All about Baoding in Taichung

Wide streets, a clean look, and orderly chess-like city planning—that would likely have been the impression of anyone visiting Taichung at the time. In January 1900, with Taiwan under the full control of the Japanese government, it was announced that Taichung (Taichū) would undergo an improvement project. This laid the foundation for it becoming a modernized city. Even today, the influence of this project can be seen and felt in Taichung, especially in the size of parks, places for leisure, and the size of educational institutions. At the time, the Japanese primarily resided and shops were concentrated in the city center, including Luchuanding (now Luchuan West Street), Rongding (now Jiguang Street), Dazhengding (now Ziyou Road), Baoding (now Shifu Road), Jinding (now Pingdeng Street), Xinfuding (now Sanmin Road). The street scenes of these places were on part with streets in America and Europe at the time. Most of the important government institutions, such as the Taichū Prefecture offices, city hall, post office, the residence of officials and so forth were mostly centralized in Takaracho and the surrounding area.