INTO THE MOUNTAINS
While Hsinchu’s seaside makes for a
relaxing afternoon out, most people visit
the region for its spectacular mountains,
which cover most of the county. The finest
walks and most-visited locations lie in
Shei-pa National Park and the Jianshi area.
To best enjoy Hsinchu’s mountains,
rent a motorbike or car, as public
transportation options are few or
nonexistent outside larger towns.
Daytrips to the mountains depart
from Zhudong, which is a gateway to
Neiwan, Beipu, Jianshi, Wufeng, and
Shei-pa National Park.
One of Taiwan’s most famous
peaks, Dabajian Mountain, is located in
Hsinchu County. Distinct from Taiwan’s
other famous peaks, Dabajian is a blunt
rock jutting from a valley and reaching a
height of 3,500m.
Fo r d a y - h i k e r s , F i v e F i ng e r
Mountain is also a great choice. Located
just up the road from Beipu, this hike can
be done in half a day with the rest of the
day spent in the town of Beipu.
Hsinchu
From the
Sea to the Sky
PHOTOGRAPHY: IMAGE TAIWAN / TOP PHOTO GROUP / JOSHUA SAMUEL BROWN
Beipu is an old Hakka town that has
preserved its traditions and characteristic
architecture. The old streets can be quite
busy on a Sunday afternoon, so choose
your visiting time wisely. One of Beipu’s
most popular activities is drinking
leicha
, a
thick beverage made from green tea,
sesame, and peanut. You can order it
ready-made or grind it yourself with a
mortar and pestle.
Neiwan, with its popular street
market selling a variety of snacks, is a
short drive east of Hsinchu City. The old
town also features a historic theater and
restaurant where you can sit down to a
meal of Hakka cuisine while watching
vintage Taiwanese movies. For comic
-book lovers, one of Taiwan’s most
famous comic-book illustrators, Liu
Hsing-chin, was born here, and his home
is now a museum dedicated to his work.
Neiwan is accessible by train from
Hsinchu Train Station. If you take the HSR
from Taipei, you can simply catch a train
from the next-door Liujia Station to Neiwan,
making this a very feasible day trip.
Heading out in to the mountains
from Neiwan is Naluo Hotsprings
Village, offering a range of public
bathing pools and private rooms with hot
tubs. From here, Route 60 threads
through the mountains to Jianshi, an
aboriginal village that attracts visitors
keen to learn about indigenous culture.
THE END OF THE ROAD
At the end of a long, winding single-
track road from Jianshi lies Smangus,
one of the most remote settlements in
Taiwan. This small village is home to a
community that participates in a
communal cooperation system —
everyone pitches in and receives a
stipend from the town. In the village,
aboriginal residents offer walking tours
to help visitors learn about their way of
life. You can purchase products the tribe
produces, such as peaches and rice wine,
from the gift shop. There’s also a small
restaurant to try out local dishes.
No visit to Smangus is complete
without a hike to a grove of giant
millennia-old
shenmu
trees. The
protected trees are an incredible sight,
and photographs alone do not do them
justice.
If making a trip to Smangus, ensure
you set aside enough time (the journey
takes 3-4 hours) and that your group is
prepared for a different climate. Even in
the summer, it can be very cool at night
in the mountains. Lodging is available if
you book in advance, but camping gives
you the option of sleeping under the stars
— with almost no light and air pollution,
the sky will be alive as you have never
seen it before.
No visit to Smangus is complete without
a hike to a grove of giant millennia-old
shenmu trees.
Inland, just north of Hsinchu, is
Hsinpu, location of the famous Yimin
Te mp l e . B u i l t t o h o n o r H a k k a
forefathers who immigrated to Taiwan
from Mainland China, the temple hosts
a bizarre yearly contest to see which
farmer has raised the fattest pig.
During the fall, locally grown
persimmons are harvested, and small
persimmon cake factories open their doors
to visitors to experience the process of
persimmon drying and roasting. One of the
best places to see the racks of fruit drying
in the sun is Weiweijia Persimmon Factory
Tourist Park.
Shenmu
tree, Smangus
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Chenghuang Temple
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