Chiayi Chinatrust Hotel

Homework Day

by kenmerk

Heed caution on homework day... Large packs of diligent and determined young Taiwanese English students roam the streets of Chiayi looking for unsuspecting foreigners to help them with their English Homework assignments...

Bears near Ali Mountain in Chia-i County

by eric_ives

In the past decade there have been a few bear sightings in eastern Chiayi County. As you go up the mountain highway toward the AliShan resort area consider stopping in towns such as Stone Table to look around and ask about bears and other wildlife. The people hanging out in the tea shops might tell you stories about deer and bears.
This photograph shows an unfortunate Chiayi County bear along the highway in Shr-Dzoa in January of 1998.

Chiayi City

by eric_ives

"My Time In Chiayi"

I arrived in Chiayi early in July of 1990. I worked as an English Teacher there at the Oxford Language school, then located at the traffic circle at Chun-Shan Road and Wen-Hwah Road, above the New Taiwan Bakery (also no longer there). I lived in Chiayi until February of 1992, when I moved to TaiChung. I've been back to Chiayi in 1994, 1998, 2000, and 2003.

When in Chiayi I have lived in four different places. My wife grew up across from Chiayi Park on Chi-Min Road, and during my returns to Chiayi I've stayed there with my mother-in-law.

Chiayi was a great place to live, and I love to return there for visits. The people are, in general, friendly and helpful. The social workers and community activists in town seem dedicated and optimistic. There is a relaxed atmosphere compared to the big city life I experienced in TaiChung or TaiPei.

Chiayi, although not a suitable tourist destination in itself, is a fine place to spend a day on your way somewhere else if you happen to be passing through. Like TaiNan, it seems many of the Taiwanese customs are preserved. In Chiayi the temple celebrations are well observed, and people take the Seventh Lunar Month (Ghost month) seriously.