I've been meaning to visit the Taiwan Connection 1908 for a while. It's also known locally as the Taichung Green Corridor, but don't ask me why it has two names. Anyway, this is an urban walkway regenerated in 2021 from a disused railway track.
An urban regeneration walkway
The green corridor is 1.6km long and forms part of a 21km pedestrian and cyclist route in the wider Taichung city. It was created when a new railway station was built in the city centre, and new elevated tracks replaced the old tracks.
The 1908 year is significant in Taiwan railway history. It's the year when the entire 400km railtrack along the western side of Taiwan was completed taking the country to the next level of modernisation. Now part of the original track in Taichung is replaced by the new, it's only fitting to use it to record history from the past century.
Corridors from the past
The first thing visitors will notice is the new elevated railway track overhead. It's parallel to the old track, and you'll hear the train rumbling along as it's about to pull into the station.
Every now and then, visitors will come across a steel corridor installation that commemorates a part of Taichung history. This one is about the traditional markets, an integral part of daily life before supermarkets.
This one is about literature, and the building shown is the Central Bookstore. It was the largest bookstore in Taiwan when it opened in 1927, nearly a decade ago.
And this section is a tribute to a local artist, with the Le Meridian Hotel in the background. The Le Meridian is one of the few 5 star hotels in the city.
An alternative perspective of new and old
Although the new railtrack is elevated above the old track, the old track was also elevated from road level. As I walked along the walkway, it was very interesting to see the city from a different perspective that was not possible before. As I walk ahead, I could see how one part of the city has been regenerated, creating a calm and peaceful urban park amongst the bustling city.
And to my left and right, the rest of the city still keeps to it's original character. The mix of small alleys between buildings, the busy roads that form part of the road network, and one of the four streams meandering around the city. It looks like they have frozen in time.
The end of the era
There's a signpost towards the end of the walkway, pointing left, right and center towards different places in the city. I've been to quite a few of them.
And finally, I get to the end of this section. It's lined by cages of stones. I can't be certain, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're from the old railway track. That's what I would do if I was part of the regeneration project.
This walkway wasn't here when I was last in town. The old station had closed and the new, bigger more modernised station was already in use. Now the disused track has also been transformed creating another popular urban park for locals and visitors. Highly recommend if you're ever in town.
Postcard Experiment
My postcard experiment will close this Sunday. If you would like to receive a free postcard please check out this post for all the information.
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