Travel in Taiwan(NO.130 2025 7/8)

CITY WALKS

TAOYUAN’S ZHONGLI DISTRICT

NEW TAIPEI CITY

Manyueyuan National Forest Recreation Area

Sanxia Old Street

Biking in New Taipei City

Hot Taipei Summer? Hit the Trails!

Escape the Urban Sprawl, Surround Yourself with Nature

Looking to escape the urban jungle and discover a hidden gem just north of central Taipei? The city is surrounded by lush mountains, crisscrossed with hiking trails. One of the most accessible is the trail up Mt. Jinmian, just a short walk from MRT Xihu Station. This mountain’s exposed slopes, featuring quartz-rich golden sandstone and rope-assisted sections, add a touch of adventure, with sweeping views of Taipei, including Taipei 101, waiting at the top. You can enjoy a cooling breeze on the angled rock slabs, known as the Scissors Rock, before continuing further to the Daluntou and Dalunwei mountains and descending to Bihu Park in Neihu District.

This is just a glimpse of Taipei’s wild side. For another shorter hike, head to Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan), famous for its iconic views of Taipei 101. Or venture to Yangmingshan National Park, a quick bus ride from downtown, known for its volcanic terrain, hot springs, and trails ranging from scenic strolls to summit hikes like Mt. Qixing – the city’s highest peak.

Read more about the Mt. Jinmian hike in the Summer 2025 edition of TAIPEI Quarterly (see QR code below).

Publisher's Note

Dear Traveler,

July/August – the height of the very long Taiwan summer. The invigorating warmth of this season, matched with the unmatched ubiquity and convenience of the manmade amenities of life found on this island, make high-summer travel here a pleasant breeze.

The city of Taipei is the main gateway to this land, and our focus in this issue’s trio of feature articles is New Taipei City, which surrounds it, touching the sea on its north and east edges and reaching into hill-and-mountain country on its west and south. In our main feature, find out “how to lose yourself and find peace in Sanxia District’s forests.” Your destinations are the trail-rich Manyueyuan National Forest Recreation Area, the organic-agriculture, touristfocused He Xu Xiong Kong Tea Garden, and the upscale, family-oriented The Great Roots Forestry Spa Resort.

Also on the menu is a discovery meander through the old riverine town of Sanxia, most notably its tourism-oriented Old Street, lined with shop buildings dating to the early 20th century. Sanxia has become a hot choice for island daytrippers who “like their history to come with a side serving of snackable treats and cultural flair.” And in the third report in our trio – riding the New Taipei City countryside on three thrilling outings, two by bicycle, one by rail bike, by the city’s “breeze-cooled coast, along its most important river, and even through solid stone, i.e. through mountain.”

Elsewhere, in our regular City Walks file, your exercise will come in Zhongli, a town now part of the northwest’s sprawling Taoyuan City. Launching from its railway station, visit rejuvenated, re-missioned works of architecture from Taiwan’s Japanese colonial era, heritage shops including a family shop opened in 1911 specializing in nuts and food treats made from them, a preserved 1950s military village, and other attractions. In Good Food sit down at three ravereview Taipei restaurants crafting traditional Taiwanese cuisine in innovative ways, and in Expert Talk go “back to the beginning,” exploring the backstory and the aromatic products created at a famed heritage family-run soapmaking venture founded in Taipei’s history-fragrant Dadaocheng neighborhood way back in 1923.

The sun is out, the birds are out, the bees are out, the locals are all out and about – and everyone is awaiting your arrival to complete the Taiwan summer-travel picture. Enjoy!

TAIWAN TOURISM ADMINISTRATION

MOTC, R.O.C.

台灣觀光雙月刊

Travel in Taiwan

The official bimonthly English magazine of the Taiwan Tourism Administration (Advertisement) JULY/AUGUST, 2025 Tourism Administration, MOTC First published Jan./Feb. 2004 ISSN: 18177964 GPN: 2009305475 Price: NT$200

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PUBLISHER

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PUBLISHING ORGANIZATION

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CONTACT

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ABROAD

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IN TAIWAN

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Sanxia Old Street (photo by Vision)

1 1 2 3

Summer Celebrations

Happenings and Events in Taiwan

TAIPEI CITY 1

Aug 1-4

TAIWAN CULINARY EXHIBITION 台灣美食展

The annual Taiwan Culinary Exhibition serves as a vibrant showcase of Taiwan’s rich and diverse food culture. It brings together a wide array of exhibitors, including renowned chefs, restaurants, food and beverage brands, agricultural producers, and government agencies, all dedicated to highlighting the unique flavors and culinary heritage of Taiwan. This is an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant local food scene and discover the stories and traditions behind its delicious offerings. www.tcetva.tw

KEELUNG CITY 2

Aug 22 – Sep 22

KEELUNG MID-SUMMER GHOST FESTIVAL 鷄籠中元祭

This month-long religious and cultural event is held annually during the seventh month of the lunar calendar (“Ghost Month”) in the port city of Keelung. Considered one of Taiwan’s most important folk festivals, its purpose is to honor deceased ancestors and appease wandering spirits through a series of rituals, ceremonies, and public displays, including opening the “gates of hell” at Laodagong Temple, the lighting of lanterns, a grand water-lantern parade, offerings of food and incense, and various folk performances. www.klccab.gov.tw

AROUND TAIWAN 3

Sep – Nov

TAIWAN CYCLING FESTIVAL 臺灣自行車旅遊節

Organized by the Taiwan Tourism Administration, this festival includes a series of cycling events, including races and themed rides, held throughout the year (with the prime cycling season in the fall) across various scenic routes in Taiwan to promote the island as a premier destination for cycling tourism. For foreign visitors, these events present a great opportunity to ride together with passionate local cyclists and experience Taiwan’s bicyclefriendly environment. Find detailed info about each event on the official website. taiwanbike.tw/en/about/event

©Taiwan Visitors Association

©Keelung City Govt.

©Penghu National Scenic Area

©Taiwan Visitors Association

Sep-Oct YUNLIN COUNTY 4

YUNLIN INTERNATIONAL PUPPET ARTS FESTIVAL

雲林國際偶戲節

This festival, held each year in Huwei Township, known as the hometown of Taiwanese puppetry, presents the rich tradition and artistry of puppet theater, especially glove puppetry (budaixi ). It brings together local puppet troupes as well as international performers to present puppet shows, from classic tales to contemporary productions. Beyond this entertainment, the festival includes exhibitions, workshops, and parades, creating a lively and immersive experience centered around puppetry art. www.facebook.com/puppet.yunlin.gov.tw

5

TAICHUNG CITY Sep 27-28

TAICHUNG INTERNATIONAL DANCE CARNIVAL

臺中國際踩舞嘉年華

This is a lively festival during which dance troupes from Taiwan and around the world gather for spectacular street performances and parades. It’s a celebration of diverse dance styles, cultural exchange, and artistic expression, featuring energetic routines, colorful costumes, and engaging audience interactions. The carnival takes place over a weekend and transforms the city streets into a dynamic stage, attracting large and enthusiastic crowds. travel.taichung.gov.tw

NANTOU COUNTY 6 Oct 1-31

NANTOU GLOBAL TEA EXPO

南投世界茶業博覽會

This tea expo is held in Nantou County, a mountainous region in central Taiwan renowned for its high-quality tea production. Presenting Taiwan’s rich tea culture to tea lovers, it features tea-tasting sessions, tea-art performances, seminars, competitions, and exhibitions of tearelated products and crafts, aiming to promote tea culture and enhance Taiwan’s reputation as a premier tea producer.

enteaexpo.mmweb.tw

©Yunlin County Govt.

©Taichung City Govt.

©Yunlin County Govt.

Longgang’s Lost Army

A Slice of the Golden Triangle in Taoyuan City

If you're interested in history, particularly the conflict between the Chinese Communist and Nationalist forces in the last century, visiting the Longgang area of Taoyuan City will be worth your time. There, you can also get a taste of Golden Triangle culture and savor some authentic dishes from that region in Southeast Asia.

Fittingly, traces of the Golden Triangle (parts of east Myanmar, north Thailand, and northwest Laos) can be found in Taiwan where three Taoyuan administrative districts – Zhongli, Pingzhen, and Bade –form their own triangle.

Start your exploration of this area by visiting the Zhongzhen Village Cultural Park , which takes you right into the heart of this community and the world of its people, built by individuals who came to Taiwan from the Golden Triangle, which borders China’s Yunnan Province. Until 2005, the park site was a military village typical of the greater Taoyuan area. When the settlement, largely composed of simple aging houses, faced demolition and redevelopment, local activists intervened to preserve the village’s legacy and ensure the fascinating stories of its residents were not forgotten by establishing this cultural park.

You can explore the park and its surroundings on your own, but for a thorough introduction, the organization running the park recommends its guided tours. These outings, available as half-day and full-day options, include the Lost Army Story House, a hands-on migan (Yunnanstyle rice noodles) demonstration, a Yunnan-style feast with tribal dance and song, and an exploration of the local area featuring a day market with stands selling produce from Southeast Asia, a restaurant decorated with hundreds of flags of the Republic of China, and the Longgang Mosque, a peaceful oasis in the center of a busy neighborhood. Visit the park’s official website (www.zz-village.com) for more info, and call directly to inquire about English-speaking guides.

The informative and immersive Lost Army Story House (www.facebook.com/lostarmy.taoyuan) is at the heart of the

TEXT & PHOTOS VISION

Traditional ritual during the Longgang Rice Noodle Festival (©Taoyuan City Govt.)

cultural park. The term “Lost Army” refers to Nationalist soldiers who were stranded in the Golden Triangle after retreating from mainland China to Burma in 1949/50. After the major battles of the Chinese Civil War ended, these soldiers continued to wage a guerrilla campaign with unsuccessful incursions into Yunnan during the early 1950s.

The permanent exhibition at the Lost Army Story House vividly shows the realities of life for the troops, who largely remained in Burma during that period. This includes exploring a somewhat darker aspect of their history: involvement in the opium trade. Between late 1953 and the first half of 1954, a significant portion of the stranded soldiers and their families – approximately 7,000 people – were relocated to Taiwan, with most settling in Taoyuan’s Zhongzhen Village. In March and April of 1961, another 4,400 soldiers and their families were evacuated to Taiwan to settle in other locations around the island. Of the original Lost Army, an estimated 450 to 700 individuals remained in Burma or fled to neighboring Thailand and Laos.

The small museum offers a detailed look into the guerrilla war through several exhibit rooms. You’ll gain insights into the weaponry used, the harsh living conditions, the complexities of the opium trade, and the diverse cultures of the region’s minority groups. In a screening room, a compelling short documentary offers a powerful perspective. Near the museum exit, a small gift shop provides an opportunity to purchase memorabilia, such as caps featuring the national emblem of the Republic of China and key rings in the shape of medals awarded to soldiers.

After the heavy subject matter of military conflict and human tragedies, you can lighten up your mood with some good food and drink. Right by the story house are restaurants serving authentic Yunnanese cuisine, including migan . For excellent coffee, cake, and light meals, enter the Poppy Church, a stylish space inside the former village church. You also want to learn about and learn how to make Yunnan-style rice noodles (migan), created by steaming a thin layer of rice batter and then cooling and cutting it into noodle strands. The noodles are typically served with savory broth and various toppings, including minced pork, pickled vegetables, peanuts, and chili oil.

Longgang Rice Noodle Festival

This annual festival (held in spring) is a vibrant celebration centered around the distinctive rice noodles, migan, that are a staple food in the Yunnanese community that settled in the Longgang area. The festival is more than just a food fair; it's a cultural event that showcases the unique heritage of this community through a variety of activities. You’ll find numerous food stalls offering a wide array of rice-noodle dishes, each with its distinct flavors and preparations. Beyond the food, the festival often features cultural performances, music, and other opportunities to learn about the traditions of the Yunnanese people and their descendants in Taiwan. For more info, visit ricenoodlefestival.genshen.com.tw.

ZHONGZHEN

VILLAGE CULTURAL PARK | 忠貞新村文化園區 (03) 416-1393

No. 70, Zhongshan Rd., Pingzhen Dist., Taoyuan City ( 桃園市平鎮區中山路 70 號 ) www.zz-village.com (Chinese)

How to Get There

The Longgang/Zhongzhen area visited above can be best reached from Taoyuan’s central Zhongli District by taking one of the frequent buses that follow the long Longgang Road southeast or by taking a taxi (learn more about Zhongli on page 30)

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

Longgang Rice Noodle Festival | 龍岡米干節

Longgang Mosque | 龍岡清真寺

Lost Army | 孤軍

Lost Army Story House | 異域故事館 migan | 米干

Lost Army Story House

Migan DIY

Yunnan specialties

Culture & Art

Editor's Choice

Concerts, Theater, Exhibitions, Festivals, Shows

1

Exhibition

MODELING NATURE

自然藝想

Until Mar 1, 2026

National Museum of Natural Science ( Taichung City )

This engaging exhibition showcases the beauty and wonders of the natural world through over 40 meticulously crafted models and specimens, offering a unique learning experience for visitors. A compelling example is the dinosaur modeling process, illustrated by a detailed 1/20 scale Tyrannosaurus Rex head. This creation exemplifies the transformation of scientific data into threedimensional form through skilled sculpting that requires keen observation, scientific knowledge, imagination, and realistic creativity, highlighting both ancient lifeforms and model craftsmanship. www.nmns.edu.tw

Exhibition 2

UKIYOE IMMERSIVE ART

會動的浮世繪展

Jul 5 – Oct 6

Songshan Cultural and Creative Park ( Taipei City )

This exhibition offers a fascinating and novel way to experience Ukiyo-e, the Japanese art form that flourished during Japan’s Edo period (1603-1868).

Utilizing cutting-edge technology such as 3D CG animation and projection mapping, static Ukiyo-e woodblock prints are transformed into dynamic and immersive experiences, making you feel as if you’re stepping directly into the artworks rather than simply viewing them. Expect a rich sensory experience, surrounded by large-scale projections that animate scenes, bringing movement to figures, landscapes, and even ocean waves. Original Japanese-style music further enhances this enveloping atmosphere. www.songshanculturalpark.org

Festival 3

TAIPEI CHILDREN’S ART FESTIVAL

臺北兒童藝術節

Jun 28 – Aug 3

( Various venues around Taipei City )

This annual Taipei summer festival has been entertaining families since its inception in 2000. Held over several weeks, it transforms the city into a creative playground for children, featuring a diverse array of free and ticketed events. These include engaging live performances spanning theater, music, dance, and circus, alongside interactive art exhibitions and handson workshops designed to spark imagination and artistic exploration in young minds. For the full program schedule, please check the official website of the Taipei Performing Arts Center. tpac.org.taipei/festival-tcaf

Editor's Choice

Exhibition 4

Festival 5 5 6 4

FROM IMPRESSIONISM TO EARLY MODERNISM

從印象派到現代主義

TAIPEI FRINGE FESTIVAL

臺北藝穗節

Aug 15-31

( Various venues around Taipei City ) Jun 14 – Oct 12

National Palace Museum ( Taipei City )

This exhibition presents an eye-opening journey through a pivotal and transformative period in Western art history. During the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, a radical shift away from traditional academic styles towards new ways of seeing and representing the world took place, laying the groundwork for diverse art movements. The exhibition focuses on key movements and artists such as Monet and Renoir (Impressionism), van Gogh and Cézanne (Post-Impressionism), Matisse (Fauvism), Munch and Kirchner (Expressionism), and Picasso and Braque (Cubism). On display are 81 masterpieces drawn from the prestigious Robert Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. www.npm.gov.tw

Known for its open, free, and experimental spirit, this annual performing-arts festival, inspired by the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, provides a platform for artists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to showcase their work without strict censorship or selection processes. Utilizing various unconventional venues across Taipei, from theaters and cafés to parks and alleyways, it brings art closer to everyday life and new audiences. Many emerging artists and theater troupes in Taiwan have used the Taipei Fringe Festival as a crucial stepping stone in their careers.

tpac.org.taipei/festival-fringe

Festival 6

S2O TAIWAN SONGKRAN MUSIC FESTIVAL

Jul 12-13

( Dajia Riverside Park, Taipei City )

This vibrant festival, originating in Thailand a decade ago and debuting in Taipei in 2019, uniquely blends the spirited traditions of the Songkran Festival (Thai New Year) – celebrated for its exhilarating water fights – with the pulsating energy of electronic music. The venue is expansive Dajia Riverside Park, situated on the left bank of the Keelung River in Taipei. International headliners and Taiwanese artists supply the driving beats, complemented by massive water cannons and immersive 360-degree water effects that provide a refreshing respite from the summer heat.

www.s2otaiwan.com

Warning: May Cause Extreme Relaxation

How to Lose Yourself and Find Peace in Sanxia District’s Forests

Sanxia is a hilly, history-rich district of New Taipei City occupying the southwestern edge of the Taipei Basin. Although connected to Taipei City by road, river, and (soon) metro line, the district is dominated by forested area — it’s the kind of place where life ticks by at a slower pace and you can while away whole weekends getting yourself happily lost among the lianas.

With the stifling heat of summer in full force, there’s just one question on everyone’s lips: how to keep cool? For some, that means plotting the swiftest route from one air-conditioned space to the next; for others, the answer lies at the bottom of a bowl of shaved ice. For me, nothing beats escaping to tree-shaded hills where waterfalls mist the air and calm the soul, but whether your preferred method of communing with nature involves full forest immersion, artfully arranged landscapes, or poolside family fun, Sanxia has you covered. Over the following pages, you’ll find three scenic spots where you can seek refuge from the Taiwan summer’s sultry city streets.

TEXT AMI BARNES PHOTOS RAY CHANG

Manyueyuan National Forest Recreation Area

Administered by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (www.forest. gov.tw), this forest recreation area occupies 1,483ha of a steep, densely forested fluvial valley with tall peaks on three sides. Home to waterfalls, hiking trails, and wildlife aplenty, this park is well known among domestic tourists but has thus far remained mostly absent from the itineraries of international visitors. And while it’s true that getting here – be it by car, motor scooter, or public bus –entails a certain degree of organizational nous, it’s doable, and more importantly, those who take the time to figure out the logistics will be handsomely rewarded for their efforts.

Just like many of Taiwan’s more famous national forest recreation areas (such as Alishan and Taipingshan), Manyueyuan’s evolution is inextricably intertwined with the history of the land. The forest’s original Atayal indigenous inhabitants had never been particularly interested in its abundant camphor reserves, but the business-minded Han immigrants who began arriving in Taiwan during the 1600s had instantly recognized the island’s potential. At the height of the local camphor industry, around 70 percent of the world’s camphor came from Taiwanese forests, and when the Japanese ruled the island (1895-1945) they ramped up camphor extraction in the area around Manyueyuan (and several other locations), forcing the indigenous inhabitants further inland after a series of bloody scuffles.

In 1988, the tribal-hunting-grounds-turnedcamphor-hub transitioned once more when it was reinvented as a place for leisure and relaxation. However, unlike other forest recreation areas with a similar backstory, Manyueyuan wears its forestry scars lightly – so much so that to a casual observer, the forests here will likely feel ancient and pristine. Still, for those with a practiced eye, the large swathes of Japanese cedars in some corners of the park speak quiet volumes.

Entry to the area is NT$100 for a full-price weekend ticket (discounts available for seniors, students, and residents of New Taipei City). Once through the gates, first-timers should make a beeline for the Visitor Center , where they will find a précis of the park’s botanical and zoological treasures split over three halls.

Visitor Center

Chinese bamboo partridge, spotted near the main path

Although designed to be engaging for children, the bilingual Chinese/English explanations enlighten visitors of all ages. One hall is dedicated to trees and plant life – from the bird’s nest ferns that can be seen adorning elevated branches, to the Formosan begonias that stud the understory with pink, to the myriad maples that paint the forest in fiery hues each December. Another exhibit dives into the rich creekside ecology supported by the park’s waterways. Projected images of fish dart over painted floors, and interpretive texts familiarize visitors with Manyueyuan’s furred, feathered, scaled, and shelled denizens. Taxidermied specimens slink through recreated landscapes, and – on the day of a recent visit – school kids zipped around trying to match photos of animals with their preserved brethren in a race to uncover their names. The final hall introduces the park’s lepidopteran legion. Over 150 butterfly species have been recorded within the park boundaries, and while the warmer months from July to September are peak butterfly-viewing season, you’re likely to spot some year-round.

A little deeper into the park is the Refreshment Station. This store is the sole on-site spot offering refreshments, and as such, it tends to pull in a sizeable crowd of chatty snackers. Offerings lean towards the Taiwan-traditional, with tea eggs, sweet potatoes, meat-filled steamed buns, rice dumplings, and braised tofu all proving popular, but you’ll also find a few varieties of instant noodles and ice lollies.

Main path through the park

Exhibit about the park's ecology

Refreshment Station

Looking at a map of Manyueyuan, you’ll notice six interconnected hiking trails. That might sound like a lot of walking, but since all bar one are sub-2km ambles, they can be fashioned into a knobbly lollipop loop with short sidequests to admire the park’s waterfalls. Such a route would allow you to see all of the main sights the park has to offer, and at just 6.5km, would be pretty easy for an averagely fit adult to complete in an unrushed half-day visit.

First up is the Ruizai Creek Ecological Trail . This 800m path sits just outside the park proper, presenting a prettier means of shuttling between the parking lot and the park entrance. The gravel trail hews close to the water’s edge, and where the reeds thin, you might catch the electric flash of a kingfisher or a plumbeous water redstart’s curious bobbing dance. Upon reaching the uppermost end of the trail, hikers will find themselves at the park’s ticket booth and the start of the plainspokenly named Hiking Trail. The initial kilometer of this doubles as the access road to the park’s work buildings, so it’s step-free and suitable for families with strollers and handicapped visitors in wheelchairs.

After passing the Refreshment Station, the difficulty ratchets up half a gear with steps and dirt trails leading to the park’s waterfalls. Chunu Waterfall sits about 500m off the main path. The steep climb is punctuated by fern-wreathed gazebos, and a lookout tower beside the falls makes an excellent spot to pause, take in deep lungfuls of phytoncidelaced air (known in Taiwan as taking a “forest bath”), and let the forest work its immune-boosting, stress-busting magic.

“Chunu” is simply a transliteration of the waterfall’s name in Mandarin, but a more literal rendering might be “Virgin/ Maiden Waterfall.” This draws on a local indigenous tale explaining how an Atayal clan came to settle in the vicinity following sightings of a shapeshifting deer maiden (the deer is the tribe’s totem spirit) bathing amidst the rainbow-shot spray of the falls. Deer-sprite or no, one element of this old story holds true – thanks to the serendipitous alignment of rock, water, and sun, rainbows still flicker and leap through the fine mist, and anyone who patiently watches on a sunny day can expect to be treated to this spectacle.

Bridge from where you can see Manyueyuan Waterfall

In contrast to Chunu Waterfall, whose full height can easily be admired, Manyueyuan Waterfall’s 20m tail is visible only in installments. A maple-framed pavilion perched at the edge of a cliff on the creek’s western edge overlooks the upper twothirds, but to see the lower portion, you’ll need to walk over the bridge facing the plunge pool. After this, if you still have a little energy to spare, the park has one final waterfall to share. Climbing the steps on the far side of the bridge will take you up to Silver Curtain Falls. At just 2m tall, this is a baby in comparison to the park’s grander water features, but what it lacks in height it makes up for in prettiness.

When it’s time to head back, you can either retrace your steps to the entrance or take the Self-guided Trail , which descends through scenic cedar forest. Near the start of this path, you can also find the start of the park’s sixth and final trail, the Dongman Trail. Spectacular but lengthy at 16km, this trail traverses the New Taipei City/Taoyuan City border and connects to the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area. While it’s certainly a worthy adventure, it’s an excursion that demands a whole day and a little preparation.

MANYUEYUAN NATIONAL FOREST RECREATION AREA

(02) 2672-0004

No. 174-1, Youmu Borough, Sanxia Dist., New Taipei City ( 新北市三峽區有木里 174-1 號 ) 8am-5pm (weekends/holidays 7am-5pm) instagram.com/manyueyuanforest facebook.com/ManyueyuanNationalForest recreation.forest.gov.tw/en/Forest/RA?typ_id=0200001

Manyueyuan Waterfall

Ruizai Creek

Ruizai Creek Ecological Trail

He Xu Xiong Kong Tea Garden

For folk who favor a photogenic, curated vision of Mother Nature, He Xu Xiong Kong Tea Garden offers refined environs in which to undertake wanderings of a more genteel, camera-worthy nature. Here, deep in Sanxia’s hills (so deep that it’s only reachable by private transport), photo ops and refreshment stops are strung together by easy, well-kept paths interlacing acres of organic tea farm.

A sloping track carries visitors from the ticket-boothturned-gift-shop (full tickets cost NT$280, NT$100 of which can be used to offset food and beverage purchases) up to the Forest Café and Sakura Arbor, two of the park’s prettiest places. Visiting the Sakura Arbor in early May, a windfall of tiny wild cherries was the only evidence of earlier blossom, but come late January, the hillside is awash with pastel sprays of pink. The arbor itself is a single-room, single-story building that

looks like the result of a collaboration between Hayao Miyazaki and Moominvalley’s inhabitants. A jaunty witch’s hat of a roof dwarfs the squat structure, and the edifice sits precariously on stilts, seeming to jut out from the hillside. On gloomy days, warm light emanates invitingly through the windows – it’s precisely the kind of house a woodland elf would inhabit.

The nearby Charcoal Kiln , on the other hand, feels like it might be the forgotten lair of a goblin or troll. Situated beside a stream, the crumbling structure is clad in a shaggy coat of ferns and soft-tongued liverwort, and its arched furnace mouths gape open, revealing nothing of the pitch-black interiors. These ruins, which are remnants of tea plantation facilities built by Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd. (see pages 20-21), have been left mostly untouched, and on the ground outside the kilns, sooty shards of old charcoal still pepper the mud.

Sakura Arbor

Forest Café

From the kiln, a short stroll through cedars leads to the edge of the tea gardens. If you notice that He Xu Xiong Kong’s tea plants look slightly different from the neat rows seen in tourism ads, you’d score ten out of ten for observational skills. Xiong Kong runs an entirely organic operation, meaning that instead of precision manicures, the shrubs sport trailing mossy beards. It also results in a much more dynamic landscape than you’ll find on most tea farms – frog-filled ponds and trees dot the slopes, and where the plantation butts up against the forest, we spotted a Swinhoe’s pheasant grubbing around in the weeds.

For anyone who, like a peckish Swinhoe’s pheasant, happens to fancy a little grub, the park has two on-site establishments. Beverages and light snacks are on offer in the minimalist rustic-chic surrounds of the Forest Café . Large windows and extensive use of wood pull the outside in, while sliding doors open onto a streamside balcony, allowing seating to spill out. The menu includes cold brew teas, a simple range of coffees including several caffeine-free options, and a tasty selection of sweets (pound cakes, Basque cheesecake, muffins).

Patrons hoping for something more substantial can amble over to the Forest Dining Hall , where floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the tea terraces, flooding the interior with natural light. It’s the kind of space that feels by turns airy and cozy depending on what the weather is doing. The menu features nourishing set meals, all of which fall squarely under the umbrella of Taiwanese comfort food – think sesame oil chicken, seabass in a soup of medicinal herbs, and braised beef noodles.

teas and biscuits

HE XU XIONG KONG TEA GARDEN | 禾煦熊空茶園 (02) 2672-6686

No. 238, Zhulun Rd., Sanxia Dist., New Taipei City ( 新北市三峽區竹崙路 238 號 ) 9am-5pm (closed on Tue)

NT$280 instagram.com/hexuxk www.facebook.com/skttc970105 recreation.forest.gov.tw/en/Forest/RA?typ_id=0200001

Tea plantation

Cold

The Great Roots Forestry Spa Resort

Like Manyueyuan and He Xu Xiong Kong just an hour’s drive from central Taipei, The Great Roots Forestry Spa Resort is perfectly set up to cater to weekend vacationers seeking hassle-free, family-friendly luxury. With hiking trails, spa facilities, restaurants, an on-site store, and several accommodation options spread out over 17 lush and leafy hectares, it covers all the bases. Indeed, the place has attracted something of a cult following among staycationing Taipei families because it manages to hit a sweet spot – space to let off steam for kids, gentle puttering in beautiful scenery for grandparents, and somewhere for overstretched couples to indulge in a little light extravagance.

Hidden in almost every corner are nuggets of beauty and delight. Fishponds teem with plump koi, and sculptures from local artists invite admiration. Younger family members, meanwhile, will be keen to embark on a dinosaurhunting safari. A Triceratops presides over the main gate, greeting guests as they enter, and someone was being very intentional when a Carnotaurus, whose name means “meat-eating bull,” was designated the guardian of the barbecue pits. Even as a (somewhat) sensible adult, I couldn’t help but feel a residual stab of childish awe when the Tyrannosaurus rex juddered into eyerolling, tooth-baring life.

Imagination primed and stocked full of terrible lizards – it’s the perfect time to set off on an exploration of the resort’s hiking trails. The paths are shaded by precisely the kind of lush forest that could believably harbor a Hadrosaurus or give refuge to a Rhabdodon. However, you’ll be pleased to hear the only

Rainbow Bridge (©The Great Roots)

Dinosaur along the trail to the deep forest

genuine dinosaurs still living in this pocket of Sanxia are the ferns, which deck the slopes in a messy mosaic of frilled and lobed greenery, and the birds that enliven the landscape with their singing.

Three loop trails wind their way through the woods. Of these, trail number one is best suited to family adventures since it can be completed in under an hour and is paved along its whole length – the other two offer a slightly wilder, rougher experience suitable for more sure-footed souls. Steps meander up past several secluded cabins and into a forest bursting with green life. Touted as being Taiwan’s last remaining patch of low-elevation old-growth rainforest, the resort park is home to fascinating plants – over 600 species, according to the official website – with identification boards naming some of the more curious specimens. Stand-out stars include characterful fig trees whose sturdy buttress roots inspired the resort’s name, and elsewhere you’ll spot creeping vines tangled with the prop roots of more figs. (For anyone requiring a quick refresher on the difference between buttress and prop roots, both serve to stabilize, but the former grow up from the base of the tree while the latter dangle down from branches.)

The Rainbow Bridge marks the literal high point of trail number one. Slung across a narrow valley, the 32m-long suspension bridge bounces and sways gently underfoot – a clear creek passes beneath it. Rather than being a descriptor, the name is a nod to the land’s early Atayal stewards, for whom a “rainbow bridge” signifies passage from a virtuous earthly life into the afterlife. But despite the vaguely ominous connotations this evokes (is this where the dinosaurs are all lying in wait to eat me?), the bridge is a fun addition to the walk. Once over the far side, the trail turns back and begins to descend towards the heart of the resort.

Fig tree with buttress roots

First loop trail (©The Great Roots)

Creeping vine

While the youngsters burn off excess energy on the trails, the rest of the family is free to explore the resort’s other facilities. Among these, the outdoor hot-spring pools are a big draw. Sourced from a geothermal well sunk 1,530m underground, high concentrations of sodium bicarbonate mean the water is odorless with a mildly alkaline pH value of 8.5, which is prized for the softening effect it has on the skin. Pools with varying temperatures let bathers choose just how cooked they wish to feel, and one corner of the tree-shaded facility contains a separate hydrotherapy area full of contraptions with jets and nozzles that shoot water into knotty muscles. The main pools are mixed-sex, so bathing suits (and caps) are required, but hotel guests also have access to sexsegregated pools providing for nude bathing in outdoor but screened facilities that still give you the feeling of being close to nature.

Another feature worthy of at least a short while is the Tea Museum. It may seem a little incongruous to find a museum in a resort setting, but this park just so happens

Hot-spring area (©The Great Roots)

Main building

to have been built on the former site of the Dabao Tea Factory, a significant player in the Taiwanese tea scene during the era of Japanese occupation. At one time, the factory – operated by Japan’s Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd. – was the largest producer of black tea in northern Taiwan. Its plantations occupied sweeping sections of the nearby countryside, including the hills of He Xu Xiong Kong Tea Garden visited above, and its leaves were stewed in teapots all around the world, as attested to by the many antique tea boxes on display. The museum is light on written text, but there are some neat artifacts, such as the old Ruston & Hornsby combustion engine and painterly black-and-white photos of tea pickers from a famed local documentary photographer.

When hunger strikes, the resort’s on-site dining options can cater to different palates. Snacks are available at the Scenic Café and Great Roots Bakery, and the two restaurants offer heartier fare. With dishes like clay pot chicken, stir-fried rice, drunken shrimp, braised pork belly, and bamboo salad, Li Yan Chinese Restaurant ’s menu showcases highlights from Chinese cuisine’s broad kitchen, while Taizi Western Restaurant ’s buffet covers, if not quite the whole gamut of Western cuisine, at least a tantalizing representative selection.

As far as accommodation goes, guests have plenty of options to choose from. Prices start at around NT$6,000 per night for a basic twin room and rise to around NT$23,000 for a detached forest-hugged lodge with space to sleep four. Pretty much every family dynamic is catered for. Larger groups celebrating an important milestone could book out the whole Lizhi Building, which sleeps ten in five rooms (NT$52,800 per night), families with young kids can choose the colorful play suites, and there are even pet-friendly rooms for families with fur babies. Room rates include a buffet breakfast and all hotel guests have access to the forest trails, hot-spring facilities, and museum, but there are also packages including access to the trails and/or hot springs that can be purchased by those who just want to spend a peaceful day lost in Sanxia’s fabulous forest without splashing out on a hotel stay.

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

Atayal tribe | 泰雅族

Charcoal Kiln | 古炭窯

Chunu Waterfall | 處女瀑布

Dabao Tea Factory | 大豹製茶工廠 Dongman Trail | 東滿步道

Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area | 東眼山國家森林遊樂區 "forest bath" | 森林浴 Forest Café | 林畔咖啡屋 Forest Dining Hall | 森食堂 Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency | 林業及自然保育署 Hiking Trail | 健行步道

Manyueyuan Waterfall | 滿月圓瀑布

Rainbow Bridge | 彩虹橋 Refreshment Station | 森林小舖

Ruizai Creek Ecological Trail | 蚋仔溪生態步道

Sakura Arbor | 櫻花亭

Self-guided Trail | 自導式步道 Silver Curtain Falls | 銀簾瀑布 Tea Museum | 茶業歷史文物館 Visitor Center | 遊客中心

THE GREAT ROOTS FORESTRY SPA RESORT | 大板根森林溫泉酒店 (02) 2674-9228

No. 79, Chajiao, Chajiao Borough, Sanxia Dist., New Taipei City ( 新北市三峽區插角里插角 79 號 ) www.instagram.com/thegreatrootsresort www.facebook.com/thegreatrootsresort www.thegreatroots.com

MAP

Dinosaur sculpture (©The Great Roots)

Guest room (©The Great Roots)

Tea museum

Old Street, Artistic Soul

Discovering Sanxia District's Cultural-Creative Masterpieces

The economic heart of New Taipei City’s easternmost district, the riverine town of Sanxia, has experienced fluctuating fortunes over the years. Growing from a Qing-era agricultural backwater to a key player in Taiwan’s textile industry, the town has most recently reinvented itself as an easy-access weekend travel destination for Taipei residents who like their history to come with a side serving of snackable treats and cultural flair.

TEXT AMI BARNES PHOTOS RAY CHANG, VISION

Sanxia Old Street

Sanxia Qingshui Zushi Temple

With it’s red-brick façades and covered walkways, Sanxia Old Street is your quintessential Japanese-era shopping quarter. Built in 1915 (after occupying forces torched the town’s original buildings in retaliation for local resistance), its buildings are characterized by long, skinny interiors that stretch back three, four, even five times the storefront width. These days, it’s packed full of vendors selling snacks and knickknacks to the mostly domestic crowds who flock here on the weekends.

Located just east of the Old Street’s northern tip is Sanxia’s grandest religious site, Sanxia Qingshui Zushi Temple. The temple was established in 1769 and is dedicated to a supernaturally talented Buddhist monk from the 11th century who was deified after ending a drought. In the two-and-a-half centuries that have passed since its construction, the temple has been damaged and rebuilt three times (earthquake, fire, and World War II), most recently under the direction of local artist Li Mei-shu.

Thanks to Li’s efforts, the quality of craftsmanship on display holds its own even in a land with a startlingly high density of religious buildings. Every sculpted column, each cornice carving is exquisite. However, if you want a pointer on where to start your observations, keep an eye out for the twin pillars flanking the main hall – each boasts a total of fifty birds (many Taiwan-native), making them an I-spy delight for ornithologically inclined believers.

Every Old Street in Taiwan worth its salt has a signature specialty or two, and Sanxia is no exception. Here, the crown goes to bull horn croissants, a fusion of Chinese pastry and Filipino bread roll that, according to local lore, was invented by a Sanxia baker a couple of decades back. The name references the snack’s appearance – a kind of daintier croissant with both ends twisted inwards so that the shape resembles the curved horns of a water buffalo. Texturally, they’re nothing like the flaky French favorite; instead, the crispy exterior crumbles beneath the teeth to reveal a soft, doughy center that lands somewhere between bread and cake. Stalls and stores selling the pastries have proliferated, but Jin San Xia is a safe bet. Compared to its competitors, the store has a pared-down range of traditional flavors (plain, taro, chocolate, cream, melon bread), but consistently long lines attest to its popularity.

SANXIA QINGSHUI ZUSHI TEMPLE | 三峽清水祖師廟

(02) 2671-1031

No. 1, Changfu St., Sanxia District, New Taipei City ( 新北市三峽區長福街 1 號 ) www.longfuyan.org.tw (Chinese)

JIN SAN XIA | 三峽金牛角

(02) 8674-1226

No. 63, Minquan St., Sanxia District, New Taipei City ( 新北市三峽區民權街 63 號 ) jsx.tw (Chinese)

Intricate artwork inside the temple

Bull horn croissants

Ask any local for their impressions of Sanxia, and –aside from the aforementioned croissants – most will likely bring up the town’s indigo-dyeing heritage. And truth be told, the blue-tinted plant dye has a stronger claim to being Sanxia’s specialty product than horny bread.

The surrounding hills are ideal for the cultivation of Strobilanthes cusia – commonly known as Assam indigo – which, when processed, results in a deep-blue dye. This floral fecundity, combined with the town’s riverside location, meant that at one time indigo dyeing was Sanxia’s primary industry. Small vessels plied the waters, bringing in unprocessed cloth and taking bluedyed masterpieces downstream to Taipei’s trading ports, until trends shifted towards Japanese- and Europeanstyle fabrics, causing rustic blue hues to fall out of favor.

In recent decades, interest in local heritage has seen the craft resurrected as part of Sanxia’s cultural-creative milieu, and the Sanxia Indigo Dyeing Center, a short walk northwest of the Old Street’s northern tip, plays an important role in keeping the art alive. Tucked into a building beside the town’s history museum, the center features a gallery-cum-store space and a workshop where visitors can try their hand at creative dyeing (walk-in visitors welcome between 10am and 4pm on weekends). It also hosts the town’s annual indigo festival each summer.

Sanxia Indigo Dyeing Center

The Li Mei-shu Memorial Gallery can be found incongruously occupying the ground floor of an apartment building, a 10min walk southeast from Sanxia Old Street. The gallery, which opened in 1995, commemorates the life and work of Li Mei-shu, a pioneer of Western realism in Taiwan. The Sanxia-born Li’s passion for painting carried him overseas to the prestigious Tokyo School of Fine Arts, where he studied under the tutelage of Saburo Okada.

Works on show come from different points in Li’s creative career, displaying an aesthetic evolution – early portraits teeter between expressionism and realism, while later pieces edge into hyperrealism. Li’s inspiration, however, was unwavering – he devoted his whole life to depicting the beauty of rural Taiwan. His wife and children appear again and again, as themselves or as characters in bucolic vignettes backdropped by Sanxia’s hills and streets.

In addition to leaving behind his personal artwork legacy, Li forever endeared himself to Sanxia residents for his dedication to the above-mentioned Sanxia Qingshui Zushi Temple. From age 46 until his death at 82, Li poured his heart and soul into beautifying the religious site, transforming it into a palace of Eastern art. A corner of the gallery showcases Li’s efforts in this arena – on display are some of his original concept sketches as well as photographs of how these were rendered in 3D by carpenters and stonemasons.

Halfway along Sanxia Old Street is a dusty blue wooden frontage set with oversized porthole windows, inside which is another of Sanxia’s artistic offerings – a gallery space dedicated to Wu Kuan-Te, the Su Chiung Art Museum Wu, who has familial roots in the town, explores Daoist themes of nature and the universe in his pieces. Using sticks, stones, and other found objects, the artist etches intricate nature-inspired fantasy scenes into an oil-paint base, resulting in intricately detailed canvases that appear illuminated from within.

Wu’s large, often circular canvases fill the gallery’s front and rear rooms, while a connecting corridor contains exhibits introducing noteworthy former residents of Sanxia. There’s an antique dentist’s chair and jars filled with gruesomely genuine extractions salvaged from a dental clinic run a few stores down by the artist’s grandfather. A nearby alcove holds works by Wu Yao-zhong, student of Li Mei-shu and a talented artist of the post-war school of Taiwanese realism, whose political leanings saw him persecuted during the White Terror era. And if you wander through to the rear of the property and up the exterior steps, you’ll find a quiet coffee shop occupying the airy second-floor space – the perfect place to sit down with a sketchbook and scratch your own creative itch.

SANXIA INDIGO DYEING CENTER | 三峽藍染展示中心 (02) 8671-3108

No. 3, Ln. 20, Zhongshan Rd., Sanxia District, New Taipei City ( 新北市三峽區中山路 20巷3 號 ) www.facebook.com/sanxia.indigo.dyeing

LI MEI-SHU MEMORIAL GALLERY | 李梅樹紀念館 (02) 2673-2333

No. 10, Ln. 43, Zhonghua Rd., Sanxia District, New Taipei City ( 新北市三峽區中華路 43巷10 號 ) www.facebook.com/limeishu.org limeishu.org.tw

SU CHIUNG ART MUSEUM | 庶民美術館 (02) 2671-2009

No. 110, Minquan St., Sanxia District, New Taipei City ( 新北市三峽區民權街 110 號 ) limeishu.org.tw

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

Li Mei-shu | 李梅樹 Sanxia Old Street | 三峽老街 Wu Kuan-Te | 吳冠德

MAP

Li Mei-shu Memorial Gallery

Su Chiung Art Museum

Riding the New Taipei City Countryside

On Well-Maintained Bikeways and Heritage Rail Tracks

Sprawling New Taipei City, which encircles Taipei City, is a place of densely urbanized areas and slowerpaced outlying locales. Here we take you on three first-rate biking jaunts through its countryside – along its breeze-cooled coast, along its most important river, and even through a mountain. Note that we use “biking” here rather than “cycling”; on two of our excursions, your mount will have two wheels, but on the other, your steed will be a four-wheeled rail bike, rolling along on a length of tracks that is a priceless vestige of Taiwan’s industrial past. Intrigued? All aboard, off we go!

TEXT RICK CHARETTE PHOTOS VISION

TongluoOld Caoling Circle Line Bikeway

This long, moderate-grade 20km bikeway, among Taiwan’s finest, provides you with the golden opportunity to circumnavigate Taiwan’s easternmost peninsula, which is capped with the iconic Sandiaojiao (Cape Santiago) Lighthouse at its tip, a place of stunning views and location of mainland Taiwan’s “first sunrise” each day. Getting there is a breeze. Trains run regularly from Taipei to the coastal town of Fulong, taking about 1.5hrs.

In warm weather awash with beach-fun tourists, Fulong is on the north side of the peninsula. Rent your bike (e-bikes available) from one of the gaggle of government-vetted bike-rental shops around Fulong Railway Station, then head toward this ride’s highlight, the Old Caoling Tunnel, along a short and shallow fecund valley dotted with small farms.

The mountain-piercing tunnel is a 2.16km railway section, Taiwan’s longest tunnel when completed in 1924. It was retired in 1986 after a wider double-track tunnel had been built parallel to it. When you pop out the southern end of the old tunnel, you’re right on the coast, on the peninsula’s south side, and you can watch trains whooshing in and out of the new tunnel right beside.

There are small operators here where you can get a bite to eat and an ice cream or popsicle. And then you can decide to either return through the tunnel or embark on the long ride around the peninsula, breakers below to the right, mountainside crowding in on the left, coastal highway (Prov. Hwy 2) right beside much of the way.

Along the coast, you’ll pass the Lailai Coast Geological Area, the Northeast Coast's most magnificent sea-eroded stone platform. At the eastern tip, visit the Sandiaojiao Lighthouse, built by the Japanese in 1931. And back at Fulong, rest up at the 3km-long golden-sand Fulong Beach, north Taiwan’s most popular. Fulong has coast-side resort-hotel accommodations and a large campground with rentals.

Bikeway

Shen’ao Rail Bike

Chugga-chugga choo-choo, time to ride the railroad now! The Shen’ao Rail Bike attraction (www.railbike.com.tw), a runaway success that opened in 2018, is located right on the coast parallel to the coastal highway just southeast of Keelung City’s Badouzi Fishing Port.

Take a train from Taipei to Keelung Railway Station and change to bus no. 791. The bus plies the coastal highway and stops at both the northwest terminus (Badouzi Station) and southwest terminus (Shen’ao Station) of the 1.3km-long section of retired railway track on which the rail bikes run. (Note: The 791 heads much further along the coast, its run ending in the above-mentioned Fulong town.)

Your jaunt is self-pedal, and your rolling stock is a brightly painted four-wheeled buggy-style rail bike that fits two adults. The first leg (traveling from Badouzi Station) gives you a full view of the coastline, with big views of young Chaojing Park, the rocky shore of Wanghaixiang Bay, and fishing craft heading into and out of the small Wanghaixiang Fishing Harbor. About halfway along, you enter a tunnel that cuts through a mountain spur – a fantasia-like experience awaits inside, with artistic lighting deftly used to bring you the sensation of traveling beneath the nearby ocean surface, marine creatures drifting by beside and above you. On exit, you encounter a leafy forest landscape inside a long, narrow valley, passing by the imposing and dramatically incongruous concrete ruins of a defunct coal-mining operation before arriving at the Shen’ao Station terminus.

Before/after a ride, refresh yourself at the eye-captivating HOHObase, a café/restaurant (sandwiches/salads/desserts) constructed of interconnected pastel-color cargo containers between tracks and highway about 200m from Badouzi Station.

The tracks here once belonged to the Shen’ao Branch Line, which ran from Keelung along the coast to a coast-side loading station below the mountainside mining town of Jinguashi, today home of the marvelous Gold Museum ( gep-en.ntpc.gov.tw). Built to haul coal, it also handled local passengers and freight.

Shen'ao Rail Bike

Golden Shore Cycling Path

You’ve enjoyed scenery on two outings along the rugged Northeast Coast – time now to conquer the alsomajestically-scenic, volcano-backdropped North Coast! This even-grade 16.7km ride starts at the Taipei/New Taipei City border by the lazy Tamsui River’s right bank, takes you up to the river’s debouche at the ocean, and then runs a distance along the North Coast, the mighty Yangmingshan massif, made up of long-dormant volcanoes, in full glorious view the entire length.

You start at small Guanhai Park, a short ride from MRT Guandu Station. There are YouBike public-bike rentals at the station. Other bike rentals are available along the riverside path just south of here, near Guandu Temple. Your excursion ends – if one way only – not far beyond Danhai New Town, with the town’s light-rail Danhai LRT Kanding Station a return option. Note that bike rentals are also available about halfway along the route at MRT Tamsui Station.

Among your excursion highlights, in order encountered, is the picturesque Guandu Bridge across

the Tamsui, a red-painted icon; the Tamsui River Mangrove Nature Reserve, busy with mudskippers and fiddler crabs; Tamsui Old Street, thick with sellers of traditional snack treats and other souvenir-worthy merchandise; a thicket of inexpensive and higher-end eateries and snack joints path-side along the river north of the metro station, with alfresco seating optimal for Tamsui’s famed sunsets; Fort San Domingo and the Former British Consulate (5min uphill walk from path), important heritage assets from the Spanish/ Dutch/British imperial presence in Taiwan 17th-19th centuries; Tamsui Customs Wharf, Taiwan’s sole extant pier of Qing Dynasty pedigree; and Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf at the river’s mouth, which features seafood and other eateries, the gleamingwhite, cable-stayed pedestrian Lover’s Bridge, which leaps the major fishing harbor here, opportunities for short yacht cruises around the river mouth and into open water (fee), and glowing sunset views from a long boardwalk viewing platform.

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

Badouzi Fishing Port | 八斗子漁港

Chaojing Park | 潮境公園

Danhai New Town | 淡海新市

Fulong [Beach] | 福隆 [ 海水浴場 ]

Golden Shore Cycling Path | 金色水岸自行車道

HOHObase | 好好基地

Lailai Coast Geological Area | 萊萊地質區

Old Caoling Circle Line Bikeway | 舊草嶺環狀自行車道

Old Caoling Tunnel | 舊草嶺隧道

Sandiaojiao Lighthouse | 三貂角燈塔

Shen'ao Rail Bike | 深澳鐵道自行車

Shen'ao Station | 深澳站

Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf | 淡水漁人碼頭

Tamsui Old Street | 淡水老街

Tamsui River Mangrove Nature Reserve | 淡水河紅樹林自然保留區

Wanghaixiang Fishing Harbor | 望海巷漁港

Tamsui riverfront

A Taste of History, A Bite of Now

Heritage Sites and Eateries in Taoyuan City’s

Zhongli District

Zhongli District forms the western part of Taoyuan City’s densely populated urban core. Despite its bustling network of traffic-heavy main roads and intricate web of smaller streets, the observant traveler will discover surprisingly tranquil enclaves of cultural and historical significance, conveniently situated close to each other.

Zhongli Railway Station, centrally located within the district, is Zhongli’s main hub. While it is not yet directly connected to the Taoyuan Airport MRT line, an extension project is currently underway, with the future MRT station (A23), close to the railway station, anticipated to be operational by 2028. In addition, the area around the railway station is now undergoing a significant remodeling, including relocation of the railway tracks underground. Slated for completion by 2030, this project aims to transform the station – sometimes cited as one of the least attractive in Taiwan – and its surroundings into a more modern, efficient, and appealing space.

Just to the north of Zhongli Railway Station is a lively neighborhood with numerous shops, eateries, and street vendors, which is especially busy on weekends. Among the businesses here are many that cater to migrant workers employed in Taoyuan’s countless factories, including restaurants offering Southeast Asian cuisine.

Zhongli Forestry Story House

TEXT RAY HECHT PHOTOS VISION

Zhongli Forest Story House

Located 400m southwest of ZhongPing Rd Story House, across the street from Zhongli Elementary School, the Zhongli Forest Story House is a slightly larger complex. It was previously used for the elementary school’s faculty housing. The site consists of three Japanese-style buildings, two wooden, one red brick, constructed in 1917, and designated as heritage buildings in 2015.

This is a fun educational place, great for families, with an array of targeted activities for children and cute artworks on display, including a Formosan black bear named Duma that is a perfect companion for taking selfies.

Building A is home to the Dudu Tea House, where you can enjoy Taiwanese egg cakes. Building B functions as a workshop for children. It has a reading room with books in Chinese as well as other languages. Artworks created by youngsters are on display, and you can purchase a variety of souvenir craftworks, such as paper flowers and quirky keychains. Courses for children are offered on weekends, on creative-theme subjects including painting and handicrafts. Building C houses a café, Gozen Kamicha ( gozenkamicha.com.tw), which has a range of premium coffees and mouthwatering matcha-flavored desserts, such as green tea ice cream and waffles.

ZHONGLI FOREST STORY HOUSE | 壢小故事森林

No. 52, Bo'ai Rd., Zhongli Dist., Taoyuan City ( 桃園市中壢區博愛路 52 號 ) (03) 425-1345

10am-5pm (closed on Mon) www.facebook.com/lixiaostory52

Zhongli 1941

Zhongli

1941

This site, also known as the Zhongli Police Dorms, is quite similar in style to the two introduced above. It is the smallest of the three complexes. Located to the east of Zhongli Elementary School, next to the Taoyuan Police Department’s Zhongli Precinct, this was where local police officers resided back during the Japanese era. The “1941” in the name refers to the year the buildings were constructed. From the pedestrian bridge outside that connects to the school, you can get a good view of the old structures from above.

Comprising three buildings, the complex, occupied in more recent times by retired policemen, was vacated in 2002, meticulously restored starting in 2017, and opened to the public in 2019. Items from the past, such as an antique sewing machine, have been preserved. Sit down on the tatami floor and soak up the old Japanese atmosphere while viewing the exhibits, including historic photographs. One of the buildings houses a restaurant, Tina , which is known for its healthy foods and has many vegetarian options.

ZHONGLI 1941 | 壢景町

No. 627, Yanping Rd., Zhongli Dist., Taoyuan City ( 桃園市中壢區延平路 627 號 ) 10am–5 pm (closed on Mon & Tue) www.facebook.com/1941zhongli

Exhibits inside

ZhongPing Rd Story House

Amidst a quarter brimming with shops and other commercial activity, you might not expect any sites of historic significance. But a 5-minute walk from the railway station is one of many buildings dating back to the Japanese era (1895-1945) preserved and renovated by the Taoyuan City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs, the ZhongPing Rd Story House.

Built in 1930, this facility originally served as a residence for civil servants in the Japanese administration. After the end of World War II, it became home to the families of two high-level officials. The families resided in the building for nearly 60 years, moving out in 2007, and the building was officially designated a historic site in 2010. Renovations commenced in 2013, and the site was opened to the public in May 2015.

ZHONGPING RD STORY HOUSE | 中平路故事館 No. 99, Fuxing Rd., Zhongli Dist., Taoyuan City ( 桃園市中壢區復興路 99 號 ) (03) 425-5008 10am-5pm (closed on Mon) www.facebook.com/ZhongpingRoadStoryHouse www.zhongpingstory.com (Chinese)

While not a large structure, encompassing approximately 100 square meters, there are many things of interest. The house features many characteristics of typical Japanese architecture, including tatami rooms and sliding doors (“shoji”). Various elements from outside traditional Japanese architecture, such as the Western-style round windows, give the building a unique character.

Visitors can observe and appreciate a host of antique furnishings, including devices such as a TV set, a typewriter, and a microscope. A photo album with black-and-white images of former residents offers further insight into life within the residence in years past. The house is also frequently used as a venue for lectures, workshops, and exhibitions.

Traditional Japanese-style room

Zhongping Rd Story House

Peanut House

There is no shortage of unique food options in Zhongli. Peanut House, located about 500m west of the Zhongli Forest Story House, is a prime example. The shop can be easily recognized by a spinning gelato machine out front.

Established in 1911, the shop is a family-owned business still run by the Zhang family after four generations. They specialize in selling a variety of nuts, from pistachios to walnuts and cashews. However, after all these years, their most popular items remain their originals: roasted peanuts and peanut candies, all sourced from producers in Taiwan. The shop also sells groceries such as dried fruits, noodles, curries, coffees, and canned goods. Its chocolate selection includes imports from Japan, including hard-to-find regional KitKat flavors.

While there are other Peanut House outlets in Taoyuan, only the Zhongli location offers soft-serve ice cream. Introduced 15 years ago, it has become a standout feature, available in peanut, sesame, or mixed flavors, with the option of additional peanut or sesame sauce. One scoop costs NT$80, and two scoops are NT$140, both options including a complimentary cone.

PEANUT HOUSE | 張豐盛商行

No. 349, Zhongzheng Rd., Zhongli Dist., Taoyuan City ( 桃園市中壢區中正路 349 號 ) (03) 492-0606 9am-5:30 pm

House

Shock Shock

Roughly 300m north of the Zhongli Forest Story House, at the intersection of Zhongping and Minsheng roads, sits a noteworthy small stinky-tofu shop. Larger than a typical food stall yet smaller than a restaurant, this eatery offers limited outdoor seating. It features a somewhat refined take on the popular, pungent night-market snack. The straightforward menu presents a choice between a small NT$80 portion and a large NT$120 serving. The distinctive dish comes with kimchi, optional chili sauce, and can be paired with a soda or black tea.

Stinky tofu, a famously acquired taste, often turns out to be an insurmountable culinary hurdle for visitors to Taiwan. However, Shock Shock’s rendition is noticeably less pungent and oily compared to standard night-market fare. The tofu has a crispy texture and a mild flavor. Despite being a relatively recent addition to Zhongli’s culinary scene, established only five years ago, Shock Shock has quickly gained popularity among local food enthusiasts, so be prepared for queues during the lunch and dinner hours.

tofu

SHOCK SHOCK | 驚嘆號

No. 201, Zhongping Rd., Zhongli Dist., Taoyuan City ( 桃園市中壢區中平路 201 號 ) 12:30pm-9:30 pm

Peanut

Stinky

Matsu New Village Cultural and Creative Park

Of course, there’s more to Zhongli than just the area around the train station. If you’re the kind of traveler who enjoys venturing beyond the normal tourist boundaries, hop on bus number 112, 115A, or 5008 to explore Matsu New Village Cultural and Creative Park, located about 2.5km southeast of the railway station.

Situated in a quieter part of Zhongli District, this park is a preserved 1950s military village. The large area is organized into four sections, each with numerous small houses. In the center, the Yuexin Pavilion offers a pleasant place to rest and take pictures.

To the right of the main entrance (Ln. 116, Longqing St.), you can visit the Matsu New Village History Exhibition , providing insights into the park’s past. Currently, it features a special section centered on old movies. Similar to the Japanese-era heritage sites mentioned earlier, here you can explore recreated rooms and preserved antique items, fostering historical understanding and a sense of nostalgia. Notably larger than the others, one room showcases a mahjong table, a mock dinner table laden with traditional dishes, and a vintage delivery bicycle. Another engaging installation, The Start of the Bao , explains the making of buns, alongside such other displays as The Start of the Knife, which introduces visitors to traditional cutlery.

Across the park’s residences, you’ll find more than 50 rooms focused on different aspects of life in the village. Be sure to look at the posted maps – they’re easy to spot and will help you find your way around. Some spots, like the creative studios, might only be open for special events.

The park isn’t just about history; you’ll also find gift shops, cafés, and restaurants scattered throughout. Take a stroll down the little alleyways and you might stumble upon Furry Furry (www.facebook.com/furryfurrypetrestaurant), a delightful cat café where you can relax with a drink and some furry companions. Another interesting stop is the Yunnan Ancient Tree Tea House, where they often have free tea samples out front for everyone to try. If you’re in the mood for Hong Kong flavors, Bean Corn (www.facebook. com/Minibeanietw) has you covered with teas and snacks. You’ll also find noodle places, hamburger joints, ice-cream and popsicle stands, and purveyors of sweet treats like cakes and waffles. Keep in mind that while some shops have English names and menus in both languages, many only have Chinese.

Matsu New Village History Exhibition building

Story Village building

Matsu New Village Cultural and Creative Park

MATSU NEW VILLAGE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE PARK |

馬祖新村眷村文創園區

No. 155, Longji 2nd St., Zhongli Dist., Taoyuan City ( 桃園市中壢區龍吉二街 155 號 ) (03) 284-1866 www.facebook.com/ArtMatsuVillage matsu.tyccc.gov.tw (Chinese)

Zhongzhen Commercial District

For travelers who want to wander even further, Zhongzhen Commercial District is a busy shopping area with a unique character down in the Longgang neighborhood (part of which is in Pingzhen District), about 1km southeast of Matsu New Village. Longgang is especially noteworthy for its significant Yunnanese and Burmese cultural influence, particularly among the military community, established when Nationalist soldiers were brought back from the Yunnan/ Burma border area, which has resided there for many decades (see page 6 for an introduction to the Zhongzhen New Village Cultural Park and surroundings).

Here are three primary public transport options for reaching Zhongli. The quickest route from Taipei is by conventional train from Taipei Main Station to Zhongli Railway Station, with travel times ranging from 35 minutes to an hour, depending on the train type. Another option is taking an intercity bus from stations such as Taipei Bus Station or Taipei City Hall Bus Station to Zhongli Bus Station, which is close to the railway station. You can also take the Taoyuan Airport MRT (passing through Taoyuan International Airport) to its southwestern terminus, Laojie River Station (A22), from which Zhongli Railway Station is about 15 minutes on foot.

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

Bean Corn | 豆角

Dudu Tea House | 讀讀小茶屋

Furry Furry | 毛來了

Gozen Kamicha | 御前上茶

Longgang | 龍岡

Matsu New Village Cultural and Creative Park | 馬祖新村眷村文創園區

Matsu New Village History Exhibition | 馬祖新村故事館

Pingzhen District | 平鎮區

Yuexin Pavilion | 悅心亭

Yunnan Ancient Tree House | 花間茶影

Zhongli District | 中壢區

Zhongli Elementary School | 中壢國民小學

Zhongli Police Dorms | 中壢警察局日式宿舍群

Zhongli Railway Station | 中壢火車站

Zhongzhen Commercial District | 忠貞商圈

Getting to Zhongli

Old kitchen

Zhongzhen New Village Cultural Park

Military history exhibition

Recreating Nostalgic Flavors

Restaurants Serving Traditional Taiwanese Cuisine in Innovative Ways

While Taiwan is perhaps best known for its night-market foods, the island boasts a wealth of signature recipes shaped by its diverse geography and cultural influences. From intricate, time-consuming banquet creations to time-honored everyday plates, many Taiwanese-cuisine restaurants strive to recreate these classic flavors in their menu, often with a modern twist.

©Feng Delicious

Feng Delicious

Lively conversation fills the bright, bold-colored dining area at Feng Delicious as friends and families gather after work for a taste of home cooking. The restaurant aims to provide a relaxed, casual atmosphere similar to that of bustling stir-fry joints, but in a more polished setting with an intriguing and innovative menu. Groups looking for quietude can opt for one of the private rooms, which are quite soundproof.

The restaurant is run by Wowprime Corp., which is primarily known for its steakhouses but now operates nearly 500 eateries covering a variety of cuisines in Taiwan and China. Feng Delicious was launched in 2019 in a bid to recreate the uniquely Taiwanese flavors of “mom’s cooking.”

The problem was that there wasn’t one standard way of preparing these dishes, and arguments often arose while attempting to standardize the recipes, as staff members had different versions dear to their memories. The chefs adjusted, experimented, and eventually settled on a menu everyone approved of, which includes banquet dishes and creative takes on classics.

Last August, the restaurant unveiled a brand-new look and menu across its four branches in Taipei and Taichung, opting for an orange-and-green palette with retro-chic furnishings such as window grilles. The new menu includes 13 innovative dishes, created using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible.

One notable new offering is the crispy pork knuckles, which are first braised and then deep-fried, and finally drizzled in a soy-based sauce made with 13 spices. The numbing spiciness and layers of different fragrances build up slowly in the mouth, and the texture is both crunchy and chewy. Another hot item is the shacha sauce radish cake, which is flash-fried at high heat so the inside is still soft.

The four-cup chicken is a variation of the usual threecup recipe using soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil. The fourth cup is a shot of huadiao wine, poured into the pipinghot ceramic bowl used just before serving. And the eggs fried in pure black sesame oil with aged ginger slices are aromatic and go well with white rice. Both runny and baked versions are available.

FENG DELICIOUS | 丰禾台式小館 (02) 2507-6808

2F, No. 146, Sec. 2, Nanjing E. Rd., Zhongshan Dist., Taipei City ( 台北市中山區南京東路二段 146號2F) 11:30am-2:30pm; 5:30pm-10pm www.veggtable.com

Crispy pork knuckles

Radish cake

Truly Taiwanese Cuisine

Those who have visited Wai’ao Beach in Yilan County will surely have noticed the stately, all-white Middle Eastern-style palace building between the shore and the coastal highway. It was built by the county’s Lin family, who made their fortune in the restaurant business in Saudi Arabia. In 2019, they returned to their roots and opened Truly Taiwanese Cuisine in Taipei to bring the distinctive specialties of their home region to diners in the metropolis – albeit infused with modern, creative elements.

The restaurant is nestled in the basement of the Breeze Center shopping mall complex in the capital’s trendy East District. It’s somewhat hard to find, but just be patient and follow the signs. The dark-toned wood decor is elegant yet cozy at the same time, accentuated with vintage decorations, art pieces, and old photos. The layout, with round tables predominant, is designed to accommodate groups of all sizes, and diners can also book one of the private rooms.

Head chef Wang Sheng-yao grew up in Taipei, but has ancestral roots in Yilan. After two decades in the industry exploring different cuisines, he now aims to reintroduce the nostalgic flavors of his family kitchen to a new generation. In the past, many of these dishes were often prepared in copious amounts for family gatherings, banquets, and temple festivities, the more lavish the better. But this notion no longer suits today’s society, as younger customers with smaller families prefer more refined and intimate dining experiences that also emphasize visual appeal. While retaining the essence of the cuisine, Wang has introduced modifications of Yilan classics into today’s menu.

Dried radish omelet is a quintessential offering found in many restaurants serving Taiwanese cuisine, but Yilan’s “wet” version is distinct as the radish is pickled in sugar and salt water, making for a softer texture instead of the traditional crunch. It pairs well with the fluffy scrambled egg that’s almost 5cm thick, the aroma enhanced with garlic sprouts. It is ideally consumed with premium chewy Koshihikari rice from Yilan’s Wujie Township.

“Dragon Phoenix Leg” is a northeastern Taiwan specialty, harkening back to the days when families couldn’t afford to serve drumsticks to every member after sacrificing chickens during their annual ancestor worship ceremony. For the hungry children, locals concocted this morsel by wrapping leftover ingredients in pork caul fat, sticking a rib bone into the end of the membrane and deep-frying it. Truly Taiwanese Cuisine’s version includes fried spring onions of Sanxing Township fame, water chestnut, lard, pork, and shrimp, and comes with a red miso dipping sauce.

Pig belly soup

©Truly Taiwanese Cuisine

Dried radish omelet

The real drumstick dish, however, is a boneless “drunken” creation rolled up, steamed in red-yeast rice, and then marinated for 20 hours in Shaoxing wine. Served cold, it emanates a fragrant alcoholic flavor that is distinct but not overwhelming, with slight fermentation undertones.

The highly esteemed banquet dish of pig belly soup with pickled vegetables is very time-consuming to concoct and is hard to find in restaurants nowadays. Pickled cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, bamboo shoots, and pig stomach are sliced into strips and tied together with dried calabash strings, creating a delightful textural medley.

Another favorite is the mullet roe fried rice, which is quickly cooked in intense heat to draw out the umami flavor of the salted roe. The rich taste permeates the evenly separated grains, blending well with the spring onion. It’s served in a heart shape, referring to the Chinese characters translated as “Truly” in the restaurant’s English name, literal translation “true + heart(ed).”

A variety of drinks is also available. The sugarcane juice with oolong tea is not too sweet and serves as a refreshing palate cleanser, and the white gourd and lemon juice is another popular choice. As well, affordable seasonal lunch boxes are available for those on the go; a highlight item is the garlic “tiger palms,” which are tendinous pork joints.

TRULY TAIWANESE CUISINE | 真心台菜微風廣場

(02) 6600-1280

GF, No. 39, Sec. 1, Fuxing S. Rd., Songshan Dist., Taipei City (inside Breeze Center) ( 台北市松山區復興南路一段 39號 G 樓 )

Mon.-Thur., Sun. 11:30am-2:30pm; 5:30pm-9:30pm Fri.-Sat. 11:30am-15pm; 5:30pm-10pm www.facebook.com/trulytaiwanesecuisine

Drunken chicken with red miso sauce

Mullet roe fried rice

Mipon

For a luxurious Taiwanese-cuisine experience, head to Mipon, which has earned a Michelin star four years in a row. It’s located on the third floor of the opulent Grand Mayfull Hotel in a high-end neighborhood in Taipei’s Dazhi area, and its versatile menu accommodates banquets, business meetings, as well as intimate family dinners. The spacious dining hall can seat 190 people, and there’s also a large private booth and five connectable smaller ones. The extravagant yet tasteful interior is well-illuminated with natural light, and of special note are the floors made with a special type of decorative marble that’s usually used on walls.

“Mipon” is the Taiwanese pronunciation of the characters for “rice fragrance,” the name honoring the island’s agricultural heritage and the ubiquitous grain that’s the essence of local cuisine. The private rooms also echo this theme, named after the solar terms of the farmers’ calendar. The ingredients used in the restaurant’s culinary works are locally sourced, organic, and adjusted according to season.

Taiwanese cuisine is broadly defined and allows for much interpretation, says head chef Lin Chi-fung. There’s not a standard way to make a certain dish since all ultimately originate from the home kitchen, where each family follows its own inherited recipe. Most crucial is the use of local spices and flavorings such as pure sesame oil and rice wine, which anchor the memories of Taiwanese taste buds.

With 40 years of culinary experience across the globe, executive chef Chen Yung-hua excels at infusing his creativity and influences into complex, laborious classic recipes and sumptuous banquet hall offerings, as well as high-quality dishes created by private cooks for wealthy households and simple home-style standards. In the past, restaurant plates often came with intricate sculpted decorations, and Mipon also strives to revive this fading art – this option is available upon request.

The “3.5 cup” spring bamboo and abalone is another twist on the aforementioned traditional threecup preparation, with an extra half-cup of Shaoxing wine poured onto the sizzling pot at the table. The bamboo shoots are meticulously scored so that the flavors permeate the entire piece, and this dish requires precise control and timing over the fire. The result is a medley of textures and flavors, with the aroma of the Shaoxing wine filling each bite.

Hand-dressed crab

Another unique innovation is the fried pork jowl with peanut sprouts. Peanut sprouts are still relatively rare on Taiwanese menus, their crunchy texture and sweet taste a departure from the common bean sprouts. They pair well with the tender, evenly marbled pork cheeks, which are fried in slightly spicy XO sauce.

The hand-dressed crab with three types of egg is an example of a complex dish that requires pre-ordering. The mud crab is first steamed to preserve its flavor, with the meat and paste removed manually and stir-fried with scrambled egg and chunks of thousand-year egg. A crab-juice broth is then poured on, with egg white added at the end to provide a thicker texture.

Smaller groups can order Mipon’s version of pickled radish omelet, which uses whole radishes instead of the usual dried scraps of the vegetable. The restaurant’s signature offerings are the fish skin stew with Chinese cabbage adorned with a crunchy garnish made from crispy duck egg, and the tangy glazed fried pork ribs with black jujube dates. The steamed chicken with a special sauce made with chili, garlic, and lemon juice is also worth a try, as well as the beef with manganji green pepper.

For dessert, Mipon offers almond soup in the winter and chilled almond tofu in the summer, which are made from scratch using authentic ingredients, crafting a taste more subtle and organic than the artificial flavoring commonly used elsewhere.

Note: Some ingredients of the dishes on the menu are seasonal and will be adjusted according to the season.

MIPON | 米香台菜餐廳 (02) 7722-3399 No. 55, Lequn 2nd Rd., Zhongshan Dist., Taipei City (inside Grand Mayfull Taipei) ( 台北市中山區樂群二路 55 號 ) 11:30am-2:30am, 6pm-9:30pm www.grandmayfull.com/dining/MIPON

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

Chen Yung-hua | 陳永華

Dazhi | 大直 "Dragon Phoenix Leg" | 龍鳳腿 huadiao wine | 花雕酒

Lin Chi-fung | 林其鋒

Sanxing Township | 三星鄉

shacha sauce | 沙茶醬 "tiger palms" | 虎掌

Wai'ao Beach | 外澳海水浴場

Wang Sheng-yao | 王聖堯

Wowprime Corp | 王品集團

Wujie Township | 五結鄉

MAP

Spring bamboo and abalone

©Mipon

Fried pork jowl with peanut sprouts

Visiting a foreign land offers a wide range of new experiences, and undoubtedly, savoring local cuisine and observing eating customs rank high among them. For Western visitors, accustomed to a clear distinction between sweet and savory, combining these flavor profiles in other cuisines can often be surprising. A prime example of this intriguing approach is found in how certain fruits are enjoyed in Taiwan.

TEXT & PHOTOS VISION

When offered fresh fruit by local hosts you might encounter a curious local custom: the dipping of the fruit into salt, plum powder, or soy sauce. While Western palates most often enjoy fresh fruit in its pure, sweet form, in Taiwan a delightful sweet/ salty combination is quite common.

Sprinkling salt on slices of watermelon, pineapple, star fruit, and peach, fruits that are known for being especially sweet, is a good example. A touch of salt doesn’t make the fruit taste salty; instead, it acts as a flavor enhancer, drawing out the fruit’s natural sweetness and adding a subtle savory complexity that somehow elevates the overall taste experience.

Salt not only enhances a fruit’s flavor, but its sodium content can also help balance sodium and potassium levels, especially when consuming potassium-rich fruits like apples. For pineapple, a pinch of salt can neutralize its acidity and aid digestion.

Another popular fruit companion is plum powder. This fine, reddish-brown powder, made from dried and ground plums, offers a tangy and slightly sweet coating. Guava and tomatoes are frequent recipients of a flavorful dusting; the plum powder’s tartness works well with the sweetness of the guava and the refreshing juiciness of the tomato.

Going further into unexpected flavor pairings, soy sauce is paired with certain fruits as well. Wax apples and green mango slices, for instance, can be dipped in a mixture of soy sauce and minced garlic, introducing a savory and pungent dimension. Pomelos can be enjoyed with a blend of soy sauce and wasabi, offering a surprising kick. This is, however, a practice even locals might find too adventurous to try. Tomatoes sometimes get a more complex treatment with a concoction of soy sauce paste, sugar, ginger paste, and licorice powder, resulting in a sweet, salty, spicy, and slightly herbal flavor profile.

Pairing fruit with salt, plum powder, and various soy sauce mixtures can help to balance flavors and enhance the fruit’s natural qualities. Salt can boost sweetness, while plum powder creates a refreshing contrast. Soy sauce adds umami and depth for a more complex taste. Though unconventional for Western palates used to purely sweet fruit, these combinations reveal Taiwan’s nuanced food culture and are worth a try on your next culinary adventure!

Coffee Presents Coffee Presents Coffee-Related Gift Options in Taiwan

TEXT & PHOTOS VISION

The popularity of coffee in Taiwan in recent times is well-documented. Cafés and coffee shops offer connoisseurs a wide range of brews, including coffees made with imported beans and premium selections grown on Taiwan soil. After enjoying a cup, check out the gift options often available in these fashionable coffee joints, taking home quality coffee for yourself and the people you care about.

Ifnot interested in buying beans by the bag and looking for a more convenient alternative, especially if you want to brew par excellence coffee while on the road, drip coffee is a popular option. The ground coffee is contained in tiny filter bags that can be placed in a mug and poured over easily. Drip coffee starring Taiwan-produced beans is widely available in local specialty coffee shops in Taipei and other cities, such as VWI by CHADWANG (vwibychadwang.cyberbiz.co) and Simple Kaffa (simplekaffa.com).

If you intend to gift coffee to friends or family, you’ll find a wide variety of attractive gift box options. Gift boxes, especially for food items, are a significant part of Taiwan’s economy, and many producers excel at presenting goods in stylish packaging, often featuring sets of different products. For coffee gifts, expect an assortment of beans, sometimes paired with elegant coffeebrewing accessories.

Some producers go to great lengths to make their coffee gifts truly special. Bean Barn Coffee Roasters (www.beanbarncoffee. com.tw), for example, offers “coffee bento.” These are tony metal boxes, similar to those used for lunch meals, which instead contain five small packs of coffee beans, each with a different roast, region, and processing method.

At Coffee Lover’s Planet (www.coffee-lovers-planet.com.tw), be sure to explore its coffee that comes in a positive-pressure aluminum can, a storing method that helps to preserve the roasted coffee beans’ freshness and aroma as well as extend shelf life. Upon opening, you’ll be greeted by an intense burst of the coffee’s true character. Coffee Lover’s Planet offers a variety of their premium single-origin and blended beans in these special cans, including prized Taiwanese selections like their Alishan coffee.

Both Café!n ( www.cafein.com.tw ) and HWC Coffee ( www. hwcroasters.com) are popular for their convenient and flavorful coffee concentrates, known as coffee balls or concentrated coffee liquid. These single-serving pods or bottles offer a quick and effortless way to enjoy quality coffee by simply mixing the concentrated brew with hot or cold water or other liquids. Café!n emphasizes its patented high-pressure extraction for rich flavor,

while HWC Coffee focuses on high-temperature extraction and rapid cooling to capture the essence of its specialty beans, offering a variety of roasts and flavor profiles perfect for a fast yet satisfying coffee experience at home or on the go.

Happen Coffee (www.happen.coffee ) serves up a distinctive experience by pairing quality coffee with quality whisky. Available are whisky-infused coffee beans as well as convenient whisky-infused drip coffee bags. Those looking for a unique gift purchase can opt for whisky-infused coffee gift sets in both bean and drip bag versions.

ENGLISH AND CHINESE coffee bento | 咖啡便當 coffee ball | 咖啡球 concentrated coffee liquid | 濃縮咖啡液 drip bag coffee | 濾掛式咖啡 positive-pressure aluminum can | 陽壓罐 whisky coffee | 威士忌酒漬咖啡

Coffee bento

Touching Down in the South

Exploring Kaohsiung from Its International Airport

While Taiwan’s main gateway is Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) in the north, Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH) offers a convenient entry point for those looking to explore the vibrant southern reaches of the island. Situated in Kaohsiung City’s Siaogang District, just east of the southern tip of Kaohsiung Port, this busy airport connects the city to over 20 international destinations across East Asia, including Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, and Thailand. It also serves as a vital link to Taiwan’s offshore islands, including Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu, as well as the scenic east coast city of Hualien.

The airport offers a seamless connection to downtown Kaohsiung and its numerous tourist attractions via the Red Line of the Kaohsiung Metro system; the Kaohsiung International Airport Station is just a short walk from the airport terminal. However, you don’t need to travel far if you intend to go on a shopping spree. Get off at Caoya, one station north of the airport, and you’ll get immediate access to the popular and fashionable SKM Park shopping mall complex, home to a large number of shops, restaurants,

entertainment options, and even a hotel. More shopping awaits around the aptly named Sanduo Shopping District station. Alternatively, you can switch to the city’s LRT (Light Rail Transit) line with a short walk from Kaisyuan station to the LRT’s Cianjhen Star station to reach the Dream Mall, known for its iconic rooftop Ferris wheel.

The LRT line also offers convenient access to popular tourist attractions around Kaohsiung Port. Key stops include the Kaohsiung Music Center (Love Pier station), the Pier-2 Art Center and Great Harbor Bridge (Dayi Pier-2 station), the KW2 Warehouse (Penglai Pier-2 station), and the historical Hamasen Railway Cultural Park (Hamasen station). A short walk from Hamasen Station is the Gushan Ferry Pier, where you can catch a ferry to the island of Cijin, celebrated for its scenic lighthouse, fresh-seafood eateries, and a sandy beach perfect for romantic sunsets. Not far from the Gushan Ferry Pier Terminal, the British Consulate at Takow is another popular spot known for glorious sunsets, and its elevated vantage point also provides panoramic city views.

Returning to Hamasen station, you can transfer to the Orange Line to explore more of the city. The Love River is easily accessible from Yanchengpu or Cianjin stations, inviting visitors to take a nighttime river cruise and sit down for food and drink at the riverside cafés and restaurants. Conclude your day with a visit to the city’s well-known Liuhe Night Market, reachable from Formosa Boulevard Station. This station not only offers a connection to the Red Line but is also a showcase of stunning artwork, the Dome of Light, the reason why the metro station is regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful.

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

British Consulate at Takow | 打狗英國領事館文化園區 Cijin | 旗津 Dome of Light | 光之穹頂 Great Harbor Bridge | 大港橋 Gushan Ferry Pier | 鼓山渡船站 Hamasen Railway Cultural Park | 哈瑪星鐵道文化園區 Kaohsiung Port | 高雄港 Kaohsiung Music Center | 高雄流行音樂中心 KW2 Warehouse | 棧貳庫 KW2 Liuhe Night Market | 六合觀光夜市 Love River | 愛河 Pier-2 Art Center | 駁二藝術特區

85 Sky Tower

Kaohsiung Music Center Kaohsiung Port Warehouse No. 2

Kaohsiung Light Rail Hamasen Railway Cultural Park

Beginning Back to the

Old Soapmaker Returns to Where It All Started

On any given day, Dihua Street in Taipei’s Dadaocheng neighborhood is awash with aromas: the pungent odor of dried herbs on display outside the many Chinese medicine shops, the sweet buttery scent of traditional pastries hot from bakery ovens, the rich tang of offal misua served from a roadside stall, the earthy tones of oolong tea stored in towering barrels…. But around No. 190, a different fragrance rises above the rest – bright, heady, and rich with botanicals – the unmistakable scent of soap.

Dawson Lee, brand director of Dachun Soap

CHEN CHENG-KUO

Dachun Soap

Stepping inside Dachun Soap’s flagship store, you would be forgiven for assuming the brand to be a relatively modern venture. The iron shelving, modern lighting, and stylish fixtures all speak to a contemporary industrial aesthetic. For the truly observant, however, signs of a deeper heritage can be discerned: The brand’s logo, for example – a line drawing of a smiling, moon-faced gentleman – has something charmingly old-fashioned about it, more reminiscent of early 20 th -century stylings than anything dreamt up in recent decades. An antique pendulum clock in the corner, bearing the brand’s name in Chinese characters, hints, too, that the company’s roots go further back than one might first assume.

“Dachun was founded in Dadaocheng in 1923, during the period of Japanese colonial rule, by a Japanese entrepreneur named Junichi Inoue,” Dawson explains. “At the beginning, the company had five stakeholders – four Japanese and one Taiwanese: my grandfather.” Soap production was booming at the time, driven by the colonial government’s efforts to modernize hygiene practices across Taiwan, and by the 1930s, Dachun had become one of Taiwan’s leading soapmakers. In 1934, Lee Shui-tu opened a general store on nearby Liangzhou Street, which sold many of Dachun’s soap products, further cementing the brand’s local reputation.

That clock, explains Dachun’s brand director Dawson Lee, is more than a decorative touch – it’s a symbol of legacy. “Half a century ago, my grandfather, Lee Shuitu, would often gift clocks to his distributors as a thankyou,” Dawson says. When the company prepared to return to Dadaocheng in 2016 after a 40-year absence, the clock, by sheer coincidence, found its way back as well. During a rainstorm, Dawson’s eldest brother, now the company’s thirdgeneration CEO, lost the keys to the new store and stopped by a local locksmith. “When he mentioned our company name, the locksmith, who happened to be a descendant of one of our old distributors, said that he still had one of our clocks in his home.” What better gift to welcome the brand back to the neighborhood in which it was born!

Following Japan’s exit from the island after its defeat in WWII, Lee Shui-tu acquired the company outright and continued operations. The brand flourished until the 1970s when, now under the stewardship of Dawson’s father, Lee Wei-xin, the company shifted focus to contract manufacturing, supplying soap to the hospitality industry. “My father had five kids to raise and needed the stability,” Dawson explains. “He didn’t have the resources to both keep the Dachun brand alive and manufacture soap for others. So he focused on the latter option, which he saw as the less risky of the two.” Operating under the manufacturer name Yanchun Biotech, the business was undoubtedly successful, and at one point, more than half the hotels in Taiwan used soaps manufactured in their factory in Taoyuan, southwest of Taipei.

By 2005, it was time for the third generation to take over. Dawson’s eldest brother, Lee Kuo-chen, returned from a life in the U.S. to take over the company from his father. After upgrading their production facilities, he turned his attention to reviving the Dachun brand – hopefully with the help of his siblings. For Dawson, the youngest, the idea struck a personal chord. “I grew up hearing stories about my grandfather’s business. And even though we hadn’t had a store in Dadaocheng for years, a lot of the older folks in the neighborhood” – the family home has always remained in the area – “still remembered our soap fondly. It felt like a shame to let that memory die.”

After a year of deliberation, Dawson quit his job as a mechanical engineer and joined the relaunch effort as Dachun’s brand manager, leaving his eldest brother free to take care of the contract manufacturing (still an important source of cash flow for the business). Indeed, having access to industrialscale equipment is one of Dachun’s great advantages, allowing them to produce high-quality soaps with a shelf life of up to five years (more than double the typical lifespan of handmade soaps). To illustrate this, Dawson points to a striking display on the store’s back wall, an enormous multicolored checkerboard composed of 1,923 bars of soap – a tribute to the company’s founding year. “Being machine-made, our soaps are much more structurally stable compared with handmade soaps,” Dawson explains. “They won’t start to crumble or become oily after just a short time. The wall installation is our way of showing confidence in our product’s durability.”

DACHUN SOAP ( 大春煉皂 )

0800-321-410

No. 190, Sec. 1, Dihua St., Datong Dist., Taipei City ( 台北市大同區迪化街一段 190 號 ) Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat-Sun 9am-7pm instagram.com/dachuns1923 www.facebook.com/dachuns1923 www.dachunsoap.com

Production of Dachun soap is achieved via a strict, internationally recognized six-step process: First, a soap base derived from plant oils is blended with various botanicals and fragrant essences. The mixture is then granulated and passed through a triple roller mill to form uniform soap flakes before being fed into a vacuum extruder to remove any excess moisture and air. The pressed soap is then cut into shape and, finally, stamped with the Dachun logo.

Dadaocheng | 大稻埕

Dawson Lee | 李國榮

Dihua Street | 迪化街

Lee Kuo-chen 李國禎

Lee Shui-tu | 李水土

Lee Wei-xin | 李威信

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

Ren-An Hospital | 仁安醫院

Though production may take place in a modern factory in Taoyuan, the influence of Dadaocheng is never far away. Ingredients inspired by the area’s history are used in several of Dachun’s soaps – these include rice (early in its history Dadaocheng’s fields were used for sun-drying rice grains), tea (a nod to the community’s history as a tea-exporting hub in the 19 th century), and various medicinal herbs (an homage to the many TCM shops that now populate the quarter). The package designs, too, are steeped in local history, incorporating traditional tile patterns and prominent local landmarks (the box for their “Dracaena Facial Soap,” for example, features a stylized outline of the now-repurposed Ren-An Hospital, a historic Western-style medical center built in 1927).

As the company now confidently enters its second century, it does so with a renewed sense of purpose – not only as a maker of fine soaps but also as a celebrator of the past and a champion of place. With each lather, rinse, and soft release of scent, something of old Dadaocheng lives again.

Cute soap sculptures

Taipei City

The Grand Hotel 圓山大飯店

MEET by BAR MOOD Unveils New Taiwan-Inspired International Cocktails

The Grand Hotel Taipei has partnered for the first time with BAR MOOD Taipei, an internationally renowned bar recognized as one of Asia’s Top 50, to jointly establish the new MEET by BAR MOOD. This collaboration aims to reinterpret the distinct flavors of local Taiwanese alcoholic beverages. Base spirits include Yushan Oolong Brandy, Yuquan Shaohsing Chiew and red wine, 58% Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor, and Chu Yeh Ching Chiew. The menu also features sweet liqueurs infused with deer antlers, caterpillar fungus, ginseng, and

wujiapi (traditional Chinese herbs), alongside absinthe and “hidden-flavor” wines. By exploring these local spirits, rich in historical significance, the bar seeks to awaken travelers’ memories and taste buds, guiding guests through a unique Taiwanese cultural taste feast. This experience allows you to savor the local customs and flavors of Taiwan, creating surprising and unforgettable memories.

*Heavy drinking carries health risks

No. 1, Sec. 4, Zhongshan N. Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei City ( 台北市中山區中山北路四段一號)

Tel: (02) 2886-8888 Fax: (02) 2885-2885 www.grand-hotel.org

County STAY

Hotel dùa Kenting

The dùa part of this hotel’s name is a phonetic translation of the Taiwanese word for “to live” or “to reside.” The hotel strives to create a homelike experience with warm, attentive service, allowing travelers to feel as relaxed as if they were in their own home. It has received Agoda’s prestigious Golden Circle Award, a global benchmark for outstanding hotels. Its design is primarily inspired by coral and seashells, this welcoming landmark blends the unique characteristics of Kending’s mountains, sea, and wind. With green building aesthetics and the ESG concept at its core, the building symbolizes the infinite cycle of life and conveys the brand’s deep respect for the ocean and the environment.

No. 5, Wenhua Lane, Kending Rd., Hengchun Township, Pingtung County ( 屏東縣恆春鎮墾丁路文化巷5號)

Tel: (08) 886-1333 www.hoteldua.com/tw

Taipei City FOOD

Jin Din Rou – Xiaolongbao, Dumplings, Dim Sum

小籠包・餃子・點心 京鼎樓

This well-known xiaolongbao (a type of small steamed bun) restaurant is located near the intersection of Zhongshan N. Road and Linsen N. Road. It serves traditional xiaolongbao crafted by expert chefs. Within the buns’ thin skin is a piping-hot juicy filling with a delicious taste. The restaurant has put a lot of effort in creating its rich menu. Particularly popular among the offerings are steamed buns with a skin that is infused with oolong tea flavor. Preserving traditional flavors and techniques, Jin Din Rou is a restaurant where diners can experience the results of excellent craftsmanship and truly unique tastes.

No. 47, Changchun Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei City ( 台北市中山區長春路47號)

Tel: (02) 2523-6639 jin-din-rou.net/taiwan

STAY

Taipei City

Caesar Metro Taipei 台北凱達大飯店

The Caesar Metro Taipei is situated within Wanhua District’s new landmark, the Twin Towers building, which is seamlessly integrated with the Wanhua Railway Station. The hotel is located close to MRT Longshan Temple Station Exit 2 (3-minute walk). Its 750 guestrooms are thoughtfully designed in one of three distinct styles: light industrial, luxurious, and elegant. Every room features expansive windows, providing panoramic views of the beautiful old city district. Dining options include the Jia Yan Chinese Restaurant, which specializes in classic Hu-Yue (Shanghai and Cantonese) delicacies, and the Metro Buffet restaurant, offering a fusion of international cuisines. For beverages, Bar98 provides a selection of fine wines and signature drinks. As a special perk, guests of Caesar Metro Taipei simply need to present their room card to enjoy exclusive discounts.

No. 167, Bangka Blvd., Wanhua District, Taipei City (台北市萬華區艋舺大道167號)

Tel: (02) 2306-6777

www.caesarmetro.com

WELLNESS

Taipei City

Movelove Massage 牧樂足體養生會館

Movelove Massage is situated in the Nanjing-Fuxing commercial district, only one minute on foot from MRT Nanjing Fuxing Station, Exit 3. The massage parlor is nestled in a quiet alley, providing a calm escape from the busy surroundings. The interior is clean, bright, and comfortable, with spacious private massage rooms. The professional therapists are able to communicate in simple English or Japanese. An online booking system is available for your convenience, featuring transparent pricing and allowing you to book your desired time slot. Business travelers and tourists are welcome to experience the professional massage services to relieve both physical and mental fatigue.

No. 1, Ln. 194, Sec. 3, Nanjing E. Rd., Taipei City (台北市南京東路三段194巷1號)

(close to Exit 3, MRT Nanjing Fuxing Station)

Tel: (02) 8771-9955

Hours: 11:00~23:30

Taipei City FOOD

MODERN TOILET

便所主題餐飲

A joke that has lasted for almost two decades: the story of eating while sitting on the toilet. Once named the weirdest restaurant in the world by CNN, it is now back with a bang after renovation! One of the must-eat restaurants in Taiwan, Modern Toilet Restaurant was inspired by a poop-loving robot in Japanese comics. We serve our food in feceslooking style in toilet-shaped tableware. Customers enjoy the taste of delicious cuisine while being visually stimulated by a realistic toilet environment.

Taipei Ximending Branch (台北西門町店)

2F, No.7, Ln. 50, Xining S. Rd., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City ( 台北市萬華區西寧南路50巷7號2F)

Tel: (02) 2311-8822

Pingtung