A Day in Town: Xianxi, Shengang, Hemei, Changhua (Changhua County)

I just completed my tenth trip under "A Day in Town," my multi-year backpacking plan of spending a day in each of the approximately 350 townships in my country. My destination this time was Changhua County, which borders Taichung City to the north, Nantou County to the east, Yunlin County to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the west. Changhua County has a population of over 1.2 million, making it the seventh most populous administrative division of Taiwan after the six special municipalities. There are 26 townships in Changhua County, including two that are designated as "cities" due to their significant populations (county-administered city: Changhua City and Yuanlin City). On this trip I visited four townships: Xianxi, Shengang, Hemei, and Changhua (City), the adjoining areas that form the northeastern part of the county.

I spent my first day in Xianxi, a coastal township facing the Taiwan Strait to the west, and bordering Shengang Township to the north, Hemei Township to the east, and Lukang Township to the south. The name Xianxi literally means "western part of Babuza's land"─Babuza, along with Asock, were the major indigenous tribes who inhabited northern Changhua. Xianxi was once the smallest among the 26 townships of the county, but is now ranked 23rd, thanks to the establishment of a massive industrial park on reclaimed land that added five square kilometers to Xianxi's area. I first took a train to Changhua Railway Station, and transferred to a bus bound for Caogangwei of Lukang Township. From there, I explored northward on foot, crossing the Dadu River and entering Longjing District, Taichung City. Then, I rented a Youbike and rode uphill to my hostel located at the Dadu Plateau. Xianxi administers eight villages, and during my day there I visited six of them. 

Shown on the right side of this merged image is the map of Changhua Coastal Industrial Park, built on reclaimed land that is jointly administered by the townships of Shengang, Xianxi, and Lukang. I felt strongly connected to it because Google, the tech giant whose service I use all the time, established its data center at this park, which is the largest of Google's data centers in Asia. On the left side is a snapshot of the iconic wind turbines standing on the industrial park that I took from a vantage point at a fishery port in coastal Xianxi.

As part of my pre-trip study, I read an introduction about Veterans' Clam Camp, a major tourist spot of Xianxi Township. I visited it and learned this interesting story: the camp─or dormitory, as it was originally intended─was built for numerous retired veterans who followed the Kuomintang army to Taiwan after 1949. When the houses were built in the 1960s, the site was right on the coastline, and the residing veterans were taught to farm clams to make a living, with their farmed clams sold nationwide. As a result, the place became known as Veterans' Clam Camp. With the establishment of Changhua Coastal Industrial Park in 1993, however, approximately 35 square kilometers of land had been reclaimed, with the coastline shifted westward by several kilometers. Therefore, clam farming became impossible at this location. Over time, the site had been abandoned and only revived a few years ago as a tourist attraction.

I spent my second day in Shengang, the northernmost township of Changhua where the Dadu River flows into its estuary in the Taiwan Strait, separating Changhua County from Taichung City. Shengang borders Hemei to the southeast and Xianxi to the south. Originally part of Xianxi Township and known as Xingang─ which literally means "new port"─Shengang became an independent township in 1950 and was renamed Shengang in order to avoid being confused with Xingang Township, Chiayi County. I started this day by riding a Youbike  from my hostel to Futien, a village of Longjing District near the estuary of Dadu River. From there, I walked southward across the bridge connecting Taichung City and Changhua County, and entered Shengang Township. I continued exploring southeast to reach Hemei, where I rented a Moovo─the public bicycle system in Changhua─and rode to Changhua Railway Station to catch a train for Taichung. On this day, I visited 10 of the 14 villages administered by Shengang Township.

Quanzhou, along with Zhangzhou, were the major hometowns of the Minnan people who started migrating to Taiwan as early as the 1600s. Centuries have passed but the footprints of these early Minnan settlers remain: on the left side of this merged image, a sign shows that the village is literally called Quanzhou Village. On the right side, another sign shows "Quancu" as the village's name, which literally means "house built in the name of Quanzhou".

As I approached Hemei Township, I found the road recommended by Google Maps completely blocked for repairs. I checked Google Maps again, and learned that the nearest alternative route would take me an additional 20 minutes. Incidentally, I spotted a dirt trail in the rice fields stretching parallel to the road, as shown in this photo, which was built by farmers for tending their crops and was not shown on Google Maps. Then it occurred to me: why not try this unmarked route? So I did, and it worked! I reached Hemei without a detour, and it was the most valuable insight I gained on this trip.

On the third day, I visited Hemei, a township surrounded by other townships including Shengang, Xianxi, Lukang, Xiushui, and Changhua City, and facing Dadu District of Taichung City on the other side of the Dadu River. With a population of over 87,000, Hemei has been a satellite city to the adjacent Changhua City. It was home to light industries that earned Taiwan the nicknames "Kingdom of Umbrellas" and "Kingdom of Textiles" after the 1960s.  I started my day by riding a Youbike to Dadu Railway Station to take a train to Changhua. Then, I rode a Moovo to Xinzhuan, a village in Hemei bordering Changhua City. From there, I explored on foot, first northward and then westward to downtown Hemei. Along the way, I visited 16 of the 32 villages that Hemei Township administers.

Near the Dadu River, Huanshe Village was where the Han Chinese settlers first set foot in Hemei in the 18th century. Before the arrival of the Chinese settlers, the land had been inhabited for centuries by Asock, the indigenous tribe that migrated to Puli Township, Nantou County during the 1823 indigenous migration. To date, Huanshe is known for its museum called "Kalisan's Tree"─Hemei was originally known as Kalisan in Babuza dialect─featuring items and stories related to umbrella making, the beginning of Taiwan's industrial growth that has continued to this day.

On my way back to Changhua Railway Station, I stopped by Zhaoan Village to reflect on the interesting story I had learned: Kalisan was renamed "Hemei", which literally means "peace and beauty", to express the hope that Minnan immigrants from Quanzhou and Zhangzhou could live in harmony and build a beautiful new home together. To this end, an irrigation canal was built near Zhaoan Village, which marked the boundary between these two groups: those from Quanzhou resided on the west of the canal, while those from Zhangzhou lived in the east of the canal.

On the fourth day, I visited Changhua City, where the administration of Changhua County is also located. With a population of over 220,000, Changhua City is the most populous among the 14 county-administered cities in Taiwan. Previously known as "Babuza"─the major indigenous tribe─Changhua City was the political and economic center of central Taiwan during the Qing Dynasty, with a bamboo city wall first built in 1734, and thus became known as the Bamboo City. The city wall was rebuilt in 1824 as the first brick city wall in Taiwan. To date, Changhua City administers 70 villages, which are grouped into four areas. By riding a Moovo and hiking, I was able to reach all four areas during my day there.

I began by riding a Youbike from my hostel to Dadu to take a train to Changhua. Then, I rode a Moovo to visit Changhua Brahma Temple, said to be the largest of its kind—Buddhist temples dedicated to Brahma—in southeast Asia. The temple is located in Shipai Village, the southeastern corner of the township forming part of Baguashan, the iconic landmark of Changhua City and a recreational and scenic area known nationwide. However, after the temple visit, Google Maps took me to a remote trail that was good only for mountain biking, so I had to walk my Moovo uphill until I reached the main road, Taiwan County Highway 139, and then enjoyed a downhill ride back to the city center.

Sadly, the city wall of Changhua was dismantled as part of urban planning under Japanese rule. The only relics of the city wall that one may visit are the four Tudigong temples (worshipping Tudigong, a tutelary deity of a specific location) that stood in front of the four gates of the city wall. I visited the four Tudigong temples accordingly, imagining I was passing the four gates of the great city wall, from within the officials administered vast lands in central Taiwan, encompassing what are now Taichung City, Changhua County, Nantou County, and Yunlin County. Shown on the right side of this merged image is one of the Tudigong temples, and on the left side is a picture of the city wall of Changhua on display at the temple.

The hostel I stayed at is located in Longjing District, Taichung City. It is on the Dadu Plateau, about 250 meters above sea level. I had to ride a Youbike every day to and from Dadu Railway Station, which is on the plain, about 8 kilometers from my hostel. Admittedly, the hostel may not suit everyone, but it was ideal for me because I had to endure—or rather, enjoy—the uphill bike ride before ending my itinerary each day. Then, I would have my rewarding coffee at the hostel and do my daily reading before having dinner. The location of my hostel made this otherwise ordinary backpacking trip truly special.