Taiwan cram school transformed into cultural creative hostel with a 12-bed “girl squad dorm”!

▲The “Shinshengqiao Travel Inn,” close to the Green River and the well-known ice cream store Miyahara Eye Clinic, merges commerce with cultural creativity in hopes of reviving Taichung’s history. (Photo/Screen capture fromShinshengqiao Cultural Travel Facebook, same below)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Located adjacent to Taichung’s Green River and the popular ice cream shop Miyahara Eye Clinic, the“Shinshengqiao Travel Inn”is a newly opened hotel in June 2016. The operators transformed a former abandoned cram school into a cultural creative inn, combining business and cultural creativity. “We hope to find new possibilities in the memories of the old era.” The 7-story building features 30 suites, along with one 12-bed“girl squad dorm” that welcomes young travelers to stay together,with regular rates as low as NT$600 per night (including breakfast).

▲The “girl squad dorm” created by the operators feels like a cozy girls’ dormitory, with nightly rates as low as NT$600 (including breakfast).

The name Shinshengqiao Travel Inn is derived from the former name of the Green River’s Zhongshan Bridge during the Japanese colonial period. It was jointly founded by husband-and-wife team Chu Shih-hui and Nie Xueyong along with friends. The average age of the founders is only 35, making it a rare young creative team. They hope every traveler can experience a Taiwan full of human warmth, and also wish that the century-old Shinshengqiao and Green River—once known as “Little Kyoto”—can “usher in the arrival of the next century of prosperity!”

The hotel's breakfast is also very unique, featuring Taichung’s local specialty — gua bao (steamed sandwich), which is provided by a standing eatery “Shengqiao Gua Bao” located at the corner on the first floor of the hotel. The young owner of the gua bao shop started his business thanks to the Shinshengqiao Travel Inn’s support for youth entrepreneurship, which rented out the space to allow young people to run their own shop, conveniently also supplying delicious breakfasts for the guests.

Shinshengqiao Cultural Travel
Address: No. 26, Zhongshan Road, Central District, Taichung City
Phone: 04-2221-1888
Note: Female-exclusive dorm beds available (breakfast not included); parking available at the nearby Asean Plaza.