TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The glass-forward architecture makes the atrium of the Taichung Aquarium appears spacious amid the locked down structure of the building. Located in the Taiwanese city of Taichung, the aquarium was not too crowded in the afternoon, making for a calm atmosphere.
"It's as if we are under a dome," Chindrawan, a tour guide, told Tempo on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
Beyond a row of glass fish tanks, the Taichung Aquarium was built to symbolize a journey with water as the main element that ties all of the spaces together. The water flows from a system underneath, then emerges in various landscape forms. "The water here creates a lively atmosphere," said the Indonesian man who has resided in Taiwan for the past 26 years.
Moving Through Wetlands
The journey begins from the wetlands, a transitional area between river and sea. Artificial mud, shallow water, and animals such as crabs, shrimp, and mudskippers are displayed in a space resembling their natural habitat.
Visitors can observe up close how organisms live on the border of two worlds: land and water. "It mimics the natural habitat," said Chindrawan.
What sets the zone apart is the ever-moving water, which is said to follow the ebb and flow pattern found on the coastline near Haibin Village, Qingshui District. This coastline leads directly to the Taiwan Strait. "The water can ebb and flow depending on the situation at the beach," said Chindrawan, adding that the simulation works through a sensor system or timing settings.
The Wetland Zone in Taichung Aquarium, Taiwan. TEMPO/Arkhelaus Wisnu.
At some points, the visitor's perspective is intentionally inverted. Instead of viewing the fish upfront, visitors stand beneath the tanks and look upward. Fish swim overhead. "We can see the fish from bottom to top. A different point of view," said Chindrawan.
In another zone, jellyfish float in dim light, combined with digital projections. There is also a penguin area, which can be observed from below while swimming. One prominent installation is a 360-degree transparent shark tank that combines real and digital visual displays.
Limited Collection of Marine Lives
Behind the strong architectural design, the aquarium's displayed collection is still limited. "There aren't too many special collections, as much of the fish are common ones," said Chindrawan.
With a ticket price of around 500 Taiwanese dollars or about Rp269,000, he considers this aquarium still relatively affordable compared to those in Japan, even though the collection is not yet fully competitive.
This project also did not come without criticism, as Chindrawan recalled the early concept was deemed too restrictive for animal movements. Beginning in 2012, the Mayor of Taichung at that time, Jason Hu, planned to make it a conservation center, but the plan changed under Lin Chia-lung who turned it into a full-fledged aquarium project. "Now it's more about education, not just entertainment," he said.
The design went through multiple changes until the aquarium's launching in October 2025. The construction spent about Rp700 billion.
A New Tourism Approach
Outside of the design and collection, this aquarium carries a bigger ambition by changing the way Taiwan presents its ocean. Taiwan's tourism has, up until now, been focused primarily in the mountains and cities, despite being surrounded by the sea.
At Taichung Aquarium, the journey starts upstream, from the rivers, including Tacia River, to the coastlines, and finally at sea.
This narrative is then expanded to larger phenomena, such as the Kuroshio current, which becomes a migration route for bluefin tuna in the Pacific Ocean. "Every year there is the first fish auction. The price can be exorbitant," he said.
A row of aquariums inside Taichung Aquarium, Taiwan, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. TEMPO/Arkhelaus Wisnu.
Conceptually, this establishment is not entirely an aquarium. It combines dioramas, ecosystem simulations, and visual technology to complete the visitor experience. Efforts to integrate education, recreation, and conservation are evident, although still in the developmental stage.
Its proximity to the ocean also presents quite a hefty challenge for maintenance. "Glass quickly becomes cloudy due to salt vapor. Maintenance is not easy," said Chindrawan. As a new destination, Taichung Aquarium is not yet fully mature. The collection can still be expanded, and the concept is still being refined.
Read: Top 10 Largest Aquariums in the World that Are Must Visit
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