Scenic spot type: Theme street

Address: Huamei West Street, Downtown Taichung City

Best time to visit: All year round

Staying time: 2-3 hours

Special features: Around 300 years ago, Taichung City was not cultivated at all. Two kinds of Pingpu people lived here. The first one is Babuza in Maowushushe near current Ling Tung University in Nantun and the other is Pazeh in Anlidashe close to current Anli Elementary School by Fengyuan Intersection. Nantun District is the place that was first developed in Taichung City. At the late Ming Dynasty, Koxinga’s subordinate, Liu Guoxuang, deployed his troops here to defend aborigines. Development was not really made. Between around 1705 and 1708, subordinates Liu Yuanyi and Huang Pengjue of General Zhang Guo in Zhulou County started development near current Nantun Elementary School. It resulted in more and more Han people. Ploughs were required to cultivate lands. Therefore, Nantun was also known as Plough Shop. Cultivation required ploughs and oxen. During one rice session, five jias (4.85 hectares) of lands could be cultivated. It required 7 ploughs and 7 oxen for 35 jias (33.95 hectares) of lands. This was how the name is originated—Chizhangli (7 ploughs). Back then, in addition to naming places with li (plough), Han people lived in grass huts. Some places were named Liao (hut). To grow wheat, the place is called Mailiao (wheat hut) in Yunlin. The place where troops were stationed was called Jungongliao. Other examples include Junliao and Cailiao. Other names like Wangtian, Guangtian and Liuying were named after earlier cultivation by Han people or stationed troops. Due to cultivation by Han people, Pingpu people in Maowushushe were isolated. They moved to places near current Ling Tung University. There are now two neighborhoods—Chunshe Neighborhood and Chunan Neighboorhood (known as Fanzaishijiao before). Places where Pingpu people used to live were called she. The entrance/exit was called shetou. There are shekous in Taichung County and Fenyuang Town, Changhua County. If citizens moved away, the place was called jioushe (old she) and the new place was called shinshe (new she). Fanzaijin was the well that Pingpu people in Maowushushe dug to get water. It is on No. 1, Lane 206 Yongchun S. Road. Yuangmei Shrine is the ancestral shrine that Liu Yiyan, descendant of Liu Yiuanmei, brother of Liu Yuanyi, built in 1815 when he passed jinshi exam for memory of their ancestors to Taiwan. Mayuantou River was named after cultivation of Mayuan by earlier dwellers.