Under Japanese, and later KMT, economic planning, Kaohsiung became the centre of heavy industry, Taipei the centre of colonial administration, and Taichung? The centre of light industry. If your image of Made in Taiwan still conjures up visions of cheap toys, shoes and electrical goods, then you’ve got old Taichung in mind. Today the name Taichung (台中; Táizhōng) tends, among locals anyway, to conjure up visions of great weather. Taipei and Taichung may have very similar average temperatures but Taichung is much drier, receiving around 1700mm of rain a year compared with Taipei’s 2170mm. Taichung is a transport hub of western Taiwan and you are likely to stop over or even spend a night or two here especially if you plan to head inland. In 2010, the city and county of Taichung were merged to form a greater municipality. The city centre has several attractions for travellers, and it's a good base to make side trips to the outer area, which has a lot more to offer. (Lonely Planet)
We stayed at the Lavida Hotel in Fengjia, a district in Taichung that boasts Taiwan's largest night street market where snacks or local street food of every kind imaginable are found. We hired a car with a driver who took us around for two days, a stress free way to enjoy the city and its many natural and men mad attractions.

Feng Chia Night Market
Feng Chia Night Market is within a 1 kilometer radius of Feng Chia University. It is one of the most popular and visited night markets among young people. At weekends, as many as 30,000 people will pass through it! It is perhaps the most famous night market in all Taiwan. Feng Chia has all kinds of creative take-away snack food to sample; it is also full of new clothes that are oriented toward young students.

Gaomei Wetland
The Gaomei Wetlands are located on the south side of the Dajia River Estuary in Qingshui. Over 120 species of bird have been recorded here and it is an important ecological conservation area. It is not large but because it has both mud flats and sand beaches and is also connected to the estuary’s swamp area it contains a rich variety of flora and fauna. It also offers beautiful sunsets over a unique manmade landscape ─ Gaomei Lighthouse and wind turbines. A cycle track runs through the area on which riders may coast with the wind in their hair: the Gaomei Wetlands are one of the highlights of the shore.

Rainbow Village
Rainbow Village is one of the most surprising Taichung attractions. It is a one man show, painted by a very talented, and rather visionary, old veteran soldier. Taiwan is still scattered with “veterans villages“. These villages had been built hastily, with cheap materials. They gave simple housing to the Kuomintang soldiers, and their families, after they retreated from Mainland China. In the last twenty years these villages have been disappearing, one by one. The government gave the land to building companies, providing in exchange new decent apartments to the surviving veterans or their families..