By
Douglas Habecker
Taichung, like many cities around the world,
has its own natural and man-made features which help sub-divide
it into sections and neighborhoods. Two such features
happen to the Chungshan North-South Freeway and the adjacent
Tatu Mountain, the long low ridge which separates the city
from the coast.
Only a few years ago, the other side of
the freeway and the ridge were mainly known by most residents
as the location for Tunghai University and the Taichung
Industrial Park. That all started changing in the
mid-1990s, when office and apartment towers began springing
up along Taichung Harbor and Hsitun roads and many residents
began to enjoy the relative separation, not to mention lower
rents, available on the other side of the freeway.
Today, downtown residents and visitors are
increasingly venturing up the hill to enjoy shopping, dining
and other businesses that have sprung up, particularly in
a few exceptionally-pleasant areas which still remain undiscovered
by many.
Among these, the most exceptional--a must-see
for anyone who hasn't been there yet--is Art Street (known
as Yishu Jie in Chinese). The closest comparison to
the wonderfully-quaint, western-style ambiance experienced
on Art Street is the popular, European-style Chingming 1rst
Street, known to many residents as "cafe street"
or "tea street". Much longer than Chingming
1st Street, Art Street features over 200 meters of small
shops, cafes, restaurants and other attractions along the
narrow uphill street lined with trees, open sidewalks, street
lamps and other attractive touches.
According to many local vendors and residents,
the concept for creating such a place had its beginnings
in about 1989 with Pai Hsi-mi, a Changhua architect, designer
and dreamer who wanted to start an artist colony of sorts.
Working through his construction company, he helped redevelop
the street, formerly named Kuochi ("International")
Street, lane 2. As round road-side markers note, the
entire community was also renamed Tunghai Village.
In addition to the striking street lamps and other aesthetic
features, the entire stretch of road has been resurfaced
with a smooth, reddish macadam pavement, interspersed with
cobblestone intersections.
There is enough along Art Street and the
many connecting lanes for a pleasant afternoon or evening
of strolling, shopping and eating (see map for specific
shop locations). Starting from the bottom, one of
the first stores is Treasure House (open 2-10 p.m. and most
mornings), a delightful three-floor European-looking store
chock-full of decorations and house-hold items, including
quilts, blankets, candles, bird cages, lanterns, fountains,
wood and iron work, statues, pictures, dishware and carpets.
Warmly-lit and quiet, one has the feeling of being in a
cozy cottage while shopping for items.
Other shops further up the road include
Mrs. Pan's Store (open 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m.), which has a
similarly-eclectic variety of clothing, carpets, quilts,
candles, pillow cases and other items. Near the top
on the left side is Jen-Piin shop (open 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m.),
featuring a selection of beautiful local and foreign-made
sculptures. On the same side of the road is Hand &
Foot Clothing (#57, open 11 a.m.-11 p.m.) with all kinds
of brand-name clothing for low prices averaging about NT$290
to NT$590.
About half-way up Art Street, on the right,
is a small plaza with several art shops and studios, plus
a single shop specializing in Birkenstock footwear.
There is pottery, sculptures, jewelry and other items.
At one of the shops, Agnes Lee, a village resident who teaches
modern poetry and English at Chungshan Medical College,
was holding a one-week conceptual art exhibition which included
her writing poems about visiting strangers, using a single
character they randomly picked from a newspaper or magazine.
Lee, who also leads a New Age study group elsewhere on the
street, said that she chose to move to Tunghai Village a
couple years ago, after returning from years of residence
in Berkeley, California.
"It's a real community to me.
I got to know the artists on the street and I started to
like this place. I said, 'Wow, all these free-minded
souls, just like at Berkeley,'" she said.
The artsy-looking shops, interspersed with
more commercial ventures, underline the fact that many kindred
spirits have made the street their home although, as Lee
noted, growing commercialization and resulting higher rents
had started pushing some artists out.
In addition to shopping, there is no shortage
of cozy cafes to eat, drink and socialize at. Unlike
Chingming 1rst Street's sidewalk cafes, most Art Street
establishments are little European-looking cottage-style
cafes, complete with little tables, warm lighting and plenty
of homey-looking touches. Many have personal names--Bianca,
Maurice, Plato and so on. There is also Avonlea (capitalizing
on the Anne of Green Gables craze), Rose House, Siena, Sweet
Lake and the bizarre-sounding O & 1 Coffee Meat Station,
with various set meals.
Art Street is a perfect place for an afternoon
and evening, when the street lamps come on and many strollers
come out to enjoy the breezes rolling over the hill.
Weekends can be busier, as more city residents are beginning
to discover the street. Not to be missed, this delightful
little community shows that Taichung still has its hidden
gems, waiting to be uncovered.
GETTING THERE: Take Taichung Harbor Road up the
hill, past Tunghai University, and turn right at Kuochi
Street at the pedestrian overpass. Take Kuochi St.
about 400 meters to the 7-11 and turn left onto Art Street.
PARKING: For those driving, there are two parking
lots on Lane 38, to the right about third of the way up
the one-way street, charging NT$50 to NT$60 per time.
The lots can also be accessed via North Art Street (Yishu
Pei Jie), parallel and to the right.
...CONTINUED:
OTHER ATTRACTIONS ON THE HILL
