New to Zhanghua

Hey everyone. I’m not sure if this is under the correct topic, but I’ll be new teaching in Zhanghua this coming July. I’m looking for any helpful info about this place. I’m looking to see if there’s anyone else in the area who wants to possibly meet up and help keep each other sane if your Chinese isn’t that great, like mine. This will be my second time in Taiwan, but my first time living, and it’s all by myself. Also, if anyone has any helpful info about this place and what there is to do, I would be greatly appreciative. Just message me if you’re living in the area and want to meet up sometime! Thanks

I live and teach English in Changhua, and would be happy to meet up and show you around sometime. I’m looking into getting a scooter here in the next couple weeks too. Will see if there’s anything fun at the end of July/beginning of August to do. :slight_smile:

It shouldn’t really be here, but no biggie, I’ll leave it for a few days and then move it to temp. Just refrain from posting too much personal info and keep things that should be in Taiwanted (classifieds) in Taiwanted.

And as the OP mentions above, keep personal correspondence to PMs, please.

Oh, and welcome to Taiwan and Forumosa. :thumbsup:

Hi Bradc20,

Welcome to Forumosa. This thread might be useful:

[url]What's Changhua like?

Nice Threadkiller. That was nice for me, and I’ve been here 6 months. Thanks for the link :slight_smile:

Thanks for the link! Real informative! I’ve read that Taiwanted is down for now. So can you give me a link to exactly where I am supposed to post topics like this? Thanks again! And Bree, I’m looking forward to seeing what Zhanghwa is like!

lol not a whole lot here, and like it says in the other thread, the city wakes up at 2pm and goes back to bed at 3pm. it’s a nice little city though :slight_smile:

We’ll keep it here for now.

With Taichung city closing over 150 bars, and pushing to close the rest, I hope Changhua’s scene becomes bigger. Let me give a complete list of what would be useful in Changhua. This list trumps everything previous, since things have moved, closed, etc. over the 5 years I have been here.

Let me begin by explaining 3 big landmarks. I assume anyone you work with will be able to help you find these. It is from these points I will give better directions.
The first is Ba Gua Mountain’s red-gated enterance. It is on Jhong Shan Rd. (As opposed to the one right by the Buddha statue).
The second is the train station.
The third is the Changhua Christian Hospital.

Ok. Let me begin with two things you will probably be taken to anyway by a local showing you around. The first is Ba Gua Mountain. If you go from Jhong Shan Rd. And go under the gate I mentioned, take the first left. This will go up a long and steep hill until you come to the visitor center on your right and a red gate with steps behind it on your left. If you go up those steps, you will come to a big statue of a Buddha. You can walk inside and see the story, with a lot of it in English. That area also has a good view of the city, but there is superstition involved, so be careful about bringing a first date with a Taiwanese girl up there at night. The Ba Gua Mountain area also has a few nice park areas, so it is a nice place to visit on a goood day.

The 2nd historical place to visit is the Confuscious temple. If you leave Ba Gua Mountain, go down the hill, and go back under the red archway, just go straight for about a block. The Confuscious Temple is on the right. I actually enjoy this more than Ba Gua Mountain.

Ok. Now…on to bigger questions. What is there to do?
The first thing is food. Until you learn some Chinese, it might be hard to find food. There are places that are good and have English menus. (Assuming you are eating out, not staying home and cooking that night).
–Sandwich Shop. This is my favorite restaurant so far. It’s a small coffee/sandwich/cake shop on San Min Road (the same road as the train station). If you come out of the train station, turn left and walk about 2 blocks. It’s at 135 San Min Road. He has incredible sandwiches, salads, and even serves a good selection of pasta and snack food. He has fantastic coffee or drinks, but has a very nice selection of Belgian Beers and all his deserts are made fresh by him every few days. You can go in, get a big sandwich, fries, and a drink for around $200, so it’s nice if you want something good without spending a lot. Derek’s English is really good. My only suggestion is calling to make sure they are open if you go on a weekday. He runs a small business and is sometimes out of town. The address is 135 San Min Rd. He is closed Mondays.

–Flamingos. Burgers, Beer, Quesadillas, and Burritos. What more could you want? Oh yeah…a pool table and internet access. He has it. From the Christian Hospital, walk down Bo Ai Street. (The hospital is on the corner of Bo Ai Street and Nan Xiao St. Pass the Indian Restaurant (it also has English menus and is ok for Changhua…try there, too). Flamingos is on the left.

–China City. So you want Chinese food, but have no clue how to speak Chinese? China City has at least part of their menu in English so you can point. I recommend their Kung Pao Chicken (they call it Chicken with peanuts on the menu). During the Summer, they have $50 drafts.

–Tea Works. Go here for the atmosphere…not the food. I might go to relax with a snack by their fish pond as I read, but rarely for meals. They aren’t bad…just slightly below average. Follow the same directions to get to the sandwich shop, but right before getting there, there will be a side street with tea works on the corner.

For fast food, we have Mos Burger, Subway, KFC, and McDonald’s. We also have a Starbucks near the Christian Hospital.
That will last you a little while, but I would learn names of food quickly. There are limited options for non-Chinese speakers and you will grow tired of the options sooner or later.

Night life is ok. There is a bowling alley we like to hang out in. The best bar, by far, is Johnny’s Pub. He recently moved and it feels like it’s “his place” now. Sean is the owner and Tracy’s currently the other bar lady there. Their English is pretty good and they’re extremely nice. They have a good selection of music, but they aren’t always playing good songs, but will usually play what you request. They have a good selection of drinks and beers as well as decent fried food for snacks. I’d avoid the burgers, though. To get there, go under the archway like you’re going to Ba Gua Mountain. Rather than going up the hill, stay on that road. The first light has a Family Mart on the corner. Turn left and Johnny’s Pub is on the right almost immediately. He has a 2nd floor that is closed right now, but he hopes to put a pool table in as well as a dart board. I am also trying to set up comedy shows there and other performances, so I hope those happen starting in the Fall.

Many foreigners talk about YS Pub. They play a lot of Justin Bieber. If that’s your thing, enjoy. I’m avoiding it for a while after a series of sub-par service.

There is a bar called Abolis Hardware (I assumed it was a hardware store at first). It’s a great place, but I do not go there much because of the location. It is on Jhong Jeng Road, which is also the same road as the train station. Go out of the train station and turn right. If you are driving, it is not that far. If you are walking, it’s a solid 15-20 minutes. Go past the elementary school. There is a 7-11 on the corner. Abolis is just past the 7-11. Piper is the owner and is really cool (she was the first bartender I met in Taiwan). Her food is also pretty good for bar food. The only drawback is there are not a lot of foreigner regulars, so if you are looking to meet the foreigners, it wouldn’t be where I would start.

There are 3 smaller bars that we pop into from time to time. E998 is on Ming Sheng Road, a few stores down from the Holiday KTV. To get there from the Christian Hospital, go down Nan Xiao Street towards Jhong Shan Road. After you cross over Jhong Shan, that turns into Xiao Yang Rd. Turn right at the next light. After you pass the Holiday KTV, E998 is a few shops down on the right, across from a liquor store. GLush is another small bar that is pretty nice. Drainage Pub is the third one, but be sure to pay for your beers as you go. They like to add magical beers to your tab at the end. Both these places are located on a street near the train station. If you walk straight out of the station, there is sort of an island that is surrounded by a road. Off here are 2 streets; one has a McDonald’s and KFC. The other doesn’t. Take the one that doesn’t. At the next light, turn right. You will come to an 85 cafe. Turn left. Immediately on your right, across from 85 cafe, is a sign that says, “Pub 2 F.” That’s a strip club we call “the rub club.” They do lap dances on your knee for about 10 seconds then expect 100 NT. Wheeeee. But down that street on the right is GLush. Farther down on the left is drainage. They’re usually pretty slow, with even few locals showing up. But they’re nice places to meet up with a friend if you just want to get away from the usual places.

Ok. I am done typing for now. I’m off to Johnny’s soon. Hope this helps.

Puppet and the other local who posted seem like good fellows. You should also try to locate (maybe by PM) an American guy called Okami. He posts here sometimes. Salt of the earth sort of dude, and knows his way around Changhua very well.

Um…is Zhanghua in Taichung? :ponder:

No, but it’s only 15km south. 10-20min train ride.

No, but it’s only 15km south. 10-20min train ride.[/quote]
You live, you learn. :thumbsup:

Yes. Much like how Taipei is in Yilan.

Yes. Much like how Taipei is in Yilan.[/quote]
Close enough. It’s all just a big maze up north, anyway.