A Day in Town: Guishan, Luzhu, Dayuan, Taoyuan (Taoyuan City)

I just completed my fifth 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 Taoyuan City, arguably the fastest growing among the subnational divisions of Taiwan, including six special municipalities, 11 counties, and three cities. Taoyuan City is special to me because during the last ten years of my career, I worked there at least once a week (I worked at multiple ocations, including two in Taoyuan). Ironically, however, I was so focused on work that I knew very little about it. It was through backpacking, a hobby I picked up after my retirement three years ago, that I started getting to know more about it. On this trip, I visited four districts: Guishan, Luzhu, Dayuan, and Taoyuan, altogether forming the northernmost part of the city.

Guishan is ideally situated, bordering five districts of New Taipei City, and has been an important hub for manufacturing and logistics. With a population of over 180,000, Guishan was once the most populous township in Taiwan. In a way, Guishan is more closely related to New Taipei City than it is to Taoyuan City. In fact, I corrected myself during my day there because I had mistaken a good part of it for Xinzhuang and Linkou, both are districts of New Taipei City. Guishan administers 32 villages, and I visited 18 of them during my day there.

I started my day in Guishan by taking a train to Taoyuan, the eponymous district bordering Guishan, and began exploring on foot. As always, there were many "hidden" points of interest, and this is one: it was an advertisement displayed on a building next to Ming Chuan University, a renowned university named after the progressive Qing Dynasty governor of Taiwan Liu Mingchuan. Apparently, the ad was displayed for a landlord, emphasizing its proximity to the university to attract student tenants. Amusingly, however, punchy language was used, making it read like "WTF very close to school." If I were a student searching for a room, I would call to check it out.

I spent my second day in Luzhu District, bordering Guishan to the east and Linkou District of New Taipei City to the north. With a population of over 170,000, Luzhu was once the most populous township in Taiwan, too. It administers 39 villages, and during my day there I visited about a half of them. However, Luzhu is undoubtedly the district I have known best in Taoyuan City because it was where my office was located.

My day in Luzhu began with a bus ride from Zhongli, one of the two most prosperous districts of Taoyuan City (the other being the eponymous Taoyuan) where my hostel is located. I got off the bus at the last stop, the northernmost part of the district facing the Taiwan Strait. Then I started exploring on foot southward toward the district center, a traditional area known as Nankan. Nankan has remained prosperous for centuries, thanks largely to its ideal location, and lately its proximity to National Freeway 1 and Taoyuan International Airport. The sign on the building, reading "Nankan Bread of Life Church, Luzhu", prompted me to recall an anecdote about the naming competition between Nankan and Luzhu: when Taoyuan was upgraded to one of the six special municipalities in 2014, there was a heated debate over the naming of the district which was eventually taken to a vote, with Luzhu receiving more votes and remaining the name of the district, despite that Nankan being far better known nationwide.

On the third day, I visited Dayuan, a district sharing a long border with Luzhu, also known nationwide due to it being home to the Taoyuan International Airport and the ongoing urban planning development called Taoyuan Aerotropolis. Dayuan administers 20 villages, and I visited 12 of them during my day there.

I started my day in Dayuan by taking a bus to  Yuemei, a village in Zhongli District bordering Dayuan to the north, and from there I explored on foot northward, all the way to the coastline of Dayuan. In my seemingly lonely exploration, with no one in sight most of the time, I stumbled upon this sign in Beigang Village, indicating the site of one of the two seaports where the Han Chinese first landed for settlement in Taoyuan nearly three centuries ago. The port was called Xucuogang and is no longer extant. The other port is Zhuwei (renamed from Nankan), still extant and renowned for its abundant fishery catches and fresh seafood. Both Xucuogang, known as Beigang today, and Zhuwei, are part of Dayuan, making it a gateway by sea into Taoyuan, long before it became the gateway of Taiwan for international travelers arriving by air.

On the fourth day, I visited Taoyuan, the eponymous district bordering Guishan, Luzhu and Zhongli, as well as Yingge District of New Taipei City. With a population of over 470,000, Taoyuan is the second most populous township in Taiwan, next to Banqiao District of New Taipei City, with a population of over 550,000. Thus, despite its status as a district (same as a township), a subdivision under the 20 administrative divisions in Taiwan, the population of Taoyuan District outnumbers that of 8 of these 20 administrative divisions, including five counties and three cities. Interestingly, the name Taoyuan literally means "peach orchard". It was so named because early Han Chinese settlers planted a large quantity of peach trees which travelers arriving from elsewhere would unmistakably notice. Taoyuan District administers 89 villages, which are grouped into five areas, and I walked through all five areas during my day there.

My day in Taoyuan began with a bus ride to Wuling Senior High School located in the western part of the district, and from there I started my exploration. Having read its history briefly, I was able to reflect and imagine people's lives in the early days while wandering around the densely populated district. Finally, I arrived at the intersection of Minsheng Road and Zhongshan Road, where Fude Temple, arguably the first of its kind built in Taoyuan, is located. The temple houses Tudigong, a Chinese tutelary deity, serving as a guardian or patron of a specific location. Legend has it that a barber from China migrated here with a Tudigong idol. He made a living by traveling around Taoyuan, which consisted of only 15 villages at that time. He worshipped the idol and sought its providence for guidance in his daily life. After his death, the idol continued to be worshipped by local villagers, with a temple built in 1740 to enshrine it. Five years later, a larger temple called Jinfugong (now known as Taoyuan Great Temple) was built nearby. Over time, the location attracted settlers from elsewhere and became the religious, cultural and commercial center of the district, and Taoyuan City at large.

Though my destinations were only 60 to 90 minute by public transport away from my home, I still stayed at a hostel to be fully immersed in the atmosphere of traveling. The hostel is conveniently located, only a five-minute walk from Zhongli Train Station. The stream flowing past the hostel is Xinjiexi, one of the two iconic rivers weaving through four districts of Taoyuan, including Zhongli where the rivers were named. Xinjiexi means "new street river," while Laojiexi, meaning "old street river," is the other; the esturies of both rivers are in Dayuan, forming Xucuogang wetland, a national conservation area. The stories behind names like this has always fascinated me and is my favorite part of traveling. 

On the fifth day, I checked out and rented a Youbike at Zhongli Train Station, and from there I rode it all the way home. The distance is approximately 40 kilometers, and I had the opportunity to explore again, this time on a bike, the districts of Zhongli, Taoyuan, Guishan, Xinzhuang and Banqiao, before reaching my home in Zhonghe (the latter three districts belong to New Taipei City). The bike ride familiarized me once again with the areas, and deepened my sense of connection to them.