Not only possessing many beautiful landscapes, Taiwan is also an attractive destination for those who love culture and history because this place has many ancient, peaceful towns, nearly centuries old.
Jiu Fen Ancient Village
Whenever having the opportunity to travel to Taipei, surely everyone has put Jiufen Old Village on their list of must-see destinations. Jiufen is located in Ruifang District, New Taipei City. In the past, Jiufen was a bustling town, because of camphor mining activities. There used to be up to ninety different camphor kilns here divided into nine areas, so this old village was named Jiufen. Today, the village attracts with its peacefulness, quietness, comfortable relaxation space, and ideal rest for tourists.
Jiufen is located on a cliff, overlooking the town surrounded by mountains and sea. The clouds floating in the sky make everything around this ancient town in Taiwan extremely romantic and magical.
Jiufen is located on a cliff, from above looking down on the neighborhood surrounded by mountains and sea.
In Jiufen, there are small, long roads, deep and narrow alleys, people will walk to visit the village instead of going by car like many other tourist attractions. Along the Shiqu road are ancient architectural houses, shops, coffee shops, restaurants and tea rooms for visitors to stop and rest during their journey. Besides, the Shiqu road also has many snack shops with attractive snacks such as: sticky rice cakes, Taro sticky rice cakes, Kim Thanh meatballs, Taro hot and cold dumplings...
In Jiufen there are small, long roads, deep and narrow alleys, people will walk to visit the village instead of going by car like many other tourist spots.
- By train:
From Taipei Main Station to Ruifang Station, then take the bus at the Ming Dong Road stop, take bus 827 to 788 towards Jiufen Village, there is also bus 825 but it only operates on weekends.
- By MRT:
Take the MRT to Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station (at the intersection of Brown and Blue subway lines) exit from exit 2 and find the bus stop (outside Sogo department store), take bus 1062 (Keelung bus) to Jinuashi and get off at Jiufen.
Sanxia Ancient Town
Sanhe is a 260-meter-long ancient town located in northern Taiwan. Originally, this ancient town was called Sanjiao Chung. But because the town's location falls at the confluence of three rivers, it was renamed Sanhe as it is today.
Nestled in a fertile plain at the foot of the mountains and blessed with natural resources, Sanhe has provided excellent conditions for economic development. After the Fujian and Guangdong people immigrated to Taiwan, they settled and developed Sanhe. Since then, it has become a bustling center for transporting goods such as pottery, tea, dyed fabrics, etc. from the river to the center of Taipei.
Sanhe is a 260-meter-long ancient town located in northern Taiwan.
However, as traffic shifted elsewhere and the use of water transport declined, the town lost its economic importance. However, its cultural value remained intact thanks to the Qingshui Ancestor Temple. With its wonderful combination of religion and art, the temple is a masterpiece of exquisite carvings and intricate structures as well as a center of Chinese worship. These features have helped make Sanxia an attractive destination for domestic and international tourists.
With its wonderful combination of religion and art, Qing Shui Shi Zu is a masterpiece of exquisite carvings and intricate structure as well as the center of Chinese religious worship.
In 1920, due to urban planning policies, the roads in this ancient town were repaired, and merchants also renovated their houses in the European style of that time. From there, a unique architectural style was formed with red-tiled houses with dome-shaped roofs and very special signs.
- By train:
From the high-speed rail or Taiwan Railway to Banqiao Station, then transfer to Taipei Bus 702, 705 and get off at Sanhe Old Street Station.
- By MRT:
Take Taipei Metro Bannan Line and get off at Xinpu Station - transfer to Capital Bus 802. If you get off at Yongning Station, then transfer to Taipei Bus 706, 812.
Yingge Ancient Town
Yingge Ancient Town became famous in the early 19th century when Wu An, a potter from mainland Guangdong, immigrated to Taiwan. Previously, there were many pottery workshops along Wenhua Road and Jianshan Road, so this place was known as the Ceramic Road. Nowadays, the traditional pottery kilns on this road no longer exist, but are replaced by ceramic shops along other streets in the ancient town in Taiwan.
In the past, there were many pottery workshops along Wenhua Road and Jianshan Road, so this place was known as the ceramic road.
The entire ancient town is filled with ceramic-related works and crafts, which have a rich cultural and artistic heritage. The Yingge Porcelain Street will also hold occasional activities and performances during the holidays in the pedestrian-only area every weekday afternoon and all day on Saturday and Sunday. In addition, there are exhibitions and sales of new ceramic products, with the aroma of tea and coffee. Here, you can stroll along the streets and choose your favorite ceramic artwork, or experience the pleasure of making ceramics yourself.
The entire ancient town is filled with ceramic-related works and crafts, with a rich cultural and artistic heritage.
- By bus or car:
Visitors follow Highway 1 to the East-West Expressway, turn onto Highway 2, get off at Dai Nam Intersection, follow Yingtao Road and Zhongshan Road to get there.
If taking Highway 3: Get off at Sanying Interchange, connect with Tam Oanh Bridge, turn onto Trung Son Road and go along Quoc Khanh Road.
- By train:
Take the train to Yingge Railway Station and walk 1 km along the Southern Railway.
Bopiliao Historic Area
Bopiliao Old Street is located along Alley 173, Kangding Road, Wanhua District, Taipei. The street extends north to Laotong Elementary School and south to Guangzhou Street.
The old town of Bopiliao is famous for its red brick buildings with baroque carvings. The streets are well preserved and many traditional shops date back to the Qing Dynasty, as well as buildings from the Japanese occupation and early post-war period. These buildings have witnessed the development of the Monga area (Wanhua District) over the years and form an important part of Taipei’s historic cityscape.
Bopiliao Old Street is located on Lane 173, Kangding Road, Wanhua District, Taipei.
Among the historical buildings here, the house of the eminent scholar Zhang Binglin at 123 Guangzhou Street, Shintomicho Cultural Market, Ximen Honglou are the most prominent. In addition, Longshan Temple and the surrounding shops selling Chinese medicine, herbs and Buddhist tools further enhance the historical and cultural charm of this area.
- Go by MRT
Take the MRT Bannan Line, get off at Longshan Temple Station and take Exit 3. From there, walk along Kangding Road for about 3 minutes.
- By train
If traveling by train, get off at Van Hoa station then walk along Khang Dinh street for about 10 minutes to reach town.
Fenqihu Ancient Village
For Taiwanese people, when coming to Alishan, you definitely cannot miss the Seven Lakes. This is where the Alishan Forest Railway station is located.
Since ancient times, the ancient village of Phan That Ho has been a prosperous and vibrant place. With the changes of the times, although this place no longer has the appearance of its golden age, it is still a famous cultural site that cannot be missed.
For Taiwanese people, when coming to Alishan, you definitely cannot miss Fen Qihu.
When coming to Phan That Ho town, you must try Bento boxed lunch. Different from Japanese Bento, the bento here carries the breath of tradition, culture and manual processing method, bringing delicious and impressive flavors.
If you visit the old station of Phan That Ho, there is also a small museum of old locomotives established on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the station's opening.
Behind the station waiting room is the old town. Japanese-style houses appear before your eyes, handicrafts, health supplements and candies are sold in abundance. Mochi cakes, green tea jelly and other Japanese dishes are also sold here. The station and the old town are quite small, it takes about 20 minutes to walk around, the old town of Phan That Ho does not have a system of accommodation like big cities, but only a few motels because this is a stop for tourists to continue their journey to A Ly Son mountain.
Phan That Ho town is a stop for tourists to continue their journey up to A Ly Son mountain.
From Chiayi Station, go to the information counter and ask to buy a train ticket from Chiayi to Fenqihu. Visitors should note that there are very few trains and buses going to Fenqihu, so the trip sometimes departs at 3 pm or you have to wait until the 9 pm trip. To know the specific time and information, you need to check the transportation information right at Chiayi Station.
