Politics

Local Politics

Unlike Taipei in the north, which is solidly in the Pan-Blue (pro-unification) political camp, and the southern cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan that are solidly Pan-Green (pro-independence), Taichung is far more balanced, with the urban city center area leaning Blue and the suburban and rural areas leaning Green. In fact, each of the two major political parties has won a mayoral election among the last three with at least 49 percent of the vote (Democratic Progressive Party in 1997 and the Kuomintang in 2001 and 2005.) Similarly, the Kuomintang majority in the City Council is not as large as it is in other cities, and is only negligible when one excludes Beitun District, which is solidly pro-Kuomintang. As a result of the relative moderate stand of the city residents, political upheaval and violence are far rarer in Taichung than in other large cities of the country.

Government Taichung City Council building Taichung City Government

Taichung City’s executive branch is headed by mayor Jason Hu of the Kuomintang. Mayor Hu won re-election in December 2005 with more than fifty-eight percent of the vote. This makes him the first candidate to achieve more than fifty percent of the vote in the Democratic Era of Taiwan, and represents an improvement of more than nine percent over his 2001 showing despite the fact that he was one of four candidates (as opposed to there being only three in 2001.) The 1997 election was won by Chang Wen-Ying of the Democratic Progressive Party Taichung’s legislative branch is a unicameral 46-member City Council. Each member is elected from one of six multiple member districts where each voter has only one vote. Thus, none of the elected council members has anywhere close to a majority of votes in their electoral district.

Council member breakdown by electoral district

Electoral District Municipal Districts City Council Seats One Central(中區) and West(西區) Six Two North(北區) Seven Three East(東區) and South(南區) Eight Four Xitun(西屯區) Eight Five Nantun(南屯區) Six Six Beitun(北屯區) Ten Special Plains Aborigines One

Council member breakdown by political party

Political Party Alliance Affiliation Elected Councilmembers Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Pan-Blue 24 Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Pan-Green 17 People's First Party (PFP) Pan-Blue 2 Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Pan-Green 1 Independents None 2 Districts Map of Taichung Xinshe Tanzi Shigang Shengang Houli Heping Fengyuan Dongshi Daya Wuqi Waipu Shalu Qingshui Longjing Dajia Dadu Da'an Xitun Wuri Wufeng West Taiping South North Nantun East Dali Central Beitun Yilan County Miaoli County Nantou County Hualien County Hsinchu County Changhua County Name Hanzi Population (2010) Area (km2) West District 西區 117,645 5.7042 Central District 中區 22,935 0.8803 East District 東區 73,839 9.2855 North District 北區 147,779 6.9376 South District 南區 113,109 6.8101 Beitun District 北屯區 245,817 62.7034 Nantun District 南屯區 152,811 31.2578 Xitun District 西屯區 205,408 39.8467 Dali District 大里區 197,460 28.8758 Fengyuan District 豐原區 165,457 41.1845 Taiping District 太平區 172,865 120.7473 Dajia District 大甲區 78,503 58.5192 Dongshi District 東勢區 53,313 117.4065 Qingshui District 清水區 85,580 64.1709 Shalu District 沙鹿區 81,470 40.4604 Wuqi District 梧棲區 55,198 18.4063 Da'an District 大安區 20,292 27.4045 Dadu District 大肚區 55,745 37.0024 Daya District 大雅區 89,715 32.4109 Heping District 和平區 10,730 1037.8192 Houli District 后里區 54,286 58.9439 Longjing District 龍井區 74,064 38.0377 Shengang District 神岡區 63,761 35.0445 Shigang District 石岡區 16,012 18.2105 Tanzi District 潭子區 100,181 25.8497 Waipu District 外埔區 32,052 42.4099 Wufeng District 霧峰區 63,864 98.0779 Wuri District 烏日區 68,654 43.4032 Xinshe District 新社區 25,618 68.8874 Beitun District (北屯區): Geographically, this is the largest district in the city, spreading from the north to the northeastern-most reaches of the city. It includes the comparatively rural area of Dakeng. It also includes the Taichung Folklore Park and Morrison Academy. Central District (中區): This is the smallest and most densely populated district in the city. It is home to the Taichung Train Station, Taichung Park, and a large number of traditional businesses in the downtown area. This district is home to the original suncake shop on Ziyou Road (自由路) and is where most of Taichung's major businesses used to be located. East District (東區): Literally on the other side of the tracks from the main part of the downtown area. The Taichung Central Department Store is located here. Nantun District (南屯區): Occupies the southwestern-most portions of the city. There is still considerable farmland in this area, but since the High Speed Rail has opened in the adjacent Wuri District there is a growing number of residents. Currently, Nantun is most well known for high property values and expensive, luxurious cottages, which have in turn attracted many large department stores into adjacent areas of Xitun District. North District (北區): Nestled between Central and Beitun Districts, it is home to the National Taichung First Senior High School and Yizhong Street (一中街), one of the best known shopping belt in the city. It is also home to the National Museum of Natural Science, Chungyou Department Store, and Zhongshan Hall. Xitun District (西屯區): This district spreads out to the western edge of the city and is home to Feng Chia and Tunghai Universities. It is also the location of many of the new, fashionable shopping areas in the city and is the area of greatest growth. The Taichung Industrial Park, World Trade Center, and the Chaoma Bus Station, a major embarkation point from the city. Major department stores include Idee, Shinkong Mitsukoshi, and Tiger City. The new City Hall is located near the eastern edge of this district on the major Taichung Port (Taizhonggang) Road. South District (南區): Occupying the southernmost part of the city, it is home to National Chung Hsing University and the Taichung Industrial High School. West District (西區): West District is home to the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts as well as the Municipal Cultural Center. A lot of cultural activities were held here. This area is also known for its restaurants, which have attracted many people come with their reputation for exotic cuisine. Taichung's old City Hall is here, as is National Taichung University. Sogo Department store is in the northern part of the district.