ed. 2026/5/10
Once again, pure clickbait — but I genuinely love Taichung. It is both the most modern city and the most decayed one. And I love it for exactly that.
(Modern architecture, as Taichung likes to present itself)
Taichung is home to Taiwan’s most famous truly haunted building (or ghost house, the Chien-Yueh Building, 千越大樓). This ugliness—or beauty, which is really a philosophical question—lies just two minutes from the main railway station. After all, the building has even made it into the Taiwan Cultural Memory Bank.
Originally operating as the Chien-Yueh Department Store, it once housed Taichung’s first ice-skating rink and featured a UFO-shaped revolving restaurant on the rooftop. Other floors included a disco dance hall, KTV, and MTV facilities. After suffering a series of fires and falling into disuse, the building has recently been revitalized with the arrival of art groups, turning it into a popular spot for photography and social media check-ins.
It consists of several wings that are connected on the upper floors. The many Z-shaped staircases and courtyards create a beautiful sight.
The roof is a distinctive feature that catches the eye from afar.
The site of the Chien-Yueh Building was originally an ice factory, which was demolished in 1973. After reconstruction was completed in 1979, it was named the Green River Commercial Building. Initially, the Chien-Yueh Building served as a large shopping mall with a revolving restaurant on the rooftop. It was repeatedly plagued by fires, which also damaged the façade and, with it, the building’s reputation. For a long time, it was a hotspot for urban explorers. Local businesses then revived their ghost stories because of the numerous deaths and suicides—there is still plenty to be found online. Things eventually went a bit too far, and the owners’ association sealed off access, also because the building failed safety inspections. Some young people tried their hand at graffiti, often going beyond mere stupid “tags.” For a while, you could pay an entrance fee of 100 NTD through remaining residents; today, the place is more secure than German banks.
Bad luck for me, I am too late. Whenever I thought I had found an entrance, it turned out to be nothing. There are more cameras and security barriers here than a street dog has fleas. The ugliness refused to grant me its virginity.
So we assigned this task to Mr. X, who succeeds almost every time. There is little left inside. Everything has rotted and has that typical acrid smell. Some of the apartments in the interior must have been very dark.
https://www.ettoday.net/news/20211129/2134701.htm
https://chatgpt.com/c/697a99f4-2fec-8321-af5d-ad4828f40b76https://www.agriharvest.tw/archives/31868/
The building is currently considered structurally unsafe, so it was sealed off on the orders of the fire department. However, it appears that the lower floors are increasingly being used again.
Around train station
But this is not the only kind of beauty in Taichung. The area around the railway station is a jewel of ugliness. You can try, for example, an old parking lot.
Or the ruin across the street.
Or the one opposite the main entrance.
(No way into that beauty)
There are, however, other kinds of beauty—such as this one on Ziyou Street. It seems to have been under renovation for quite some time, and entry is easily possible through a side entrance. Being there alone at night is rather eerie.
Most of the floors are sealed, a few exceptions.
I visited it again later. During the daytime, it’s not as terrifying as at night when drunk.
It used to be a large department store spanning several floors, as this picture shows.
Actually, a very open entrance, next norning:
