A Day in Town: Shilin, Beitou, Zhongshan , Datong (Taipei)

I just completed my third trip under A Day in Town, my multi-year backpacking plan of spending a day in approximately 350 townships in my country. My destination this time was Taipei, the capital city where I spent two-thirds of my life schooling and working. The Taipei City government administers twelve districts, with a combined population of approximately two and a half million. On this trip, I visited four districts in the north: Shilin, Beitou, Zhongshan and Datong.

Shilin administers 51 villages, which are grouped into seven areas, with the mountainous Yangminshan area occupying the eastern half of the district and making it the largest district of Taipei. The old name of Shilin was Pattsiran, the indigenous Ketagalan word for "hot springs". With the Han Chinese settlement emerging in early 18th century,  there were many literary talents from Shilin passing the imperial examination of the Qing Dynasty, prompting the local gentry to rename it Shilin, meaning "congregation of scholars and talents". I started my day in Shilin by taking the MRT to Jiantang, from there I explored on foot, visiting five of the seven areas under Shilin.

Among the countless points of interest I came across during the day, I was most impressed by this signboard: the border of Shilin District and Datong District. National Freeway 1 traverses here, dividing the Shetse area (reading Siā-á in Taiwanese) of Shilin in the north from the Lanzhou area of Datong District in the south. However, a river called Hoan-á-kau in Taiwanese, a branch of the Keelung River, used to flow here. Circled by the Keelung River to the east and north, Hoan-á-kau to the south, and the Tamsui River to the west, at that time the Shetse area was in fact an island and inhabitants there had to take a boat to reach Shilin (crossing the Keelung River), Datong (Hoan-á-kau), or Sanchong (New Taiper City, crossing the Tamsui River). Land reclamation on Hoan-á-kau had been completed a few years before I was born, yet I was brought up remembering the name Shetse "Island" and felt particularly nostalgic when spotting this signboard.

I spent my second day in Beitou, the northernmost district of Taipei, bordering the districts of New Taipei City to the north, including Tamsui, Sanzhi, and Jinshan. To the south it borders and shares with Shilin the vast mountainous area of Yangminshan where Mt. Qixing, the highest mountain in Taipei with an elevation of 1120 meters, is located. Grouped into seven areas, there are 42 villages listed under Beitou. The name of Beitou originates from the Ketagalan word Kipatauw, which means "witch", and there's an interesting story behind it: the Ketagalan viewed the smoking hot springs, an iconic natural endowment of the place, as bizarre and believed they must have been created by a witch, hence the name. I started the day by taking the MRT to Mingde, the southernmost MRT station within the jurisdiction of Beitou, and explored on foot, visiting six of the seven areas of the district.

As the Chinese New Year draws near, some temples began giving away chunlian as part of their charity mission. Chunlian are traditional decorations placed in doorways during the Chinese New Year holiday. The phrases written on chunlian refer to good luck and prosperity, creating an optimistic festive atmosphere. I had never experienced such events before, but before I left for the trip, my wife had reminded me to try my luck if I happened to be near Xingtian Temple, a site in Beitou famous for its seasonal giveaways. So, here I was, with the beautiful chunlian now in my backpack.

On the third day, I visited Zhongshan District, which has 42 villages, grouped into seven areas. The district was once the tourist and commercial center of Taipei, but in recent decades, it has ceded prominence to other districts due to shifts in economic activity and urban development, with its economy and population both contracted. The district was named Zhongshan, in honor of Dr. Sun Yat-sen  (also known as Sun Zhongshan) who, before succeeding in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in 1911, had reportedly stayed at Umeyashiki, a traditional Japanese restaurant located within the district and right next to where the Taipei Main Station is now. I started the day by taking the MRT to Taipei Main Station, and then explored six of the district's seven areas on foot.

During my day in Zhongshan, I was most impressed by this torii, a traditional Japanese gate that is commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine. This torii is located in Linshen Park, the site previously occupied by dwellers who arrived in Taiwan together with the Kuomintang army in 1949. It was part of Taishocho, an administrative area under Japanese ruling, best known for its night-life entertainment during the heyday of the district. I used to frequent this neighborhood when I was young, but I never knew there was such a torii until recently, when I read the related history for the first time. I learned that before being occupied by the new arrivals in 1949, the site was originally used as a cemetery for Japanese, and the torii was erected in memory of a notable figure buried here: Akashi Motojiro, the 7th Governor-General of Taiwan. He was also the only Governor-General of Taiwan who died while in office and chose to be buried in Taiwan.

On the fourth day, I visited Datong, the smallest district of Taipei. Situated alongside the Tamsui River, the district has been known for its prosperous settlement of the Han Chinese in Daronpon, and the busy river trading port of Dadoucheng. Grouped into four areas, there are 25 villages listed under Datong. The name Datong was derived from Daronpon, the Ketagalan tribe that had inhabited there for centuries before the Han Chinese arrived. I started my day in Datong by walking from my hostel, which was located in Wanhua, a neighboring district. Given its small size, I was able to visit all four areas of the district, covering 20 of the 25 villages under its jurisdiction.

In my exploration of the day I was most fascinated by this scene: an inconspicuous stone slab standing next to Dalongdong Baoan Temple, which is on the list of national monuments of Taiwan. The inscription on the slab reads "The original site of the 44 houses", telling the story of the Han Chinese settlers who had first set foot in Xinzhuang and Bangka (now known as Wanhua), then the booming port towns of Tamsui River, but were expelled by other Han Chinese settlers who had vied forcefully in order to dominate the settlement there. Note that while these settlers were all from Min Nan, namely southern Fujian Province, China, they came from different counties, leading to divisions and internal competition, with those who were from Tongan (part of Xiamen) expelled whereas those who stayed were all from Quanzhou (including the counties of Jinjiang, Nanan, and Huian). In 1802, the expelled Tongan Chinese set foot in Daronpon, building the 44 houses, which were lined up across from where Hami Street is now, with 22 houses on each side, marking the beginning of Han Chinese settlement in the district. In 1830, construction of the iconic Baoan Temple -- with its name Baoan meaning "protect Tongan people" -- was completed, and the rest is history.

During the trip, I made time to visit an exhibition hosted by the Department of Drama and Theatre, NTU. The works on display were short films produced as adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, using generative AI. Out of the six plays adapted, I had studied five, so I could follow the plots and the ideas showcased in the films and the curation by the host without any difficulty. This is a bonus experience of the trip and it also reaffirmed my resolve in self-studying Shakespeare’s works further.

Though the destination of my trip is quite close to my home (30 - 60 minute traffic time), I still stayed at a hostel during the trip to make it feel like traveling. The hostel is conveniently located in Wanhua District of Taipei, only 3 minutes away from the MRT station. During my stay there, I kept up my reading habit as usual. What made it special was this lovely, curious and exceptionally social cat. Every time when I was reading, she would jump on my desk to "inspect", and then loiter away.

Finally, during the first three days of the trip I went to Mackay Memorial Hospital at noon every day. My elderly mother had been sick and admitted to the hospital for two weeks. Having deliberated it all, I decided to go for the trip as planned. Luckily, she was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, which was both Christmas Day and her birthday, and being home was undoubtedly the best gift for her on this special day.