A spur line once brought trains to the centre of Taitung. That line was decommissioned in 2001 and has since been turned into an excellent cycle path. The old station building now hosts an information centre, exhibition room, bus station and graphic design gallery. The area all around has been gentrified into a park-like cultural space with a range of enticing bars and eateries.
Come summer, the area transforms into a craft market and hosts music concerts at the Tiehua Music Village. Beneath a mosaic, blue-wave roof, a four-storey container box 'mall' puts the Shoreditch version, Boxpark, well and truly in the shade.