'Mother River's' natural connections to Taichung

Top 10 tourist spots along Dajia River

Words by Paula Lin Translated by Anna Yang
Photos provided by Taichung City Government Tourism and Travel Bureau

Dajia River is Greater Taichung's "Mother River", making it a recommended local destination for discovering an abundance of natural resources and places of cultural interest. As part of the Taichung City Government Tourism and Travel Bureau's "Culture and Tourism Festival in the Dajia River Basin" event, a public on-line survey was held to select the top 10 tourist spots along this waterway. Top vote-getters, from highest to lowest, were the Gaomei Wetland, Wuling Farm, Houfeng and Dongfeng bikeways, Dajia Jenn Lann Temple, Guguan Recreation Area, Dasyueshan Forest Recreation Area, Lishan Scenic Area, Tai-An Railroad Cultural Park, Shigang Dam, and Xinshe Pei-Leng Canal.

Taichung City Mayor Lin Chia-lung noted that Taichung's development has been closely intertwined with the Dajia River, whose roles of providing water to local residents, hydroelectric power generation, and ecological conservation are vital. Ecological life, from cherry salmon on the river's upper reaches to the Indo-Pacific Hump-Backed Dolphin and Yunlin's Scripus maritimus leaves, should be publicized and preserved for future generations. As part of this effort, Taichung City Government welcomes everyone to join the Dajia festival in a show of support and gratitude for this river.

　
Left: Gaomei Wetland, famed for its beautiful sunsets, received the highest number of votes among top Dajia River tourist spots.
Right: Dongfeng Greenery Bikeway is very popular during holidays.

The mayor also noted that the city's future tourism marketing campaigns and resources would spotlight this great "Mother River" via a combination of cultural and educational efforts, thereby allowing residents to learn more about Dajia River.

Prior to voting, which continued for almost a month, Taichung City Government presented 20 tourist spots offering scenic areas, temples and historic buildings along Dajia River. From these, tourism specialists and over 300,000 voters selected the top 10 tourist spots. Winning the highest number of votes was Gaomei Wetland's sunset views, enjoyed in this destination south of Qingshui district in what once was a popular beach during the Japanese colonial period. However, after Taichung Port construction increased silting in this area, it gradually transformed into today's wetland.

Taichung City Government Tourism and Travel Bureau Director Chen Sheng-Shan noted that Gaomei Wetland was home to rare and unusual species of Scripus maritimus leaves and Hygrophila plants, as well as a popular winter bird-watching spot. Moreover, it features a wooden walkway and bridge built for enjoying the area and sunset views, with the Gaomei Tourist Center scheduled for opening at the end of this year.