[Taichung 台中] Taichung Park ♦ 台中公园 @ Lynda's Taiwan-logue

< Visited in Jul 2019 >

In many progressively urbanized countries, forests, green spaces and nature have made way for concrete dwellings, which takes priority in land scarce and increasingly populated places. Those that pay attention to (restoring some) greenery, make an effort to include pockets of nature (albeit man-made) or cater for neighbourhood parks in urban planning. I feel blessed that Taiwan maintains a good mix of city-scape and breathtaking nature - allowing me varied travel experiences - and feel aghast when seeing reports of people (both locals and tourists) misbehaving at attractions.

Taiwan does a great job providing public spaces, such as parks. And it is not incidental, considering how much effort must have been put in, for so many of them to withstand the test of time. Taichung Park 台中公园 is one example, being the oldest park in the city, completed way back in 1903.

Spanning more than 10 hectares (almost 19 football fields!), part of the original park was built on a private garden donated by Wufeng's Lin Clan (雾峰林家), and extended to include the city's north gate (台中省城之北门楼) and a fortress hill (东大墩孤丘). Post-WWII, the park underwent some renaming and by then, encompassed its iconic lake and pavilion (now a city monument). Through its early days, the large park even housed a Japanese shrine and a mini zoo, though what are left now are some memorial structures.

▲ A mere five-minute walk from my accommodation Petrichor Hotel and enroute my dinner venue, I decided to make time for a leisurely stroll.

▼ Spotting the park's pavilion and fountain from a distance.

As the sun sets, even summer evenings are lovely for a stroll in the park. Locals make good use of such public amenities, giving me much pleasure being in the company of families and dog owners.