Caffe Bene

With branches in Cingjing and Jiji, the original Cartoon King in Taichung City is now quite an institution. A themed restaurant located inside the Carton King Creativity Park in Taichung City, the furnishings, decorations and crockery are all made of corrugated cardboard!

Prepare to sit yourself on cardboard chairs at your cardboard tables and eat your meal from cardboard bowls. And if you’re worried that sitting on the cardboard furniture may not be safe, ask for a demonstration from the 100kg chef, who is often pulled out from behind the scenes with a waitress perched on his lap to demonstrate the sturdiness of the cardboard designs.

The food may not be fantastic, and it can be a little pricey, but this whacky place is worth a visit anyway. Rest assured, everything else may be made of cardboard - but at least the food isn’t! After your meal, stroll around the garden outside, where a windmill, sheep and even the Eiffel Tower attract visitors. We like the Maple Tree best, with its beautiful autumnal paper leaves. You can continue your stroll after lunch to other attractions within easy walking distance, such as Dakeng Trails and Dongdong Taro Balls (東東芋圓).

The island of Taiwan was created by the continuous collision between the Eurasian plate, Filipino plate, and the Pacific plate helping from the side. Such immense forces create earthquakes in Taiwan all year round. In the 20th century, there were several big earthquakes between the 1930s to 1960s, but none of them were as powerful as that of September 21st, 1999. The 7.3 Richter scale 921 Earthquake released a demolition force with an energy equivalent to 50 of the Hiroshima nuclear bombs, creating a 105 kilometers long fault line on the island, and causing 2415 deaths. The epicenter was in Jiji, Nantou. The surrounding villages and townships suffered serious damage.

After the recovery from the earthquakes, the government decided to build a museum documenting all the damage to the site. The National Science Museum in Taichung was responsible for the project and quite an effort to preserve the rubble and transform it into a museum exhibition for the purpose of education. The location was a high school on top of the fault where half of the buildings were completely destroyed. Even today, you can see the playground was lifted by meters. All classrooms were collapsed and you can see the steel bars in concrete. But don’t be worried walking inside, the whole structure was fastened by steel frames in order to preserve the moment of the demolition. There is also an earthquake simulator room worth visiting. After sitting inside a room decorated as a living room, the five-minute program starts. There are several violent vibrations for almost 40 seconds, allowing you to feel what its like at the very moment of the 921 Earthquake. Trust us, we feel pretty much the same at that time. All in all, this is a museum well worth visiting no matter whether you already have an idea about what a serious earthquake is like or not. This museum will definitely leaves a deep impression on you.

The central Taiwan is home to numerous major flower markets in Taichung and Miaoli, where not only flowers are being sold but also flower exhibitions can be appreciated all year round. Located in the Houli District of Taichung, Chungshe Tourism Flower Market covers a vast area of six hectares with landscapes that change throughout the four seasons. No matter what time of the year, a feast for the eyes will always be guaranteed at Chungshe Tourism Flower Market.

In this breathtaking garden that has a zesty European flair, you will be amazed by myriads of flowers from tulips, sunflowers to lavender and cosmos flowers. To make sure your visit is an educational one, all the flowers here are identified with signs which provide visitors with information about their names and functions. Besides admiring these breathtaking flowers, kids could also enjoy themselves at the playground, and even barbecue is also available here. All you need to do is show up and work the grill or your plate. At Chungshe Tourism Flower Market, family fun is literally around every corner.

The CMP Block Museum of Arts (勤美術館) is currently under construction.

When you hear ""art museum,"" the immediate image that comes to mind is a modern and stylish building. However, the CMP Block Museum of Arts (勤美術館) aims to break the boundaries of art in space, becoming Taiwan's first cultural and creative block. It removes the traditional concept of a venue and instead offers 2500 square meters of open space to showcase various aesthetics.

The outdoor area includes the Calligraphy Greenway, which features two major creative areas: the Sundial Ranch and the Invisible Cabin, where installation art pieces are displayed periodically. Surrounding this area are many unique shops, forming a local art block that allows people to easily experience the beauty of art.

Banana New Paradise (香蕉新樂園) is a restaurant that offers nostalgic Taiwanese cuisine and proudly proclaims itself as the ""first retro dining establishment in Taiwan."" Every corner is adorned with various early Taiwanese household items and exhibits on the cultural history of life in Taiwan, creating an atmosphere that fully captures the nostalgia of the past.

A meal at Banana New Paradise (香蕉新樂園) is like taking a trip back to the 1950s and 1960s, experiencing the old-fashioned lifestyle of Taiwan. The restaurant offers a variety of dining options, including set meals, table dishes, and hot stir-fries, making it a perfect venue for hosting birthday banquets, wedding banquets, and other celebratory events in its retro and lively environment. For foreign visitors, dining here offers an opportunity to savor authentic Taiwanese home-cooked dishes such as dried scallop rice, deep-fried taro cubes, guabao, Hakka stir-fry, shiitake mushroom chicken soup, and three-cup chicken.

During special times, there are live folk singers performing, providing not only a feast for the eyes and taste buds but also an auditory treat, making it well worth a visit.

Although there are many excellent cafes and themed restaurants in Taichung, none quite compare to Banana New Paradise (香蕉新樂園). It's one of the most remarkable teahouses in Taichung, bringing to life a recreated street from 1920 to 1940 Taiwan, complete with Qing dynasty and colonial-era storefronts, original antiques, and collectible items. The street features a 50-year-old taxi, a camera store, a dentist's office, a barber shop, a candy store, and a movie theater. The walls are adorned with old posters documenting past concerns, such as contraception, electrical safety, and anti-communist sentiments.

In addition to its unique ambiance, Banana New Paradise (香蕉新樂園) also serves as a restaurant. Visitors can dine at tables along the street or inside shops, enjoying affordable Taiwanese meals in an authentically Taiwanese setting. The menu, delightfully, is presented in the style of an elementary school book. Noteworthy dishes include the boneless chicken in oil and sauce and the pineapple prawn balls. Visitors can also step outside the restaurant to board an old train and take pictures of its interior, providing a further glimpse into the past. A visit to Banana New Paradise (香蕉新樂園) offers a trip down memory lane and the opportunity to indulge in delicious Taiwanese cuisine.

Asia University is a young and vibrant university established in year 2001. They follow the famous three things required for a university by the late modern German philosopher, Karl Jasper: professional training, education of the whole man, and research. Under this guidance, the board of the university spent lots of efforts on the design of buildings and arrangement of sculptures all around the campus. The Baroque style buildings and rose gardens attract many newly weds here to take pre-wedding photos and there are many advertisements being shot here, especially car ones. They also promote international learning environment, so you will see a campus with a diversity of nationalities of students.

In 2013, in order to promote aesthetic research, the board invited the renowned Japanese architect, Mr. Tadao Ando, to build Asia Museum of Modern Art. It is open to all visitors, only not on Mondays. They hold several exhibitions all year round and the entrance fee is reasonable. If you are a big fan of modern art, this is a good place for you to go to.