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Sightseeing and Attractions

Changhua Country

HOW TO GET THERE
 

Changhua is known as "the granary of Taiwan." Surrounded by mountains to the north, south, and east, the city faces the Taiwan Straits to the west. The area enjoys a mild climate with adepuate rain to make it an excellent agricultural base. Changhua's flower and shrub industry is particularly well-developed. During the Ching dynasty (1644-1911)immigrants from Fukien province first settled around Changhua.


NATIONAL SCENIC AREA

• Tri-Mountion National Scenic Area
  Historical Background Central Taiwan is perfect for tourism due to its advantages in scenery, culture and transportation. Tsan Shan Tourist District covers the Shi Tou Mountain, the Li Moutain and the Pa Kua Mountain, with a total area of 1,200 hectares. With the clear objectives of local, educational, ecological and sustainable tourism, the government has made great efforts in the development of Tsan Shan Tourist District. Cultural Highlights The Li Mountain breeds a great variety of birds and butterflies. From June to September, various butterflies can be found in the mountain. In addition, the local Tai Ya Tribe presents their delicate hand-made textile products. A great variety of birds and butterflies can also be found in the Pa Kua Mountain. The special geography here is also worth visiting.
   

FOREST PLEASURE GROUND

• Tianjhong Forest Park
  Historical Background : Tianjhong Forest Park is located in the east of Tianjhong Town. The park has dense forests and the tour track stretches along the mountain, overlooking the Changhua Plain and the Taiwan Strait. The track is 3 kilometers long and it takes about 2 hours to finish the track. With an altitude of 325 meters, Tzao Chueh Pavilion is on the track, overlooking the Tzuoshuei River and the Taiwan Strait.
  Cultural Highlights : Tianjhong Forest Park used to be private property and was donated to be a public park. Besides the forests, it also has tables, chairs, amusement facilities and some sports equipment. The forests is suitable for hiking and has perfect mountainous scenery.
   

GENERAL

• Changhua
  Changhua is known as "the granary of Taiwan." Surrounded by mountains to the north, south, and east, the city faces the Taiwan Straits to the west. The area enjoys a mild climate with adepuate rain to make it an excellent agricultural base. Changhua's flower and shrub industry is particularly well-developed. During the Ching dynasty (1644-1911)immigrants from Fukien province first settled around Changhua.
   

• Changhua Buddha Statue
  An impressive statue of the Buddha sits on a hillside park overlooking the small city of Changhua, roughly 18 kilometers southwest of Taichung. Visitors can view the nearby area through the eyes of the 86-foot-high hollow statue.
   

• Civil Shrine/ Martial Temple
  This structure serves the functions of temple, shrine, and school in a combination rarely seen elsewhere in Taiwan--a combination of education and religious worship. The Civil Shrine once housed Lugang's first literary group.
   

• Dadu River Estuary
  The Dadu River Estuary is the best bird watching site on the west coast of Taiwan. Bird watching is quite different here because of the migratory birds crossing the Pacific Ocean. The other factor that affects bird watching is the tides .
   

• Dafo Scenic Area
  Historical Background : Big Buddha Parkland locates in Pa Kua Mountain in Changhua. It is tight to Changhua downtown. Black body Sakya Big Buddha statue is the special landmark and spirit representation of Changhua city. From Pa Kua Mountain going through the Big Buddha archway, walking along till the end of the way, there is Big Buddha sitting up straight in the wide place. Pa Kua Mountains Big Buddha is built in 1961. The whole body is curved with the ferroconcrete sculpture. From the lotus seat to the Buddhas whole body, the length is about 7.2 foot; the shoulder length is about 13 foot, and the length of the across chest is 44 foot. It was called the biggest Buddha in Asia in early years. Big Buddha is not only to supply visitors to join visiting, but also an important athletic place for the people in Changhua at usual. The aroma joining the Buddha footway of green view, it is a beautiful place that you can imagine. And the Lung pond rebuilds in front the big statue of Buddha. It is classic and beautiful especially overlook the streets of Changhua City at the corridor in front of the pond. There is a water dancing show in Lung pond at night. It provides a great new view for the visitors.
  Cultural Highlights : There are six sections divided in the inner part of the statue. The lowest part is the Buddhist sanctuary. The second to the fifth floor are all about Buddha lifetime marks. Gradually step up the stairs; right against to your face is the 32 Buddhist contributions contributed by the believers at two sides of corridor. It was named umerous statues Every floors design exhibits the lifetime of the Big Buddha. This is the place that Changhua County Government and the local scholar desiring established a temple with the Changhua Countys landmark and the representation of the spirit. Furthermore can supply the dwellers the psychical hopes, and also bring up the movement of the local tour development. Because the government of Changhua County is trying to re-built the whole area. There are combination of Buddhist footway, delicately pleasance area, clocking geyser fair show area, tour service center, restaurants, souvenir monopoly shop, multimedia audio-visual room, community culture exhibition and showing room and so on, providing the visitors more abundance service. Around the Big Buddha visiting area, there is a man-size static park layout. The finishing re-build part also includes natural biome garden area, athletic garden area, and visitor service center. All these make the Parkland more diversifying.
   

• Elaborate Temples
  Just past Changhua, midway down Taiwan's western coast, is the village of Lugang, one of Taiwan's most important historical and cultural towns. Lugang (Deer Harbor) was named for the large herds of deer which once roamed the area.
   

• Lugang
  Lugang is situated on the west-central coast of Taiwan, at the edge of the coastal plain. Although once a harbor, severe silting of the sea and the Lugang River have left it some distance from the shore.
  The climate is temperate to tropical; summers are hot with occasional thunderstorms, the spring and fall have moderate temperatures, and winters are cool. From September to the following March strong northeasterly monsoons blow in large amounts of sand and dust, forming what is known locally as the "September winds."
  
  Traditional Architecture
  The most fascinating aspect of Lugang is a number of ancient streets and lanes lined with old houses. The most unique of these are deep, narrow-fronted buildings that serve as stores and residences; this type of sky-lighted structure, however, can be seen today only at the Yuan Chang Shop on Chungshan Road, along Old Market Street, and at the Lugang Folk Arts Museum. Others, the half-old, the half-new shop residences along Chungshan road are products of the Japanese occupation period (1895-1945), when the front rooms of the buildings were dismantled because of a road-widening project and the modern arch-type facades were added. The old temples of Lugang, too, are veritable collections of art and masterpieces of architecture. They are well worth careful observation. Handicraft Shops on Chungshan Road carve palanquins for the gods. You can see how the chairs that transport the deities on their processions are made with meticulous woodworking techniques and carving skills. Shops that produce the religious images themselves continue to practice carving in the traditional Chuanchou style of Fuchien province. Makers of traditional wooden furniture still use the materials and exquisite handwork of former times to turn out sacrificial offering tables and other items. Other handicrafts produced on this street include fans, incense, tin sculptures, and ornamental lanterns, among other things. Old Market Street: This street is made up of the curved, red-tiled lanes of today's Putou, Yaolin, and Tayu streets. Both sides of the streets are lined with newly renovated old-style shop buildings that feature intensely interesting internal room layouts and old-style exteriors. Here you can feel some of the atmosphere of old Lugng.
   

• Lugang's Longshan Temple
  Lugang is one of the important historical towns in Taiwan. It is the town for well preserved historical cites, old houses, old temples and fork arts. Longshan Temple is called "the Forbidden City in Taiwan". It is the best among the 8 great scenes of Lugang. Longshan Temple in Lugang was originally a small temple in Lugang. Later it was remodeled by local residents to be the current larger scale. The temple was beautifully designed. It is seated facing the west with the back to the east. The layout is square. The main building consists of four strata and three gardens. The format and design are inspired by Longshan Temple in Chuanchow of Taiwan. In the old days, there were 99 doors. The carving is magnificent in terms of the structure and the ornament. There is fine colorful painting. It has the reputation of being "the Treasure of China Architectural Art". The buildings are worthy of detailed observation. At the front gate, there is a pair of dragon poles made of granite. There are the ascending dragon and the descending dragon corresponding to each other. The design is simple and powerful and they are excellent art works. At the end of front hall, there is a theater stage for traditional plays at festivals. There is an octagon well within the theater stage. Its colorful painting and the good technique reflect superb art works. In the past, the houses around Longshan Temple could not be higher than the temple. The buildings in Longshan Temple are getting higher and higher. It means ascending . There are many historical artifacts in the temple. For example, there is an old bell from Ching Dynasty. It was made in Ninpo of Chekiang Province in China. It is the largest bronze bell in Taiwan. There is also a Guanshihyin Budda made of copper. The complexity of Longshan Temple in Lugang is amazing and the buildings in the temple are marvelous and rarely seen in Taiwan.
   

• Lugang's Tienho Temple
  One of the oldest temples in Taiwan to Matzu, the temple you see today is the result of a renovation in 1936, a Taoist divinity venerated as Goddess of the Sea and Empress of Heaven, is situated at Lugang. Matzu's birthday is March 23rd of the lunar year.
   

• Remembrance Hall
  The round window of Remembrance Hall is made of tiles in patterns of calabash gourds and ancient Chinese coins, symbolizing good fortune and wealth. Unusual window designs are a common sight in the lanes and alleys of Lugang.
   

• Songboling Forest Park
  Historical Background : Songboling Forest Park has an altitude of 500 meters and is famous for the production of tealeaves and Taoist Sho Tien Temple. Sho Tien Temple was established in the 18th century and it is an important Taoist temple in Taiwan. Songboling is famous for its high quality tealeaves and has the highest production in Taiwan. The tea here was named ongevity Tea by late president Chiang Ching Kuo.
  Cultural Highlights : Near Sho Tien Temple, there is a tourism service center, providing tourism information in Songboling. Sho Tien Temple has four stories and it overlooks the Tsing Shui River and Tzo Shui River. One tour track leads to Tien Chung and has two pavilions for visitors to rest. Tea lovers can never miss Songboling Forest Park.
   

• Taiwan Folk Village
  This open air museum is a collection of traditional buildings spanning 300 years of Taiwan history, where visitors can see traditional crafts such as incense, paper, rice wine, soy sauce, and quilt making.
   

• The Lugang Folk Arts Museum
  The Lugang Folk Arts Museum houses a fascinating collection of Ming and Ching dynasty artifacts : vintage photos, lacquerware, porcelain, carved stone, embroidery, musical instruments, and other items. The building is an odd blend of Asian and Western architecture.
   

• Yongjing Highway Garden
  The Yongjing Highway Garden, which straddle Tianwei and Yongjing Townships, run along Provincial Route No.1. The Garden have a large number of flowers and shrubs. The main attraction is the artificial light along the route at night to force chrysanthemums to bloom early. As soon as night falls hundreds of bulbs come alight. The flower season is from December to February.
   

HERITAGE / TEMPLE

• Baotzang Temple
  Historical Background : Baotzang Temple was built in the Ching Dynasty in Fenyuan. The temple was rebuilt in 1971. It is one of the 2 most famous temples in Central Taiwan. The other temple is Lung Shan Temple in Lugang. Baotzang Temple is now designated as a third grade historic building. There are several historic objects still preserved in the temple and there are nearly 100 statues of gods. The painting on the walls is very delicate and there is a magnificent view from the temple.
  Cultural Highlights : After several reconstructions, today the temple presents refined sculptures and traditional Chinese architectural style. However, the new stone sculptures from China have spoiled the antique atmosphere in the temple. One of the most important historic objects is the board hanging above the main chamber. In 1995, the temple built a parking lot, a tour track and public washrooms, enabling the temple to attract more visitors and to provide better tourist service.
   

• Tienho Temple, Lugang
  Historical Background : Lugang Tienho Temple is the one of the three major historic sites in Lugang. It lies on Jhongshan Road, Lugang. In the Ching Dynasty, general Shi Lang built the first temple of Goddess of Sea in Taiwan. The statue in the alter was imported from Mei Chou, China. There are over 1 million worshipers coming here every year. With the smoke of the incense, the statues face has turned black, so the Goddess is also called black-faced Goddess.
  Cultural Highlights : Lugang Tienho Temple is sublime and solemn and has elegant murals and paintings. In front of the temple is the dragon pond in a small garden. In the back of the temple, there is a culture museum of Goddess of Sea, introducing the history the Goddess and the role of the Goddess in the society. The historic materials preserved here are valuable, such as the board inscribed by a Ching emperor and officials, photos of the Mei Chou Temple, and so forth.

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