Tainan

Located in between Taichung and Kaohsiung, Tainan ("south Taiwan") is the island's oldest city, and perhaps its most traditional, with a rich cultural heritage of historical sites and temples.

Tainan, which stretches across the Chianan (Chiayi-Tainan) Plateau from the mountains to the sea, has seen rapid commercial growth in recent years. The arrival of the Tainan Science Park and the southern branch of the Industrial Technology Research Institute is expected to breathe new life into the economic structure. Historically, Tainan was not only the first city developed in Taiwan, but was also the birthplace of Taiwanese industry, with such key industries as agriculture, fishery, salt, and sugar tracing their roots in Taiwan to Tainan.

The Tainan Science Park was designed at a cost of NT$1.814 trillion (approximate US$51.8 billion). Under the planning of the National Science Council, the Tainan Science Park and Luchu Science Park will become a vertically integrated technology nucleus. Expected to generate a production value of NT$500B by 2010, the Luchu Science Park will also provide 200,000 employment opportunities. These positions will be filled by highly educated, affluent, high-consumption technology professionals, greatly enhancing the local market and consumption potential.

Ground has been broken in Liuchia Township on the southern branch of the Industrial Technology Research Institute, a breeding ground for top-level researchers and professionals. At the same time, the Tainan Science Park has obtained 79 hectares of forest land adjoining the Wushantou Reservoir, upon which the technology and resources of industry, government, academic, and research will come together towards the development of information services and professional personnel. In combination with the Tainan Art Institute, Wushantou is destined to become a national-class academic research center.

Base planning calls for the Tainan Commercial/Manufacturing Park, located in Tainan County's Kuijen Township, to be divided into six square sectors. Just 12 kilometers from downtown Tainan and 25 kilometers from the Tainan Science Park, the Commercial/Manufacturing Park will benefit from the tremendous traffic provided by the large population of professionals employed at the Luchu Science Park. The future Tainan mass rapid transit system will provide direct linkage to downtown Tainan and the Tainan Technology Industrial Park and the Tainan Science Park.