.0) |
23.0 (73.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 12.4 (54.3) |
13.3 (55.9) |
15.6 (60.1) |
19.4 (66.9) |
22.3 (72.1) |
24.2 (75.6) |
24.9 (76.8) |
24.7 (76.5) |
23.7 (74.7) |
21.4 (70.5) |
17.6 (63.7) |
13.8 (56.8) |
19.4 (66.9) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 36.3 (1.429) |
87.8 (3.457) |
94.0 (3.701) |
134.5 (5.295) |
225.3 (8.87) |
342.5 (13.484) |
245.8 (9.677) |
317.1 (12.484) |
98.1 (3.862) |
16.2 (0.638) |
18.6 (0.732) |
25.7 (1.012) |
1,641.9 (64.642) |
| % humidity | 76.1 | 77.6 | 77.9 | 78.2 | 79.5 | 79.5 | 76.8 | 79.3 | 76.8 | 74.8 | 74.1 | 74.0 | 77.1 |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 7.4 | 9.9 | 11.5 | 11.1 | 12.7 | 14.9 | 12.7 | 15.1 | 8.2 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 115.7 |
| Sunshine hours | 172.7 | 134.9 | 155.8 | 153.1 | 155.4 | 169.7 | 210.6 | 191.8 | 192.8 | 201.1 | 171.4 | 175.5 | 2,084.8 |
| Source: [9] | |||||||||||||
| Taichung City population by year[10] (as provincial city) |
|
|---|---|
| 1949 | 192,889 |
| 1985 | 674,936 |
| 1995 | 853,221 |
| 2000 | 965,790 |
| 2005 | 1,032,778 |
| 2010 | 1,082,163 |
| Taichung County population by year [11][12][13] |
|
|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,285,029 |
| 1995 | 1,378,000 |
| 2000 | 1,510,480 |
| 2009 | 1,562,162 |
Taichung’s population was an estimated 1,040,725 in August 2006. There are slightly more females in the city (50.97%) than males.
24.32% of residents are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly.[14]
Fertility rate in Taichung City for women of childbearing age in 2007 was 1.165 for each woman according to Ministry of Interior statistics.
According to the Ministry of Interior, there are 846,863 residents over the age of 15. Of those, educational attainment is as follows: graduate degrees - 33,371 (3.9%); university or college degrees - 136,076 (16.1%); junior college degrees - 122,442 (14.5%); senior high school - 55,432 (6.5%); vocational high school - 168,349 (19.9%); junior high school - 78,729 (9.3%); junior vocational school - 1,949 (0.2%); primary school - 80,004 (9,4%). The official literacy rate for the city is 99.04%.
Taiwanese aborigines, including the Babuza people, populated the plains that make up modern Taichung City. They lived by cultivating millet and taro and were hunter gathers. Several local names in central Taiwan, including Shalu Township and Lukang Township in Changhua County contain the word for “deer.”[15]
Taichung was founded in 1705 as a part of Changhua County with the name of Dadun (ch: 大墩; p: Dàdūn; w: Ta-tun; lit. "large mound"). At this point in history, the Qing Dynasty, formed by invading Manchus in the 1640s, was consolidating its hold on western Taiwan, which it had wrested from the Cheng family in 1682. As a part of strengthening its control, a garrison was founded in 1721 near the site of present-day Taichung Park by Lan Ting-chen.[15]
All was not peaceful for Qing authorities in central Taiwan. North of the city, at the Dajia River, an aboriginal revolt broke out in 1731 after Chinese officials moved in and compelled them to provide labor. After being joined by other aboriginals, they drove as far south as the county seat of Changhua in May, 1732 before being chased into the mountains by Qing forces.[16]
In 1786, another rebellion against the Qing authorities had its roots in the distriction of Dali. Led by Lin Shuang-wen, it began as an attempt to overthrow the Manchu government and restore the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, as they moved northward, they turned to slaughter and looting. They were eventually defeated by a coalition of Hakka, Quanzhou Fujianese descendants, and Aboriginal volunteers who joined with the government to defeat the rebels.[17]
Taiwan became a province of Qing-dynasty China in 1885, and the city, named Dadun at the time, was designated capital of Taiwan Prefecture, one of three prefectures in the newly created Taiwan Province.[18] It was also initially designated as the provincial capital, and Qing official Liu Ming-chuan received the authority from the Guangxu Emperor to oversee development of the area. However, four years later, Liu was forced to “retire” by Empress Dowager Cixi, and the provincial capital was moved to what is now known as Taipei.
China lost the Sino-Japanese War in 1895. As a consequence, the Qing Dynasty was forced to surrender Taiwan to the Japanese in the Treaty of Shimonoseki. The Japanese changed the name of the city from Dadun to 台中 (Taichū in Japanese), and began to develop the city, setting themselves out to make it the first “modern” area of Taiwan.[19]
However, Taichū bore the brunt of early Japanese repression. There were many rebels who stated that they had accepted amnesty from the earlier period of rebellion when the Republic of Taiwan was declared in 1895. However, many of those same people continued anti-Japanese activities. On May 25, 1902, some 360 rebels and their families accepted invitations to surrender and receive amnesty and rewards. Instead of receiving amnesty, once inside, the Japanese locked the doors and slaughtered the former rebels.[18]
Taichung Park was completed in 1903. The old north gate, one of the few Liu-era structures to survive the Japanese reconstruction of the city was move to the new park. To this day, Taichung Park is one of the most popular places in the city for people to relax.
The first market in Taichū was built in 1908 along JiGuang Road between ZhongZheng and ChengGong Roads.[18] It is still used today, and is a popular spot to purchase food and other items in downtown Taichung. Taichung Middle School (now known as Taichung First Senior High School) was founded in 1913 by Lin Hsien-tang and his brother Lin Lie-tang, two wealthy Taiwanese intellectuals of the era. This was done in an effort to teach children the Culture of Taiwan and to foster a spirit of Taiwanese localization movement.[18]
Taichung Train Station was completed and began operation in 1917,[18] and still operates today.
Taichung was officially designated as a city by Japanese Imperial authorities in 1920, and Taichung City Hall was completed in 1924 after eleven years of construction.[18]
A Taiwanese cultural association founded in 1921 in Taipei by Lin Hsien-tang was moved to Taichū in 1927. Most of the members of this association were from Taichung and the surrounding area. The city became a center of Taiwanese culture and nationalism.[18]
The newfound prosperity of Taichung was eventually squandered by the war effort. When World War II ended in 1945, Taiwan’s economy, like Japan’s, was in shambles.
The Japanese were forced to surrender to Republic of China (ROC) forces on behalf of Allied forces on 25 October 1945, who came across the Strait on U.S. ships and accepted their surrender on behalf of the Allied Powers.
The early post-war era was one of transition and turmoil for Taiwan. Taiwanese nationalists had divided into three prominent groups, one of which was known as the Taichung Clique. These were men with relatively high social standing during the Japanese era, such as Lin Hsien-t’ang, Yang Chao-chia, Yeh Jung-chung, and others. These men attempted to take what they believed to be their rightful place as the political leaders of the island. However, the administrator of the island, Chen Yi, opposed this faction as it contained many people, especially merchants and landlords, who had opposed his policies.[20]
Under the authorities of the Republic of China, Taichung had become the center for organized crime and associated businesses. (http://english.tccg.gov.tw/index.php?print=print&page=government_report_01&id=1)
The Kuomintang (KMT), also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party, relocated the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan upon losing the Chinese Civil War to the Communists.
Taichung was declared a special municipality in 1949 by the ROC government.
Unlike Taipei in the north, which is solidly in the Pan-Blue (pro-unification) political camp, and the southern cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan that are solidly Pan-Green (pro-independence) , Taichung is far more balanced with the city leaning Blue and the county leaning Green. In fact, each of the two major political parties has won a mayoral election among the last three with at least 49 percent of the vote (Democratic Progressive Party in 1997 and the Kuomintang in 2001 and 2005.) Similarly, the Kuomintang majority in the City Council is not as large as it is in other cities, and is only negligible when one excludes Beitun District, which is solidly pro-Kuomintang. As a result of the relative moderate stand of the city residents, political upheaval and violence are far rarer in Taichung than in other large cities of the country.
Taichung City’s executive branch is headed by mayor Jason Hu of the Kuomintang. Mayor Hu won re-election in December 2005 with more than fifty-eight percent of the vote.[21] This makes him the first candidate to achieve more than fifty percent of the vote in the Democratic Era of Taiwan, and represents an improvement of more than nine percent over his 2001 showing[22] despite the fact that he was one of four candidates (as opposed to there being only three in 2001.) The 1997 election was won by Chang Wen-Ying of the Democratic Progressive Party[23] Taichung’s legislative branch is a unicameral 46-member City Council. Each member is elected from one of six multiple member districts where each voter has only one vote. Thus, none of the elected council members has anywhere close to a majority of votes in their electoral district.
Council member breakdown by electoral district[24]
| Electoral District | Municipal Districts | City Council Seats |
|---|---|---|
| One | Central(中區) and West(西區) | Six |
| Two | North(北區) | Seven |
| Three | East(東區) and South(南區) | Eight |
| Four | Xitun(西屯區) | Eight |
| Five | Nantun(南屯區) | Six |
| Six | Beitun(北屯區) | Ten |
| Special | Plains Aborigines | One |
Council member breakdown by political party [24]
| Political Party | Alliance Affiliation | Elected Councilmembers |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) | Pan-Blue | 24 |
| Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) | Pan-Green | 17 |
| People's First Party (PFP) | Pan-Blue | 2 |
| Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) | Pan-Green | 1 |
| Independents | None | 2 |
| Name | Hanzi | Population (2010) | Area (km2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| West District | 西區 | 117,645 | 5.7042 |
| Central District | 中區 | 22,935 | 0.8803 |
| East District | 東區 | 73,839 | 9.2855 |
| North District | 北區 | 147,779 | 6.9376 |
| South District | 南區 | 113,109 | 6.8101 |
| Beitun District | 北屯區 | 245,817 | 62.7034 |
| Nantun District | 南屯區 | 152,811 | 31.2578 |
| Xitun District | 西屯區 | 205,408 | 39.8467 |
| Dali District | 大里區 | 197,460 | 28.8758 |
| Fengyuan District | 豐原區 | 165,457 | 41.1845 |
| Taiping District | 太平區 | 172,865 | 120.7473 |
| Dajia District | 大甲區 | 78,503 | 58.5192 |
| Dongshi District | 東勢區 | 53,313 | 117.4065 |
| Qingshui District | 清水區 | 85,580 | 64.1709 |
| Shalu District | 沙鹿區 | 81,470 | 40.4604 |
| Wuqi District | 梧棲區 | 55,198 | 18.4063 |
| Da'an District | 大安區 | 20,292 | 27.4045 |
| Dadu District | 大肚區 | 55,745 | 37.0024 |
| Daya District | 大雅區 | 89,715 | 32.4109 |
| Heping District | 和平區 | 10,730 | 1037.8192 |
| Houli District | 后里區 | 54,286 | 58.9439 |
| Longjing District | 龍井區 | 74,064 | 38.0377 |
| Shengang District | 神岡區 | 63,761 | 35.0445 |
| Shigang District | 石岡區 | 16,012 | 18.2105 |
| Tanzi District | 潭子區 | 100,181 | 25.8497 |
| Waipu District | 外埔區 | 32,052 | 42.4099 |
| Wufeng District | 霧峰區 | 63,864 | 98.0779 |
| Wuri District | 烏日區 | 68,654 | 43.4032 |
| Xinshe District | 新社區 | 25,618 | 68.8874 |
The Sinon Bulls is a professional baseball team playing in the four-team Chinese Professional Baseball League. While they are identified with Taichung City, many of their “home games” have been played outside of the city due to the inadequacies of the old Taichung Baseball Field. The team was expected to move into the newly completed Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in 2008, but it turns out that no CPBL games will be played in the newly built stadium, with the exception of the annual all-star game on July 20.
Taichung hosts two road races annually. The ING Marathon preparation 10K race is held every September in the Metropolitan Park. The Supau Cup Marathon is held on the city’s streets every autumn, either in October or November.
Temples can be found all over the city of Taichung. While many of them are of recent construction, others are considered historic and are indicative of the changing currents through Taichung’s history.
Taichung Train Station, Wufeng Lin Family Mansion and Garden
Chang-Liao Family Shrine, Wenchang Temples, Lin Family Shrine, Chang Family Ancestral Shrine, Wanhe Temple, Lecheng Temple
Lake Pavilion in Taichung Park, Chishan Gate, Japanese-era Municipal Building
Taichung City Hall
Taichung has a vibrant, diverse economy that incorporates traditional businesses, small family-run shops and factories, large industrial areas, and a thriving commercial sector.
The heart of Taichung’s economy has long been the small business. The small business sector still thrives in the city and is in most evidence in the downtown area with small eateries, traditional markets, and other various family businesses. Taichung's Chun Shui Tang teahouse (春水堂) is where bubble tea was invented, by a teahouse owner, Liu Han Chie (劉漢介).[25] Taichung is most famous for its suncakes (taiyang bing).[26]
Taichung is an important center for a number of key industries. The city is a major manufacturer of bicycles and related parts, and sporting goods. Small metalworking, mold and die enterprises abound. During the heyday of the Taiwanese Miracle, the city hosted the famous "Shoes Nest," hundreds of small firms involved in the shoe industry, which has since moved to China. Nike's Asian design center is located in Taichung.
Xitun District is the home of Taichung’s Industrial Zone. Taichung’s World Trade Center Building is the symbolic heart of the zone, where various trade shows and exhibitions are held throughout the year. Most of Taichung’s traditional manufacturing base is in this area, which is the area of Taichung City that is nearest the port. In the northeast part of Xitun District, along the border with neighboring Taichung County, there is a science-based Industrial Park.
The growing prosperity of Taichung residents has resulted in the explosive growth of the upscale retail sector, with the opening of massive up-market department stores, as well as the construction of several luxurious condo complexes in the rapidly developing areas near a newly constructed government complex, as well as the growth of up-market neighborhoods in Beitun District.
People here are generally warm and easy to get along, so their pace of life is slower than Taipei.
Taiwanese people follows traffic regulations like every other civilized societies.
Many famous drinks and cuisine are born in Taichung, such as "Bubble tea", "Pearl tea" and the "Tripodking". People here love to enjoy cuisine in anytime, anywhere they want, you can find many restaurant do not rest after the meal time, and people are walking and eating at the same time at night market.
Taichung has several open-air night markets that feature local food and diversions:[27]
Taichung City offers a full range of educational opportunities for its residents. From kindergartens to national universities, Taichung has schools that fit nearly every need from bilingual kindergartens to world class public and private university education.
Below is an accounting of the schools that can be found in Taichung City:
In Taichung, there are two railways in parallel, one is Mountain Line which passes through urban area, and the other is Coastal line which passes through rural area.
Along Mountain Line, there are (from south to north):
Chenggong Station (成功車站)
Xinwuri Station (新烏日車站)
Wuri Station (烏日車站)
Daqing Station (大慶車站)
Wuchuan Station (五權車站) - under construction
Taichung Station (台中車站)
Jingwu Station (精武車站) - under construction
Taiyuan Station (太原車站)
Songzhu Station (松竹車站) - under construction
Toujiacuo Station (頭家厝車站) - under construction
Tanzi Station (潭子車站)
Fengnan Station (豐南車站) - under construction
Fengyuan Station (豐原車站)
Houli Station (后里車站)
Tai'an Station (泰安車站)
Along Coastal Line, there are (from south to north):
Zhuifen Station (追分車站)
Dadu Station (大肚車站)
Longjing Station (龍井車站)
Shalu Station (沙鹿車站)
Qingshui Station (清水車站)
Taichung Port Station (台中港車站)
Dajia Station (大甲車站)
Rinan Station (日南車站)
Taichung Station is located on Jianguo Road (建國路). There is a small square in the front of the station, and numerous bus companies have stations within a three-minute walk of the station. They provide comprehensive local bus service along with long-distance bus services, many of which are to towns not served by trains.
Taichung Station lies on the Taiwan Railway Administration Mountain Line, which splits from the coastal line from Changhua City to the south of Taichung, to Jhunan, near Hsinchu, to the north.
The first southbound train departs for Pingtung at 6:05 in the morning while the first northbound train departs for Taipei at 6:10 am. The last trains in the early morning depart at 2:37 am and 2:46 for Pingtong and respectively.
There are two other local train stations within the city limits of Taichung. They are Taiyuan Station located in Beitun District and Daqing Station in South District. Both are only serviced by local trains.
The new Taiwan High Speed Rail was recently completed, allowing travel to Taipei and Kaohsiung in 40 minutes. The THSR Taichung Station is located in Wuri and is served both by local trains as well as free shuttle buses into the city.
Taichung Harbor, located on the coast in Taichung County, is the second largest cargo facility on the island capable of handling container shipping.
Despite being the second largest port on the island of Taiwan, there are no passenger ferry services available and the port is closed to unauthorized personnel.
Unlike other major cities, Taichung has no expressway crossing the city. The heaviest traffic congestion is on Taichung Harbor Road (台中港路), which can come to a stand still not only during rush hour, but also on weekends or late evenings as many of the most popular shopping centers and movie theaters are on that stretch of road. Other busy stretches of road include SanMin Road near Chungyou Department Store and Yizhong Street, especially during late evening, when local cram schools and baseball games typically let out.
The downtown area is roughly a grid pattern with Ziyou Road (自由路) and SanMin （三民路） running southwest to northeast while Zhongzheng Road (中正路) and Linsen Road (林森路) run northwest from the center of the city, in addition to the more narrow one-way roads that follow the grid pattern as well.
A large number of multi-lane roads lead out of the downtown area in all directions. Some of these roads are divided by a physical barrier or median to enhance safety. These roads include Taichung Harbor Road (台中港路), Wuquan West Road (五權西路), Beitun Road (北屯路), Taiyuan Road (太原路), Hanxi Road (旱溪路), Guoguang Road (國光路), Zhongqing Road (中清路,) Wuquan South Road (五權南路) and Wenxin South Road (文心南路).
Stop lights and lane indicators are generally observed on major streets, but are often viewed more as suggestions rather than legally enforced traffic rules unless traffic police officers are present. Speed limits are often not enforced, except where specifically designated speed detection cameras are present and marked with signs, making traffic conditions some of the most dangerous on the island. Most major intersections have traffic signs with Romanized names. However, despite the fact that Taichung City has recently declared Hanyu Pinyin the official romanization system for the city, there are numerous signs leftover from previous romanizations while the a large number of minor intersections have no romanization of any kind. Navigation in Taichung City is extremely difficult for those who are unable to read Chinese characters.
The city currently does not have any type of rapid transit system, though construction on the first line of the municipal MRT system is scheduled to begin in October 2009 with completion of the Wurih-Beitun line schedule for completion in 2014 or 2015.
While a bus system exists covering parts of the city, it is not reliable in all places. Among the bus companies providing local service are Taichung Bus Company (台中客運), Fengyuan Bus Company (豐原客運), Changhua Bus Company (彰化客運), and Presidential Bus Company. While heavily congested areas have buses, other areas have intermittent to no service. While there is theoretically a schedule when buses are to arrive, they are often not reliable. Signs at bus stops are not bilingual, not complete and often, not current.
National Highway No. 1 (國道一號), also known as the Sun Yat-Sen Freeway, passes through the western part of the city and has three interchanges in Taichung City. One is at Zhongqing Road (中清路), another at Taichung Harbor Road (中港路) and the southernmost at Wuquan West Road (五權西路).
Taichung-Changhua Expressway (中彰快速道路,) is the main stretch of Provincial Highway No. 74 that runs from northwestern Taichung City through part of Taichung County into the northern part of Changhua City just to the south of Taichung. At some points, it is just a few dozen meters east of the Sun Yat-Sen Freeway. While it does not connect directly to that highway, it does have an interchange with National Highway No. 3 (國道三號) in Taichung County, where one can then access it in a couple of minutes.
Taichung-Nantou Highway (中投公路,) also known as Provincial Highway No. 63, runs from Dali City (just south of the border from Taichung City) to Nantou County. It can be accessed by driving out of Taichung City on Wuquan South Road, where it becomes the Taichung-Nantou Highway within a kilometer of the city line. While there is no direct interchange with National Highway No. 3, one can get off in Wufeng and, after about two minutes on surface roads, easily access the highway.
The Taichung International Airport is the third and newest international airport in Taiwan. The Taichung International Airport civilian terminal is located on the western corner of Ching Chuan Kang Air Base (CCK), about 20 kilometers (12 mi) from downtown Taichung City. The main road linking Taichung and the airport is Zhongqing Road (Provincial Route 10). The airport is located within a kilometer (1,100 yd) of the Shalu (沙鹿) Exit on National Highway Number 3.
In 2002, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications began working on a plan to move air traffic from Taichung's ShuiNan Airport to the CCK Air Force base as a first step to converting CCK into a new international airport to facilitate larger aircraft.
The airport opened in early 2004, and the expanded facility at CCK Air Force Base has a much longer runway capable of handling larger aircraft. International charter flight service from the city began the same day.
The opening of The Taichung International Airport did spark a spat of partisan controversies about being incomplete and safety concerns were raised.[28] The fact that Taiwan has more airports per capita than any other country in the region and prohibits private airplanes fell on deaf ears because the anticipated and protracted opening of direct links with the Chinese mainland are expected to require an increase in air traffic.
Taichung's airport currently handles daily scheduled flights between Taichung and the cities of Taipei and Hualian, as well as the offshore islands of Penghu (Pescadores) and Kinmen. Airlines operating out of Taichung include Mandarin and UNI. International air services are expected to continue growing to include charter flights between Taichung and South Korea, plus special charter flights to other destinations and possibly the Chinese mainland.
Taichung City is in the process of implementing Hanyu Pinyin on road signs throughout the city. However, there are still signs displaying spellings from previously-used romanization systems as well as Tongyong Pinyin and systems that do not conform to any standard system.[29] Unlike Taipei which uses a capital letter at the beginning of every syllable, Taichung City uses the standard form of Hanyu Pinyin on street signs erected in recent years. However, the municipal website uses the Taipei system. Most major intersections have at least one sign containing some form of romanization. Nearly every intersection in the downtown area has signs in Hanyu Pinyin. However, outside of the downtown area, while coverage by Hanyu Pinyin signs is improving, many intersections have signs in other romanization systems (especially Wade-Giles and MPS2) or no Romanized signs at all.
Taichung has signed sister city agreements with nineteen cities in nine countries since 1965. They are listed below along with the dates that the agreements were signed.[30]
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