Living in Chiayi

Cultural Experience

Community Service

Food

Get to know Alishan

Alishan National Scenic Area includes Fanlau, Zhuqu, Meishan and Alishan. The traffic network of these four counties spread throughout the area like the veins of a tree leaf. Travelers shuttle around the area, and are amazed by the forest greenery, stunning sunrise and beautiful clouds. Tea tasting at beautiful tea gardens and visiting Tsou indigenous tribe are some of the must-not-miss recreation activities.

Sunrise, sunset, sea of clouds

Layers of fog veil a vibrant sunrise among a sea of clouds at dawn, and leave an impressionable travel memory to many visitors. What do you picture when you think of Alishan? In fact, among the Five Wonders of Alishan, the extraordinary changes in the sky account for three of them - sunrise, sunset and sea of clouds. How can you miss such iconic, beautiful scenery in Alishan!

Tsou Tribal Village

You may visit tribal villages and experience Indigenous culture

The Tsou (Cou) people settled southwest of Yushan Mountain in central Taiwan, with Alishan Township in Chiayi County as the center. According to the Tsou legend, after creating the Tsou and Maya peoples with the maple leaf, the Great God Hamo created the plain peoples with the leaf of the bishop wood (Bischofia javanica). Then, the Tsou people gradually migrated to the present location, distributing in the upstream Zhengwen River drainage basin and Zhuoshui River drainage basin in Alishan (Psoseongana) Mountain in Chiayi County.

Annual Tsou ceremonies are related to millet growth and harvest. The Homeyaya (Millet Harvest Festival) is held after the harvest every year. In addition, Tfuya and Tapang communities hold the Mayasvi (Triumph Festival, also called the War Ritual) in the middle of the year to pay their respects to history and pray for success and unity in future wars.

Chiayi City Alumni

I highly recommend the Chiayi City site to other grantees. Chiayi City is a small city where it's easy to get to know your community, and to become a part of that community. The cohort is just the right size, and our coordinators are so supportive and helpful! Despite it being a small city, there is always a lot to do, and Chiayi is very centrally located in Taiwan so it's really easy to travel to the mountains, the beach, and other cities. There are a variety of different schools with priorities such as international education, SDGs, visual arts, music, or sports. You may even get the chance to work alongside other foreign teachers at your school. I love going to other places over the weekends, but in the end I am always so happy to return to Chiayi City!

From Saraswati Vadnais 2025.01.01

I would definitely recommend Chiayi City as a site to other grantees! The city is not too big, so it's never overwhelming or intimidating, and it's also not too small - we've explored so many different areas/things in Chiayi and yet there's still so much that we haven't seen! Chiayi's location in Taiwan is convenient for traveling, the surrounding areas and even many spots in the city are beautiful, and there are lots of parks, cafes, and other places to rest and enjoy Taiwan and the wonderful people here.

                                                                        From Lucas Simmons 2025.01.06

I would recommend Chiayi City to other grantees because it is a good sized city, easy to get well-acquainted with it and get around without needing a scooter. It is also cheaper than the bigger cities, and the people here are quite nice. I love the schools, especially mine, in Chiayi City very much! It is also situated in a good spot in Taiwan, easy to get to cities like Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung within two hours on local trains and it has access to HSR. I don't recommend Chiayi City to people looking for a more rural experience or for people who are not comfortable riding a bike, as there are many parts of the city that aren't very walkable but are definitely bike-able. Overall, I think Chiayi City is a great placement!

                                                                        From Masha Morozov 2025.01.08

I think Chiayi City has a great quality of life and accessibility to do most things anyone would want to do (great food, exercise, bars, cafes etc.). However, I think because all of our schools have FETs in them, the amount of teaching and engagement we have may be less than students at other sites. 

                                                                        From Annie Wang 2025.01.13

I would recommend Chiayi City to other grantees because it is the perfect mix of a city and rural area. You are located nearby other grantees, there are a lot of stores and other things to do in the city. There are often little festivals happening or pop-up performances on weekends, so I often hear live music or there are small business stands to shop from. The location is also great for travel. Located near the middle of Taiwan, going to Taichung or Taipei in the north or Kaohsiung in the south are all easily accessible. Or if you are a nature lover, it is easy to go to Alishan or Nantou is not too far either! The other townships in Chiayi can also be a fun day trip! There are always opportunity to explore more of the nearby or surrounding vicinity.

                                                                        From Nathan Klassen 2025.01.13

There's a lot of reasons why I would recommend Chiayi City to other grantees. I think the size and location of the city is perfect and convenient. I think that overall there is a lot to do and it is not overwhelming. 

                                                                            From Ian Reinke 2025.01.13

Great mid size walkable city for comfortable life while well placed in the middle of Taiwan and as a base for Alishan!

From Emily Pommier  2025.01.13

Chiayi County Alumni

The vibes of Chiayi County are the perfect middle ground between city living and the countryside. We have close access to beautiful scenery, the HSR, and lots of urban coffee shops. I would recommend Chiayi County to grantees who want to split their time between more rural and urban environments and anyone who appreciates being within close range of their fellow cohort members. I think one of the biggest advantages of Chiayi County is that almost everyone is relatively close distance-wise. I would also say most of the schools in the county tend to be a little bit on the small side, which allows you to connect with students and the community more. I would say I have definitely been able to experience authentic Taiwanese culture while here in Chiayi, as most of the locals will try and speak to you in Chinese and only switch to English if they see you are struggling, which has allowed me to be more immersed in my new environment.

From Megan Starses

I feel like things that fit the vibes of Chiayi County, work for all sites. General good vibes, patience, consideration for others, willingness to compromise. You have to be open to new things and generally adaptable. Chiayi County is both city and nature, but not as much nature as maybe Hualien and not as urban as Taipei/Tainan/Taichung/Kaohsiung. BUT I would argue it is the best site and combination of it all. I do say that whatever ETA/ETF that comes should be okay with not being in a huge urban city, because that's not Chiayi is. I'd say it's a very cozy place. One reason that I would recommend for the incoming grantees is that Chiayi County is huge and it was very unexpected how much variety there is. I was surprised by how much there is to try and explore; there are various little niche towns and things to visit and explore. There are a lot of beautiful places to visit with their own niche specialties. 

Chiayi County will definitely broaden what you know about Taiwanese culture/foods!

From Tiffany Chen

Chiayi County is a site that I think has very wide appeal because it allows grantees to experience the best of both city and rural environments. There are also lots of comforts for Americans, familiar brands ,and restaurants while also enabling people to try new things and embrace local habits. I found it very easy to adapt for all of these reasons.

From Eric Fager

Chiayi County, especially Taibao, is a bit more rural and small town vibes. I like that Taibao House is near the HSR and that Chiayi is in the central west coast, as I've been able to make many weekend trips. I think the people are kind, and I enjoy the slower pace of life and being able to explore quirky local areas.

I think it's been much more valuable to explore a more rural area, as there is definitely still character and not something I experienced as much. 

From Shanni Lam

I think Chiayi County is great because it's a mix of city and nature/rural areas. I'm from a big city and don't consider myself a nature person, but being in Chiayi has made me appreciate it and want to explore. The obvious hotspot would be Alishan. It's amazing and gorgeous and a place you can visit multiple times. There are other botanical gardens and scenic areas throughout Chiayi. The cool thing about Chiayi County is that it's so big and there are so many townships to explore.

From Jayla Wheeler