Zhongqu, the Central District, is the old downtown of Taichung — the area around the original Japanese-era railway station and the colonial grid behind it. It was the city's commercial heart until the 1980s, when business shifted west to the new districts. The Central District has spent two decades slowly emptying and is now finally starting to recover.
The neighbourhood holds Miyahara, the Taichung Park, the Confucius Temple, the original Daily Market, and a strip of cheap and excellent old-style restaurants between the station and the park. It is the most walkable historic district in the city; allow at least half a day.