Round Two Began - A Day in Town: (Yuanshan, Sanxing, Wujie, Luodong, Yilan County)

I just completed my nineteenth trip under "A Day in Town," my multi-year backpacking plan of spending a day in each of the approximately 350 townships in Taiwan. This also marked the beginning of my new round of touring the country, having completed my first round two months ago, during which I visited 69 townships nationwide. My destination this time was Yilan County, consisting of 12 townships, of which I had visited four during my first round. So, this time I visited another four townships of the county: Yuanshan, Sanxing, Wujie, and Luodong.

 

As usual, I set off on Monday by a train and got off at Yilan Station. From there, I took a bus westward to the route's  final stop, Juntou, which was located in Huxi, the westernmost village of Yuanshan Township. Also known as the Hometown of Water, Yuanshan borders Wulai Township of New Taipei City to the west, Jiaoxi, Yilan (City), Wujie, Sanxing, and Datong to the north, east, southeast, south, and southwest respectively.  Getting off the bus, I started exploring on foot eastward.  About an hour later, I stumbled upon a giant rock inscribed with words "Crabs Blow Bubbles". Amazed, I checked and learned that it was the name of a local tourist attraction, with an interesting story: this area was rich in underground water, which sprang from underground to the surface, looking as if crabs blowing bubbles, hence the name. 

Yuanshan administers 16 villages. On this day, I visited half of them, and then  continued my hike through Sanxing and Dongshan Township, before checking into my hostel in Luodong Township. Along the way, I saw many interesting things, including this large tree, estimated to be 1000 years old and acclaimed the birthplace of Taiwanese opera. Another interesting sight was the ubiquitous, cute, and cartoonish water drop sculpture, symbolizing Yuanshan's rich natural endowment.

On the second day, I visited Sanxing, a township renowned nationally for its agricultural specialties including pears, scallions, ginkgo, and a pork dish called pok-bah. Administering 18 villages, Sanxing has a population of just over 10,000, making it the smallest among the 12 townships in Yilan County. Unexpectedly, I visited all 18 villages on this day, thanks to Dr. Tseng, my old friend and an Yilan native, who generously escorted me by car around the remote areas of the township. With his company, I gained good insights into the place, its people and history during the brief stay.

My friend and I parted after lunch in downtown Sanxing, so I started exploring on foot. I walked from village to village in Sanxing, passed Dongshan, and finally returned to Luodong. Along the way, I saw many interesting things, one of them was the Gingko Story House, arguably the only one of its kind in the country. Another one is the Annong River, which serves as the drainage channel for the tailwater of the Lanyang Power Plant. It also provides essential water for agricultural irrigation and is regarded as the "River of Life" of Sanxing Township. 

On the third day, I visited Wujie, a coastal township situated south of Lanyang River estuary—the major river in Yilan County—where it flows into the Pacific Ocean. Wujie Township administers 15 villages and I visited 13 of them during this day. I started by taking a bus to Chenxing Village, the southernmost of Wujie, bordering Suao Township to the south. From there, I started exploring northward on foot. 30 minutes later, I reached the old site of Ritakkan, once an important commercial port south of the Lanyang River. The port has become inland landmass, but the giant rock and the adjacent descriptive sign still tell its story. Just minutes later, I arrived at another point of interest: a temple built by Han Chinese settlers as the burial site of the Kavalan, the indigenous people of Yilan, who perished during conflicts with invaders over 150 years ago.

The name Wujie literally means "the fifth unity", with an interesting story behind: Yilan, alongside Hualien and Taitung in eastern Taiwan, remained outside effective Qing rule until 1810. Therefore, when the Han Chinese settlers first set foot in Yilan in the mid-18th century, they designed the system called "jie", meaning unity, which consisted of hundreds of settler households to defend themselves against the Kavalan, the first known inhabitants of Yilan. So, with "wu" meaning five, Wujie meant the fifth of such unity for the common purpose of settlement and defense by the Han Chinese. Notably, for the rest of my day in Wujie, I came across similar place names, including Sanjie (the third unity), Erjie (the second unity), and Sijie (the fourth unity). 

 

On the fourth day, I explored Luodong, the smallest township by area with the highest population density, in not just Yilan County but also among the ten counties across the country. There are 24 villages in Luodong, and during this day I visited 18 of them on foot. Shortly after leaving my hostel, I entered the downtown area and reached Zhengangong, the first Mazu temple built in Luodong and one of major religious centers in Yilan County. About an hour later, I stumbled upon a giant rock, on which the words "Beitou Tribe" were inscribed, revealing the place's history as the habitat of the powerful Kavalan tribe called Beitou over two centuries ago.

With the Luodong River in sight, I reached Luodong Sports Park, which covers 47 hectares of land and includes a range of facilities for sport and recreation. When the park was opened in 1987, it was praised as the most beautiful of its kind and regarded as a model for future construction. Finally, I arrived at Luodong Forestry Culture Park, a must-visit in Luodong, before returning to my hostel and ending my trip this time.

My hostel was in a quiet neighborhood, within a fifteen-minute walk from Luodong Station. From there, I set out each day for my destinations. At night, I would ride a bike to the nearest convenience store to have my dinner. Interestingly, during my stay at the hostel I shared the room with two backpackers in their early twenties (younger than my son). They were both touring the country on foot, and had been on the road for months. It was an inspiring encounter and we had some pleasant chats. They reminded me of my favorite quote: "Carpe diem," regardless of age.