Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
You may be able to sample this haunting melody in Bunun strongholds such as
Dongpu and Wulu (
Click here
)
in Taitung County. This is a must-sing song after the
Ear-shooting Festival, a male rite-of-passage ceremony held yearly in April or May.
Note that this is exclusively for men; women may have to resort to watching re-
cordings on YouTube.
GREATER TAICHUNG
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Taichung
04 / POP 2,690,000
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 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 sev-
eral attractions for travellers, and it's a good base to make side trips to the outer area,
which has a lot more to offer.
