Explore Calligraphy Greenway, a Playground for Art & Design in Taichung, Taiwan

I was confused by this place at first. On the surface, it looks like any other park you’d find in a big city but it’s more than that.

I went on a blogger trip to Taichung in October 2017 and one of the places they took us to was Calligraphy Greenway. When I googled it before my trip, I thought we’d be visiting restaurants in the area because as pretty as the park looked, it didn’t seem to be anything more than a manicured lawn with trees on either side. But as it turns out, Calligraphy Greenway is like art central in Taichung. It’s a green urban space dedicated to arts and culture in the city.

If you like the arts and enjoy spending time at museums, then a day exploring Calligraphy Greenway is a must. Here’s what you can find there.

What is Calligraphy Greenway?

Calligraphy Greenway is a 3.6 kilometer long, 6.5 hectare green open space stretching from the National Museum of Natural Science in the north to the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in the south. It’s a pleasant tree-lined area on either side of which is a plethora of shops, restaurants, and cafes.

Located in the heart of Taichung, Calligraphy Greenway is the arts and cultural center of the city. It’s a collective hub of creativity where you can enjoy exhibits and performances, visit museums, and explore artsy neighborhoods with pockets of interesting shops and boutiques.

How Do I Get to Calligraphy Greenway?

Calligraphy Greenway is located in central Taichung. There’s no metro system in Taichung so the easiest way to get there is by Uber or taxi. If you’d prefer to take the bus, then I suggest downloading the Google Maps app (iOS | Android). It’ll tell you how to get to Calligraphy Greenway from wherever you are. Once you get there, you can easily walk to all the places listed below.

Some of the places mentioned in this guide are a bit hard to find, so I’ve pinned them all on a location map to show you where they are in relation to one another. You can easily visit all these places in one day so to help you plan your itinerary, I’ve listed them below by location starting from south to north. I suggest starting from the southern end of Calligraphy Greenway and making your way up north.

National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

Located at the southernmost end of Calligraphy Greenway is the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. It’s a big museum with four floors of exhibit space to go through so you can easily spend a couple of hours here. Best of all, admission is free.

When we visited in March 2018, the entire first floor and garden were dedicated to the gigantic sculptures, wood carvings, and paintings of Taiwanese artist A-Sun Wu. Many of his sculptures and wood carvings were massive. As you can see below, some were even taller than the building.

The museum is modern and very well-maintained, which is why I was surprised to learn that admission is free. As described, the entire first floor during the time of our visit was dedicated to the work of A-Sun Wu. I was amazed by his extensive body of work which spanned many different types of media. This man was incredibly prolific.

Cool spiral staircase

When we were there, on the second floor were interactive digital exhibits while the third floor galleries featured more traditional art like paintings and sketches. The digital exhibits were the most fun and my favorite part of the museum.

National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

Address: No. 2, Section 1, Wuquan West Road, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 403
Tel: +886 4 2372 3552
Website: ntmofa.gov.tw
Facebook: ntmofa
Operating Hours: 9AM-5PM, Tues-Fri / 9AM-6PM, Sat-Sun (closed Mondays)
Admission: FREE
Email: [email protected]
How to Get There: The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts is at the southernmost end of Calligraphy Greenway. As advised, I suggest starting here and working your way north.

Audit Village

This place was cool and something I probably never would have found on my own. Located a couple blocks west of Calligraphy Greenway, Audit Village was one of the places we visited on that blogger trip I mentioned at the top of this post. It’s basically a small compound of artist studios, workshops, and cafes housed in an old dormitory block once used by Japanese provincial government staff.

Like the rest of the neighborhoods surrounding Calligraphy Greenway, Audit Village is teeming with character.

Be sure to go upstairs and explore the second floor as well.

It was fairly empty when we went but it gets pretty busy during the weekends when markets are held throughout the space.

Fun gelato shop

Audit Village

Address: Alley 2, Lane 368, Minsheng Rd, Taichung 40358, Taiwan
Facebook: AuditVillageTaichung
How to Get There: From the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, walk north on Section 1, Meicun Road. Make a right on Minsheng Road and the entrance to Audit Village will be on your left.

Fantasy Story

Like Audit Village, Fantasy Story is another example of the hidden pockets of coolness just waiting to be discovered around Calligraphy Greenway.

On that same blogger trip, we were taken to the Fantasy Story on Zhongxing 1st Lane but as it turns out, it’s spread out over three streets. Most of the shops are divided between Zhongxing 1st Lane and Lane 117, Meicun Rd, Section 1, but a handful of shops can also be found on Xiangshang North Rd.

Fantasy Story is an eclectic mix of shops, restaurants, and boutiques. These pictures are from Zhongxing 1st Lane but Fantasy Story’s main cluster of shops is on Lane 117, Meicun Road, in a disused former water facility that’s been repurposed into a hip commercial space.

Comprised of two floors, here you’ll find an interesting mix of shops like umbrella design stores, perfumeries, camphor wood studios, and leather workshops.

This shop with the sawed off Mini Cooper was selling all sorts of vintage American memorabilia.

This one was selling funky lightbulbs and other expensive-looking handcrafted items.

Fantasy Story

Address: Lane 117, Section 1, Meicun Road, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 403 (Meicun) / Zhongxing 1st Lane, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 403 (Zhongxing)
Tel: +886 4 2305 0519
Website: fantasystory.com.tw
Facebook: fantasystory
Operating Hours: 10AM-11:30PM, daily
Email: [email protected]
How to Get There: From Audit Village, walk north on Zhongxing Street. The alley into Fantasy Story Zhongxing will be on your left. Fantasy Story Meicun Road is north of Fantasy Story Zhongxing. Just walk straight on Zhongxing Street and turn left into Lane 117, Section 1, Meicun Road.

Book Store Forbeginners

I thought I’d throw this in here just to show you all the quirky shops you can find around Calligraphy Greenway. We were walking around the neighborhood when we chanced upon this charming book shop called Book Store Forbeginners. We didn’t go in so I don’t know if they have any books in English, but these murals make for a fun Instagram backdrop.

Book Store Forbeginners

Address: No.129, Xiangshang N Rd, Zhongxing Vil., West Dist, Taichung 403, Taiwan
Tel: +886 983 388 052
Website: bookstoreforbeginners.blogspot.tw
Facebook: bookstoreforbeginners
Operating Hours: 12NN-10PM, daily
Email: [email protected]
How to Get There: Book Store Forbeginners is around the corner from Fantasy Story Zhongxing. It’s on the corner of Zhongxing Street and Xiangshang North Road.

Arthas Menethil Statue

If you’re a fan of Warcraft, then this statue needs no introduction. This giant 14 foot bronze statue of Lich King Arthas Menethil weighs a staggering 4,000 pounds. The cape alone weighs a thousand pounds!

Designed by Taiwanese artist Steve Wang, it took more than thirty people and nine months to complete this statue that was built to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Blizzard Entertainment. I’m not familiar with the game but fan or not, this statue is pretty badass.

Arthas Menethil Statue

Address: No. 100, Xiangshang North Road, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 403
Tel: +886 4 2305 0215
Operating Hours: 24 hrs
How to Get There: From Book Store Forbeginners, walk east on Xiangshang North Road towards Calligraphy Greenway. The statue will be on your right.

Caowu Square

If you like shopping for unique artsy items, then you’re going to love this place. Located around the middle of Calligraphy Greenway, Caowu Square is a retail space showcasing products created mostly by Taichung-based designers.

There are plenty of interesting and unique products on sale at Caowu Square so you can easily spend a good hour just going through all the items.

If I remember correctly, about 90% of the products sold here are created by Taichung-based designers. I love it when establishments support local.

Cute line of wooden products

There are a few restaurants and cafes here as well, including this segway rental shop. You can take them out for a spin around Calligraphy Greenway if you wish.

Caowu Square

Address: No. 534, Yingcai Road, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 403
Tel: +886 4 2302 1232
Website: youcaowu.com
Operating Hours: 10AM-10PM, daily
Admission: FREE
How to Get There: Caowu Square is about two blocks north of the Arthas Menethil Statue.

CMP Block Museum of Arts

CMP Block Museum of Arts is an art space north of Caowu Square, behind Park Lane by CMP shopping mall. Branded as a “living museum”, it’s basically an al fresco gallery space featuring interactive art exhibits.

CMP Block Museum of Arts

Address: No. 71, Guanqian Road, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 404
Tel: +886 80 026 6155
Website: cmpblockmuseum.tw
Facebook: cmpblockmuseum
Operating Hours: 2-7:30PM, Wed-Sun
Admission: FREE
How to Get There: From Caowu Square, walk north past Gongyi Road. CMP Block Museum of Arts occupies the lawn behind Park Lane by CMP.

National Museum of Natural Science

We didn’t go but if you’re traveling with kids or enjoy science museums, then you may want to visit this one. Located at the northernmost end of Calligraphy Greenway, the National Museum of Natural Science is a large complex covering 22 acres of exhibit space.

National Museum of Natural Science

Address: No.1, Guanqian Rd., North Dist., Taichung City 404, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Tel: +886 4 2322 6940
YouTube: NMNSTW
Operating Hours: 9AM-5PM, Tue-Sun (closed Mondays)
Admission: FREE for Science Center
How to Get There: The National Museum of Natural Science is located at the northernmost end of Calligraphy Greenway.

Thanks for reading and have fun exploring the artsy Calligraphy Greenway neighborhood in Taichung!

For travel tips to Taichung, check out our First-Timer’s Travel Guide to Taichung, Taiwan.

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