Taichung Civic Square (臺中市民廣場) @ Taiwan

Imagine coming to an open lawn that appeared parched of water, with patches of grass featuring a brownish greenish tinge that looked relatively uninviting.

But, it was filled with people, and none had their heads bowing to the allure of their mobile phones! A scene quite hard to find in hot and humid Singapore, except maybe at Botanic Gardens or Town Green at University Town. 

With demand comes supply; and you can find vendors selling helium balloons, plastic balls, toys, styrofoam planes, bubble wands etc! Not something you can do freely in Singapore as it would be considered as illegal.

You can even find picnic mats for sale; which I would strongly recommend if you are thinking of sitting on the grass, just so to soak in the relaxing atmosphere, in the cool winter weather.

Why? There were many dogs, and while I believe most Taiwanese are civic-minded; accidents can and do happen, and just to name an example, you can't really stop diarrhoea.

This civic square might not look much but it was a hive of activity when we checked it out at about 5.30pm on a Sunday. There were even buskers serenading the public with their music.  

Given the space, about 100 meters x 165 meters; the Taichung Civic Square is also known to be the location for the annual international Taichung Jazz Festival, usually held in October. Well, I very much prefer the status I encountered that Sunday though; relaxing with peals of laughter from the children mixed in with the canines' playful barks. 

 

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Address

No. 163-1, Gongyi Rd, 

West District, Taichung City, 

Taiwan

Map

As above.

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)