Uncovering Surprises in the Urban Jungle: Taichung Launches Its "Urban Amusement Park"

▲ On the 29th, the Taichung City Department of Economic Development gathered 12 characteristic industrial tourist factories to launch the concept of an “urban amusement park.” (Photo / Provided by the Taichung City Department of Economic Development)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

To help visitors better immerse themselves in local culture and discover more of Taichung’s charm, the Taichung City Department of Economic Development invited 12 of the city’s most representative tourist factories to collaborate on the 29th. Through this partnership with local industries, Taichung is being transformed into an “urban amusement park” where the public can play and experience a variety of unique local industries within this large-scale attraction.

Yesterday, 12 renowned experiential learning destinations, including those certified by the Ministry of Economic Affairs as tourist factories—such as the Taiwan Balloon Museum, Shoe Treasure Tourist Factory, Bao Bear Fishing Fun Museum, and Taiwan Miso Brewing Culture Museum—as well as local famous bakeries like A Tsung-Shih, Lin Jinsheng Hsiang, Yuan Ming Bakery, Swedish National Treasure, and Sun Tang Old Shop, along with the creative and fun Old Tree Root Magic Wood Workshop, and the leisurely tasting spots like Cargo Yuan Jia Select Coffee Specialty Store and OK Mart Coffee Farm, gathered together to support the “Urban Amusement Park” event.

▲ % The image shows the interior of a store in Taichung’s urban amusement park (top image), where products from the other 11 participating merchants are also displayed (bottom image). (Photo / Sourced fromLin Jinsheng Hsiang’s fan page)

Wang Tan Sheng, Director of the Taichung City Department of Economic Development, stated that Taichung boasts many distinctive customs, artistic creativity, and innovative dining options not found in other cities. In recent years, more and more businesses have integrated their unique styles with their industries, using the format of tourist factories to attract the public to learn about Taichung’s local specialties through various interactive experiences while having fun.

Take Lin Jinsheng Hsiang Bakery, for example, which has been in business for 147 years and is located on the old street in Nantun District. The bakery itself is a piece of architectural history. Not only does it preserve a historic building constructed with materials from a century ago, but visitors can also make the flagship “Number One Scholar Cake” of the century-old shop by hand. The shop even takes guests to visit nearby historic stores, offering introductions to the area’s history, or they can bring their freshly made scholar cakes to worship at the Wenchang Temple. Through play-based learning, visitors can uncover more of Taichung’s unique cultural charm.