Not long after moving to the administrative capital of Changhua in 2014 I published a collection of photographs entitled Postcards from Changhua City. All of the photos in that post were shot in my first few months of residency but I ended up staying for half a year. In that time I gathered more than enough material for a sequel while making my daily rounds. So here it is: more photos from my time in Changhua City, a historic town in central Taiwan. As before, additional information and links are included in the caption for each photo, where available.
The gates to Kaihua Temple in the heart of Changhua City.
The city through the gates of Kāihuà Temple 開化寺. This temple dates back to 1724!
In Qing dynasty times Changhua was a walled city but the Japanese colonial authorities tore them down and imposed a new urban planning order on the city. Hidden in an alleyway, the North Gate Land God Shrine 北門福徳祠 used to stand next to the northern entrance to the walled city.
As the name would imply the Great Western Gate Land God Shrine 大西門福德祠 marks the former location of the walled city’s western gate. This one is far more accessible than the north gate shrine, however.
Inside the courtyard at the famous Changhua Confucius Temple 彰化孔子廟.
Doorway to the main hall of the Confucius Temple in Changhua City.
The ruins of the China Electric Chemical Factory 中國電氣化學廠 at the base of Baguashan.
Study hall in the right wing of Qing’an Temple 慶安宮. These rooms are open to the public; just walk in and get to work!
A vintage advertisement for palm reading and mole divination in the alleys of Changhua City.
Japanese relics and curious pigeons on the desolate Xīntīng Old Street 新町老街.
A row of abandoned shophouses next to Zhonghua Road Bridge 中華路橋. These buildings surely predate the construction of the bridge from which this image was captured.
An abandoned Japanese colonial era police station on Minzu Road 舊民族路派出所.
On the other side of Zhonghua Road Bridge is the Changhua City Fish Market 彰化市魚市場. There isn’t much to see here by day but long after dark it’s a bustling hive of activity.
Peeling paint and utility stickers next to a disused apartment block on the far side of the railway tracks.
A cute character on the door of an old house in back alley Changhua City.
A vintage home in the back alleys of Changhua City.
A round portal with carved versions of the Republic of China flag inside Nanyao Temple 南瑤宮.
The pharaoh of Changhua City? No, this is merely a statue outside an Asian-fusion restaurant named Havivi 凱悅奇兵主題飲食館.
A cuckoo clock on a wall in the back alleys of Changhua City. Totally random.
The entrance to an old medical clinic on the south side of town. The sign on the right is the schedule.
A stack of ghost money for anyone who needs it.
Poetic divination in Báilóng’ān 白龍庵, a rooftop retreat in the heart of Changhua City. These fortunes are drawn by lot after asking questions of the gods in a short ceremony.
This mysterious statue at Biying Shrine vexed me while living in Changhua. I have since learned that this is Lín Xīlíng 林錫鈴, the founder or one of the original administrators of the shrine.
A shrine to light up the dark night on the north side of Changhua City. This is a land god shrine, an ubiquitous feature of the Taiwanese urban landscape.
Taking the train from Changhua City on new year’s day.
No evidence of a night market by day—but after dark this empty lot will come alive with activity.
Out for a night ride along Zhúhé Road 竹和路, a small artery connecting two neighbourhoods bisected by a sprawling set of chemical plants and fabric factories on the north side of town.
Broken glass outside an abandoned home in Changhua City.
A popular local delicacy: fried and stuffed bread at Āzhēn Zhàmántou 阿貞炸饅頭.
Propeller of a warplane in Jiànkāng Trail Park 健康步道公園 up on Baguashan.
Inside the cockpit of a derelict C-119 Flying Boxcar resting in a park on Baguashan. Only about 7 of these Korean War-era relics remain in Taiwan (out of a fleet of more than 100 purchased from the US).
Buddhas galore inside the big temple at the edge of Baguashan.
Looking south from Baguashan over a university campus and the more residential side of town.
Baguashan 八卦山 in the drought of 2015. The fountain was shut off to conserve water.
Thank you very much, indeed! I am searching for opportunities to secure a position as an English (EFL) teacher in “Asia”… I have considered many locations. I have become determined to relocate to Changhua because of your article, “Postcards…” I can barely contain my excitement. Thanks!
All content on this website is under copyright control unless otherwise noted. No unauthorized reuse of any original material appearing here is permitted. See the terms of use page for more details; for licensing inquiries, please contact me directly.
Donations Welcome
Enjoy what you’ve found here? You’re welcome to support indie blogging and buy me a coffee via Patreon!
Thank you very much, indeed! I am searching for opportunities to secure a position as an English (EFL) teacher in “Asia”… I have considered many locations. I have become determined to relocate to Changhua because of your article, “Postcards…” I can barely contain my excitement. Thanks!