Postcards From Changhua City 1 (彰化市明信片一號)

彰化市明信片一號

January 5th, 2015

I moved to Changhua City in November 2014 to see what it’s like living in a traditional town in central Taiwan. I had an interesting time staying in Tainan for three months earlier that year so I figured why not give Changhua a shot for the wintertime? Changhua is nowhere near as lively and interesting as Taiwan’s old southern capital but it is not without charm. Here I have gathered up some of the more representative images I captured during my first two months of residency, mostly of the area immediately to the east of the railway station, which also happens to be the oldest part of town. Explanations are given in the caption of each photo, where available.

Floral murals along an alleyway in Changhua City.

Vintage cleaners south of the station. This place has been in operation for more than 50 years.

In front of Changhua Station. You can see the Qiáoyǒu Building (喬友大廈) in the distance. Cross the street and you’ll find the main bicycle rental depot on a traffic island.

Just north and east of the station one will find this block of decaying storefronts.

A unique set of colonial storefronts on Zhongzheng Road.

Wēihuì Temple (威惠宮), a popular place for the elderly to congregate and play board games.

Famous bawan (Taiwanese meatball) shops just south of the station. The store on the corner was featured in a film; the others are copycats. — Famous *bawan* (Taiwanese meatball) shops just south of the station. The store on the corner was featured in a film; the others are copycats.

The vintage entrance to Jīnchéng Hotel (金城旅社) on Cháng’ān Street (長安街). “Istirahat” is Indonesian for rest.

Yongle Street, Changhua City’s main pedestrian shopping street. They call it a night market but it’s mostly clothing vendors.

Kāihuà Temple (開化寺), one of Changhua City’s oldest and most famous. It was originally built as a shrine to Guanyin in 1724.

The main altar at Kaihua Temple is dedicated to the Three Great Emperor-Officials (三官大帝).

Candlelight in front of a land god shrine at the back of the historic Dìngguāng Buddhist Temple (定光佛廟) near the railway station. The front of this Qing dynasty temple was destroyed in the Japanese colonial era to facilitate a road widening but the back retains its old appearance.

There are many temples in Changhua City’s old downtown core. This old figurine stands inside one of them.

Slinging code inside a study room in Qìng’ān Temple (慶安宮), a third-grade historic site originally built in 1817. They’ve got desks, power, hot water for tea or instant noodles, bathroom facilities, and free wifi, what more could you need for a good day of work?

The weird geometric flower in a roundabout just east of the station.

This 24 hour café is a popular hang-out for locals. I always see groups of people smoking and drinking late into the night when I ride by.

An old wooden façade on Zhongzheng Road.

Zhen’s Traditional Cake Shop (蓁古早味現烤蛋糕) is always popular. I regularly ride by here and there’s always a line-up. The cakes are actually pretty good: light, fluffy, with various fillings (chocolate, pumpkin, cream, and so on).

A lonesome pink bicycle along an alleyway not far from the station.

The stark outer gate of Changhua City’s famous Confucian Temple (彰化孔子廟).

The elegant simplicity of the Confucian Temple in Changhua City, originally built in 1726.

A classroom in the wings of the Changhua Confucian Temple.

A traditional farmhouse hidden in the alleyways behind the Confucian Temple. This one is in surprisingly good shape.

Old irrigation canals weave through much of the city unseen.

One of many disused buildings from the Japanese colonial era on Cháng’ān Road (長安路). This one happens to have been the office of a petroleum company founded in 1925.

Storefronts along a busy road in Changhua City.

This police station was built during the Japanese colonial period in 1936 and is still in active use. The tower in the background is a much more recent addition.

The Changhua Roundhouse, the only one of its kind. Truly one of the most unique sights in central Taiwan!

There are entire abandoned neighbourhoods next to the railway line in Changhua City, evidently the target of an urban renewal project.

An artist adding lettering to a wall mural in an alleyway next to the roundhouse.

A small corner lot used to store bamboo scaffolding.

An old wooden house near the southern edge of the old part of town. The city walls used to run along here somewhere.

Vintage star-crossed patterned glass, an ubiquitous sight in the older parts of Taiwan.

The view from the third floor of a building on Sanmin Road.

Broken signs along Sanmin Road not far from the railway station.

The ruins of Golden Horse Entertainment World in Changhua City.

A vintage barber shop near the main highway.

Yongan day market. This place is always busy when the sun is up.

A quirky oyster omelette restaurant with an oversized street sign emblazoned with the name 蚵ㄚ仁.

Zhōngzhèng Temple (中正宮), a roadside land god shrine south of the station. Apart from its diminutive size there is an unusual number of signs plastered all around the entrance.

“Yes, we can”, the campaign banner reads. It’s a good thing there’s no marks for originality in elections!

Looking through the patterned glass of my front door.

Vintage optometry kit at the Changhua Christian Hospital (彰化基督教醫院).

The Buddha of Baguashan seen from the streets of Changhua City.

The Big Buddha of Baguashan, Changhua City’s most iconic sight.

The gods walk the streets of Changhua City.

If you enjoy these images you may want to browse all my content from Changhua (and specifically Changhua City). I also ended up publishing more postcards from Changhua City.