台中中山綠橋

May 19th, 2025

Looking north along the canal with Miyahara in the background.

Originally built in 1908 and known as Shinsei-bashi (新盛橋) in Japanese colonial times, this bridge spans Midori-gawa (綠川), now known as Lyu-Chuan Canal, a scenic waterway coursing through central Taichung. It is ten meters wide with a span of 22 meters and features lampposts, pebble-washed railings, and Art Nouveau ironwork.

The view across the span with the iconic ruins of Qianyue Building towering overhead.

In the post-war period the street crossing the bridge was renamed Zhongshan Road (中山路) to reflect Republic of China ideology—and the bridge was renamed along with it. The housing crisis of the 1950s saw many stilt houses built along the banks of the canal and pollution became a serious problem by the 1970s. Urban renewal saw the canal cleared of residences but central Taichung slipped into steep decline following the 921 Earthquake in 1999 and SARS in 2003.

A closer look at the plaques along one end of the bridge; both are post-war additions, the black one much more recent than the white marble founding date.

The old bridge was recognized for its heritage value in 2004 but only in 2014 were urban renewal efforts undertaken to remediate the canal and surrounding area. Nowadays the canal is a popular spot for photographs and video shoots, though pockets of urban decay persist in the surrounding area.