Taichung

Taichung or T'ai-chung (both: tĪˈjōngˈ) [key], city (1994 pop. 853,221), W central Taiwan. Situated in an area where rice, sugarcane, and bananas are grown, Taichung is a distribution and processing center for these crops. The city has textile, machine-building, food-processing, and chemical industries, and was named an export-processing zone after the construction of a new port west of the city. A noted educational and cultural center, it is the home of the Chinese National Central Museum and Tunghai Univ. A fine park and several scenic spots are in the city. The city was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1999.

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