Taichung Old Distillery Cultural Park-a great place to take a leisurely stroll🐢

My first time living the ultimate P-P itinerary, I simply opened a map and randomly picked a spot to visit. After getting off Taichung Train Station, it was about a ten-minute walk to the Ministry of Culture's Cultural Heritage Park (formerly the Taichung Distillery).
Since I had no idea where to go, I went to the visitor center to ask. The guide was incredibly nice and meticulously explained all the current exhibitions, their general content, and even explained the route and architectural features along the way. Perfect score!

We spent about 1.5 hours walking around the park, thoroughly reviewing all the key points the guide had mentioned!

The interior of the cultural park is very similar to Huashan in Taipei, with the same chimneys and cultural and creative products. However, the guide explained that the difference is that the old Taichung Distillery is owned by the city government, while Huashan in Taipei is privately operated. This may have contributed to the difference in visitor numbers. However, because this is managed by the city government, all five exhibition halls were free to visit! Every staff member was extremely friendly and helpful! When we encountered an interactive machine we didn't know how to use, they proactively identified the problem and told us how to fix it!

Overall: If you're looking for a place near the station and don't want to go to Miyahara Eye Clinic or take a long bus ride, and just want to walk around and explore, then this is highly recommended. The exhibition schedule is irregular, so maybe the exhibits will have been completely renovated by the time you visit!

Location Information:
1. Location
• Address: No. 362, Section 3, Fuxing Road, South District, Taichung City
• Land area: Approximately 5.4-6.4 hectares (sources vary)
• Tel: (04) 2229-3079
2. Opening Hours
• Park (outdoor): 06:00–22:00 daily
• Exhibition Hall (indoor): Usually 09:00–17:00, may be extended to 18:00 in summer/holidays
• Admission: Free admission
3. Transportation
• Bus: "Taichung Winery" stop (Routes: 33, 37, 60, 82 extension, 100, 101, 105, etc.)
• Driving: Take National Highway 1 or National Highway 3 and then turn to the city road to reach the park
• Approximately a 12-minute walk from the rear station of Taichung Railway Station.

4. Management Unit
• Currently owned and operated by the Bureau of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture.

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II. History
1. Origins during the Japanese Colonial Period
• The park's buildings were originally built in 1916 as a distillery for the Taisho Shuji Co., Ltd.
• In 1922, after Japan implemented its alcohol monopoly, the distillery was taken over by the government.
• It later became one of the largest distilleries in Taiwan at the time.
2. Postwar Changes
• After Taiwan's liberation in 1945, the distillery was taken over by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Monopoly Bureau.
• In 1957, it was renamed the Taiwan Provincial Tobacco and Liquor Monopoly Bureau Taichung Distillery (Fifth Distillery).
• The distillery continued to operate until 1998, when it was relocated due to urban planning and pollution issues.
3. Cultural Asset Revitalization
• In July 2002, the Taichung City Government registered 16 buildings in the park as historical structures.
• Subsequently, the Ministry of Culture (then the Cultural Construction Committee) included it in its creative industry development plan, making it one of the five major creative cultural parks.
• In 2018, the park was renamed the "Ministry of Culture Cultural Asset Park."