Nantun District, in the southwest of the city, holds two very different pieces of Taichung's past. Out toward the high speed rail station is Rainbow Village, the military dependents' housing that a retired soldier saved from demolition by painting it. Closer in is Nantun Old Street, a Qing-dynasty market street with a Mazu temple at its heart. They are not next to each other, so treat them as two short stops.
- MRT G Green Line: Nantun Station (113) for the old street, about 1 km away
- Taxi Taxi to Rainbow Village from HSR Taichung Station (119) or Nantun Station
- How long an hour at each
Rainbow Village: what happened, and what to expect now
Rainbow Village (彩虹眷村) began in September 2008, when Huang Yung-fu (黃永阜), a retired soldier living in the village, started painting its walls as the city planned to clear the area. His paintings drew visitors, more than 3,000 people signed in support within two days, the city changed its plans, and the village became one of Taichung's best-known sights.
Recent years have been harder, and it is worth knowing before you go:
- July 2022. As its contract to run the village ended, workers from the company that had operated it painted over parts of Huang's murals, just before the city closed the village for structural reinforcement. The city sued; the criminal case ended in acquittals, but in July 2026 an appeals court ordered the company to pay the city NT$857,142 in a final civil ruling.
- 2023. The village reopened, with volunteers painting new murals over the damaged walls.
- January 2024. Huang Yung-fu died. The village is now looked after by the city government, which said in late 2024 that it would repaint worn murals in the style of the originals.
So the village you see today is smaller than its fame suggests, and parts of it are restorations rather than Huang's own hand. It is still a cheerful, colorful stop, and still listed by the city's tourism site, at Lane 56, Chun'an Road, Nantun District. → Our full Rainbow Village guide
Getting there: there is no MRT station close by. The easiest way is a taxi from HSR Taichung Station (119), about 3 km away, or from Nantun Station (113). → Taxis and ride-hailing
Nantun Old Street and Wanhe Temple
Nantun Old Street (南屯老街), on Section 2 of Nantun Road, is the old Litoudian Street (犁頭店街), the "street of coulter stores". Settlers gathered here in the Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty, and the trade in coulters (plow blades) and farm tools made it a market for the farming country around it. Along the street are buildings between 50 and 200-odd years old, including Yingtian Hall, Chiushih Hall and Yongcheng Grocery, a shop of more than a hundred years.
At its heart is Wanhe Temple (萬和宮), a Mazu temple that the city counts among Taichung's oldest, along with an old Earth God (Fude) temple. → Taichung's temples
Getting there: take the Green Line to Nantun Station (113), then walk about 1 km west, or take a short taxi ride.
Good to know: Rainbow Village is small, so pair it with something else on the same side of town rather than making a special trip. It is close to the high speed rail station, which makes it an easy stop on your way in or out of Taichung.
→ All neighborhoods · Xitun · The HSR station · The MRT
Sources
Rainbow Village's origins and address: Taichung City Government tourism site. The 2022 painting-over: Taipei Times, August 1, 2022. Reopening with new murals: TaiwanPlus, June 2, 2023. Huang Yung-fu's death: Liberty Times, January 2024. City management and repainting: PTS News, November 14, 2024. The 2026 civil ruling: UDN, July 21, 2026. Nantun Old Street and Wanhe Temple: Taichung City Government tourism site. Station names and codes: Taichung Metro station information. Distances measured on the map. Checked October 2026.