Pink Triceratops, Open-Air KTV Challenging Your Courage — 7 Must-Visit Highlights in Taichung This Summer

▲ The Golden Stage will host a Sound Freedom Day on August 12.

Reported and photographed by Chen Hanyin / Taichung

The Taichung Caotun Boulevard combines art and greenery, making it a popular weekend leisure spot for young people. Every summer, it connects institutions such as the Chi Mu Art Museum, Eslite Spectrum Cianjhen, Golden Park, and the Caotun Boulevard community to launch the Green Circle event, which is now in its 5th edition. This year’s theme is music and sound, immersing the entire Caotun Boulevard area in a symphonic summer melody. Let’s take a look at the must-see and must-do highlights.

1. Pink Triceratops
Eslite Spectrum Cianjhen Address: No. 68, Gōngyì Rd., West District, Taichung City

▲ The Pink Triceratops is built life-size, true to scale.

This year’s Green Circle includes 2 exhibitions, 6 major sound installations, 50 performances and workshops, 70 art creators and performance groups, and as many as 390 artworks on display, injecting a wealth of aesthetic energy into the community. The first stop is Eslite Spectrum Cianjhen, where even the exterior has plenty of highlights. The pink triceratops is super eye-catching, created in a 1:1 scale with real archaeological fossils. To complement the green wall of Eslite Spectrum Cianjhen, pink was chosen as the highlight color, and this girly-looking dinosaur makes passersby stop and take a second look.

2. The Appliance Laboratory
Eslite Spectrum Cianjhen Address: No. 68, Gōngyì Rd., West District, Taichung City

▲ The oversized master tape deck turns into a DJ stage at night.

The oversized master tape deck is located at the side entrance of Eslite Spectrum Cianjhen. Aside from its eye-catching design, it’s also interactive — visitors can press large buttons to create different life soundtracks against the backdrop of bustling city noise. Every Saturday night, the Appliance Laboratory transforms into a DJ stage, featuring DJs like Chen Han and indie female vocalist NiNi, bringing a fresh soundscape to Taichung. Visitors can sway to the music on summer nights.

3. Forest of Dreams
Eslite Spectrum Cianjhen Address: No. 68, Gōngyì Rd., West District, Taichung City (B2)

▲ The super cute dream-animal graffiti is perfect for photos.

Step into a forest where foxes have owl wings and rabbits have butterfly wings — a dreamlike scene awaits on the B1 floor of Eslite Spectrum Cianjhen. Created collaboratively by five artists, it crafts the most beautiful midsummer dream. The installation art “Forest of Dreams” looks like a giant musical cardboard box, covered in fantastical creatures. The whimsical patterns and detailed brushwork are breathtaking. Inside, it feels like stepping into a kaleidoscope, with 360-degree mirrors reflecting your most childlike self.

▲ A crib installation that echoes the dream theme.

▲ The psychedelic lighting and setting feel like a dream.

4. Student Art Shop
Eslite Spectrum Cianjhen Address: No. 68, Gōngyì Rd., West District, Taichung City (B2)

▲ The Student Art Shop’s stylish art gallery.

Not sure where to go for fun on the weekend? Check out free exhibitions. Outstanding student artwork from across Taiwan is displayed here. With the concept of making art accessible, prices range from NT$600 to NT$80,000, making it affordable for art enthusiasts to own pieces they love and giving student talent a platform to shine. No artist names or prices are labeled; instead, works are introduced by numbers, allowing a direct emotional connection to the art itself and returning to the purest intuition of art.

▲ Most paintings inside are around NT$3,000 on average, making them collectible for the general public.

5. This Isn’t Music Class
Chi Mu Art Museum Address: No. 71, Guǎnqián Rd., West District, Taichung City

▲ Open-air music classes are in session.

How many years has it been since you left the school, classroom, or playground — places once part of your everyday life? The Chi Mu Art Museum takes everyone back to the music class days of their youth. Built on the site of a former elementary school, the small houses have been transformed into music classrooms this summer, teaching kids various music theories and sound knowledge. Each unique installation is very photogenic, such as the giant ears and mouths that make for great photo ops.

▲ Microphones on the ears can transmit sound to the other end.

▲ A familiar infirmary scene.

6. Hotspot KTV
Address of the Museum of Momentum: No. 71, Guanqian Road, West District, Taichung City

▲ The open-air KTV at Hotspot allows free singing to your heart’s content.

The Museum of Momentum has always been a great weekend relaxation spot for young people, and this summer vacation, it has created an open-air KTV for students to enjoy free “relaxation.” Hotspot KTV lets visitors sing from day to night for free, and even more fun is the fact that the organizers have created various interesting real-life singing scenes—like the bathroom, classroom, kitchen, and bus—for everyone to let go of their inhibitions and enjoy singing.

▲ Even tone-deaf singers can pose with fun signs like “I’m the Singing God.”

▲ The bathroom scene is the most familiar singing environment.

7. Golden Classic Little Jade Watermelon (
Address of Golden 101 Green Park: No. 1049, Jianxing Road, West District, Taichung City

▲ The watermelon installation is cool and adorable.

Another must-visit photo spot is at Golden 101 Green Park mall, where the entire building is immersed in the magic of Little Jade Watermelons. Bright and refreshing yellow watermelons cover the walls, and the cutest part is that each “watermelon seed character” makes a sound when pressed, with its quirky design bringing delightful surprises to visitors. The staircase is also designed as slices of yellow watermelon, which are refreshing just to look at.

▲ Pressing a watermelon seed button makes it talk.

A highlight during the exhibition period is August 12th, Freedom of Sound Day, where five major venues will feature themed sound experiences. Zhuōwùdào (Grass & Tree Path) will turn into a “Sound Island,” with instrument experience zones for percussion, ukulele, keyboard, and more, plus a lively music market. Bands like Won Fu, Wen Xia & Wen Xiang, teacher Yang Xiuqing, Taiwan Smile Ballad Group, and local community members will perform a romantic summer serenade for Taichung on the Golden Stage.

"2017 Green Circle – Freedom of Sound"
Event dates: Now until September 4