Taichung Park is the oldest park in the city, laid out by the Japanese in 1903 around a small lake. The signature image is the twin-pavilion lakeside structure (Hu Xin Ting), built in 1908 to mark the opening of the north-south railway, with curved roofs over a small bridge across the water.
The park is in the centre of the old city, walkable from the station in about fifteen minutes. Pedalos on the lake, banyan trees, and a steady population of older locals practising tai chi in the early morning.