Taichung - What Can I Expect?

I’m moving to Taichung next month to teach English with Shane (at the ‘Taichung 10 Branch’, whatever that means).
Is the public transport really that bad/is there definite need for a scooter/car?

The bus system is not too bad. If you can find accommodation that is on or near the same bus route as where you are teaching, the public transport will likely not be too much of a problem.

Google maps will help you identify the bus routes to and from where you are teaching.

Ahh ok, cheers for that.

Despite the initial apprehension of moving to the other side of the planet, not speaking the language and not really knowing anyone, I’m looking forward to it!

Is there anything especially worth checking out in Taichung? I’ve read quite a few glowing reports on Taichung around the forums.

Wow! Thank you everyone for your kind and thoughtful responses! :bravo:

Those parks look amazing and so do the childrens museums etc!! Since I’ll likely be a SAHM at least for awhile when living there, I’ll have plenty of time to travel and visit those places. My daughter is almost 2 for those of you who asked and we are expecting her sister the end of August, so by the time we actually move they should be around 4 and 2.

Re: Schools. I think for my husband, the reason he liked Taiwanese schools over the public school system here in the States is the discipline factor. Schools here tend to be so politically correct that none of the staff are authorized or willing to implement any sort of punishment. Sadly another factor is the “metal detector” issue we have here. Pretty much all the public schools in our area (unless you live in the country side) have these things at all door ways. I personally don’t think that’s a good environment for learning. I mean if you’re more worried about “Jimmy and if he’s got a weapon” than “Mr. Roberts English exam” there “might” be an issue.

Private schools here are an option if you can or you are willing to pay an average of 17k USD to 20kUSD (491,022 TWD -577,673 TWD) per year. Which is kinda steep for primary education.

Re: Water. Good to know I’m slightly paranoid. :slight_smile: Makes sense. I suppose after a few bouts of “travelers pants” my family and my system should “adjust” to the environment. I know when I was traveling in Italy there were a few interesting days. lol The drinking water is most definitely filtered, I’ll just have to get over the washing fruit part. (Sorry it’s on my mind because my little girl LOVES her fresh fruit. I must wash and cut up 2 lbs a day of it currently. )

I asked my husband this morning what part of Taichung the house is in and he said “near NOVA” on 民權路 If that helps further describe the area we will be living in.

Taichung isn’t the worst place in Taiwan, but it’s far from being as well organized and developed as Taipei and Kaohsiung. Taichung is stuck with crony mayor who pretends to be all about quality of life, arts and culture, yet shuts down every live music venue in town in response to a deadly fire at a local pub. It’s a city where the attraction has mainly been towards real estate investment on the false promise of eventually improving infrastructure and public facilities. Even though Mayor Hu claims he’s all bout protecting green spaces and his so-called LOHAS horseshit, he’s had no problem selling off important land space used as a paying public parking (next to Costco) for development. If Taichung City is to be anything like Taipei or even Kaohsiung, it will no sooner than 10 to 15 years down the road…

There is a growing group of Westerners with kids in Taichung (including myself) so you should have lots of support, if you need it. I really enjoy the sunny, but not as hot as the south, weather we have most of the year. Drinking water isn’t a problem as most homes either have filtered water or water cooler machines installed.

I second the recommendation that you take courses at one of the four universities in the city that teach Chinese. It’s a 2-3 hour per day commitment, but it should get you up to speed quickly. Alternately there are several online programs (see my signature) available that also help.

NOVA is quite central - there’s a huge park system right there, and it’s walking distance to the science museum. There are also several festivals held in that area throughout the year, as well as an upscale shopping center, so you won’t run out of things to do.

Regarding schooling, one major difference between western and Taiwanese education systems is that there is very little creative problem solving taught in Taiwan. Most of the testing is standardized with only one right answer, to make it easy to grade. Most students spend evenings and weekends at cram schools that help prepare them for different examinations, leaving very little time for play time or creative arts. I’d encourage you to find ways to introduce balance into your children’s lives.

Adam- That’s great to know, about the support.

Now about schooling, I assume there are “private” “westernized” schools there too? Like Montessori type schools? If not, how is home schooling looked upon?

Um, about that fruit washing thing. Ya’ll do know that your fruit was probably grown extremely close to a factory or a highway, right? I don’t really think worrying about which water to use to wash them off with is your biggest problem. :ponder:

Not like it should stop you from eating fruit here or anything. My figs are grown in a greenhouse smack dab in the middle of an industrial park. You just kind of get over stuff like that living here. We’re all going to die of cancer from plasticines (sp.) anyway. :discodance:

You’ll be in good company if you’re a SAHM in Taichung. Like Adam says, there is a good number of expat families.

[quote=“NickLane”]I’m moving to Taichung next month to teach English with Shane (at the ‘Taichung 10 Branch’, whatever that means).
Is the public transport really that bad/is there definite need for a scooter/car?[/quote]
They are in the process of building an MRT system, but it’ll be years before it has wide reach. You can get a used scooter for about $10-15K NT($350-$500 USD). Most parts of the city are accessible within 15-20 mins by scooter.

Indeed there are. I’ve seen kindergartens that focus on music and arts as well. There is at least one American school here that starts off at Grade 1, although fees can be pricey. Home schooling is also an option - I can refer you to a western couple here who are huge proponents of it for their two kids.

[quote=“Adam_CLO”][quote=“NickLane”]I’m moving to Taichung next month to teach English with Shane (at the ‘Taichung 10 Branch’, whatever that means).
Is the public transport really that bad/is there definite need for a scooter/car?[/quote]
They are in the process of building an MRT system, but it’ll be years before it has wide reach. You can get a used scooter for about $10-15K NT($350-$500 USD). Most parts of the city are accessible within 15-20 mins by scooter.[/quote]

Re Travelling with children: For someone with children I would strongly advise on choosing a car over a scooter. Although I realise Taiwan is fairly densely populated, I have walked or driven past the scene of a car accident at least every second day for the time I have been here so far.

Re using the bus: I forgot to mention earlier, my main issue with the bus system is at certian places where there is only one bus route going down the road, if you miss a bus, sometimes there can be a 20 minute wait. In these cases you need to get familiar with the bus timetable. I am not one to complain about it as the bus service here in Taizhong is much better than what it is back home in Australia.

Taxis are quite cheap here, compared to other parts of the world (minimum fare $75 NT / under $3 USD). Regarding buses, some of the stops have timers based on GPS locations to show when the next bus is coming. Those are nice where available.

[quote=“llary”]
Admit it buddy, you’re wrong.[/quote]

Don’t push it, I’ve already done my best to present a balanced view of Taichung AND I’ve magnanimously back-pedaled (to a degree) on the parks issue. :slight_smile:

[quote=“Kittee”]Wow! Thank you everyone for your kind and thoughtful responses! :bravo:

Those parks look amazing and so do the childrens museums etc!! Since I’ll likely be a SAHM at least for awhile when living there, I’ll have plenty of time to travel and visit those places. My daughter is almost 2 for those of you who asked and we are expecting her sister the end of August, so by the time we actually move they should be around 4 and 2.

[/quote]

Our boy is almost 3 and we have another one on the way, I’m sure my wife would be happy to show you around in return for some English lessons :slight_smile:

Will you have a car here (or at least access to one)? Public transport is okay but I don’t think I would want to drag two kids around on buses in any city. If you have a car then you’re pretty close (15 mins) to the freeway which opens up all the really fun outdoors stuff for kids.

I have never doubted our decision to live in Taichung for second since we had kids, it doesn’t have some of the (well, any) trendy nightspots like Taipei but there is so much stuff for children to do you could take them somewhere new every weekend and still have places to see after a year.

Well we got you covered on fruit, it’s not really that cheap but extremely tasty.

Damn, that is a SUPER nice part of Taichung, in fact we have been looking to move there in the future. There is a nice grassy area where they show dogs for adoption at weekends and a new department store with a mix of western and Asian restaurants. Depending on how far you are from Nova you will be within walking distance of the science museum, Sogo and a whole bunch of restaurants. (Nova is a huge computer/electronics retail complex btw).

The Nova area is great because it’s kind of an overspill of the people who want a more western lifestyle but can’t afford to live in the 7th development zone. So it has nice parks, walkways etc. but it’s not so insanely expensive that 7-11s or small restaurants can’t afford to open there.

I lived there for 2 years, here are my views:

Negatives:

  1. the air quality is so bad that i got terrible migraines and had trouble breathing the entire time is was there, only when moving to Taipei did it go away…

2)its a weird town, half abandoned and dead, has a eerie feeling at night that me and my wife didnt like.

  1. whores/ktvs, thats what its famous for, if you drive dont get frightened if a man on a scooter taps on your window, hes only trying to sell you women… so not so great for familys.

Positives:

  1. people are much friendlier than Taipei.

  2. new build flats are cheap to rent and plentiful

  3. hardly any speed cameras and police, if you drive in Taipei you will appreciate this alot!.

All in all i rate Tainan over Taichung, slightly better air, more shops and variety of things, just as good weather and even nicer people.
To be honest now with my experience of living here for 4+ years, Taichung would be the last place i move to over anywhere else, i have 2 kids so factor that into my opinion :wink:

I have the opposite problem.

Maybe you were living in the wrong place because the only areas I would come close to calling eerie at night are the Taichung station area/old central district, industrial park and port. The area where OP will be living is pretty much open for business 24/7. When Nova shuts down at 9pm they pull out a bunch of carts and sell food until 2am.

Again I have no idea about the areas you frequent but I lived here a lot longer than 2 years and it’s the first time I even heard of someone being solicited at random. Really, you should know better than to scare people with stuff like this because it’s not common at all. Taichung is a very safe place unless you are hanging out around bars or KTVs.

Tainan is awesome, but I wouldn’t consider living there unless I was retired.

[quote=“NickLane”]I’m moving to Taichung next month to teach English with Shane (at the ‘Taichung 10 Branch’, whatever that means).
Is the public transport really that bad/is there definite need for a scooter/car?[/quote]

A few years ago I would say that public transport is awful but they have made a big push to get people on buses and now many routes are free as long as you have a card pass. If I am taking the boy out at weekends to somewhere central like the art or science museum I just take the bus now, less hassle than driving and he enjoys the ride.

It all depends on where you’re living, the popular routes are quite well serviced but Taichung is quite sprawling compared to Taipei so many places are poorly served.

LLARY:

dude you are the most pro-taichung person i have ever met, way too overboard with the praise for that place.
The air quality in Taichung is famous and my health improved 20X since moving away from the place.
I lived in the south and north and drove/rode all over the city all the time, i have a very good idea what the palce is like.

I advise the op to form an opinion from all the posts not just the praise from this guy!.

[quote=“smellybumlove”]
I advise the op to form an opinion from all the posts not just the praise from this guy!.[/quote]
YES! ME! Really, OP, Shalu is your ONLY option for clean, unfettered country living still within easy reach of the city. Trust me on this.

If I listened to the majority of people on this forum I would never have given Taichung a chance… I came here with some trepidation and eventually realized that most of the warnings and complaints were overblown rants. In fact if I listened to the majority of people on this forum I would have written the whole island off as a giant toxic waste dump full of hicks and gangsters.

When someone has already planned to come here, why not give them a positive outlook instead of telling them that hookers are going to hassle their kids. That is just a shitty thing to do IMO when someone is scared about moving to a new country.

Maybe the OP will love Taichung, maybe she will hate it - in the meantime we can give her some information about fun places to go and make up her own mind.