Qingshui

Qīngshuǐ (清水) is a coastal district in western Taichung, set on the raised plain between Dadu Plateau and the Taiwan Strait. Formerly known as Niumatou (牛罵頭), it began as a Papora Indigenous village. Han settlement was led by the Yang and Cai families, still the two largest surnames in the district, who left compounds such as the Shekou Yang Residence. In 1935 the Hsinchu-Taichung earthquake levelled the old commercial core and killed several hundred residents, after which the town was rebuilt on a grid plan; Qingshui Railway Station, the hilltop earthquake monument, and the remaining traces of the town Shinto shrine all date from this period, while Tzu Yun Yen Temple (紫雲巖) remains the religious heart of the district. Qingshui later lost its bid to become the post-war Taichung County seat to Fengyuan, a decision that gradually tilted development toward the interior. Among its other traces are a cluster of mid-century cinemas, including the Dongya and Guangming theaters, and the candy-striped Gaomei Lighthouse on the wetland coast.