A Day in Town: Dongshih, Xinshe, Fengyuan, Shigang (TaichungCity)

I just completed my twenty-sixth trip under "A Day in Town," my multi-year backpacking plan of spending a day in each of the approximately 350 townships in Taiwan. My destination this time was Taichung City, one of the six special municipalities in Taiwan. With a population of over 2.8 million, the second largest in Taiwan after that of New Taipei City, Taichung borders Miaoli County and Hsinchu County to the north and Changhua County and Nantou County to the south. To the west, it faces the Taiwan Strait; to the east, it shares the Xueshan Range and the Central Mountain Range with Ilan County and Hualien County respectively. Taichung City administers 29 districts (the equivalent of "townships" under the special municipality). Since I had visited four districts during my trip here last year, this time I visited another four: Dongshih, Xinshe, Fengyuan, and Shigang, which collectively form the eastern corner of the city--except for Heping District, which covers part of the Xueshan Range and the Central Mountain Range. 

I spent my first day in Dongshih District, which is situated on a narrow, north–south oriented plain, flanked by the Dajia River to the west and the Xueshan Range to the east. A majority of the residents are Hakka, making it an enclave in an otherwise non-Hakka city. I began by taking a train to Fengyuan Station, and connected by a bus to Dongshih city center. Getting off the bus, I started hiking around. An hour later, I stumbled upon a memorial monument with a moving story inscribed on it: when crossing the Dajia River with an ill-intentioned ferryman, nine young girls fell into the river and drowned. To avoid the tragedy from happening again, local residents launched charity ferry service for river crossing. Just minutes later, I arrived at the renowned Dongfeng Bike Lane, a 12-kilometer-long bike lane. What makes it special is that it was converted from the abandoned Dongshih-Fengyuan Railway, which had facilitated the burgeoning forest industry in Dongshih until the 1970s.

I continued northward and arrived at Dongshih Monument of Animal Spirit, a Japanese-style monument for the spirit of animals sacrificed for consumption by humans. Before ending my day in Dongshih, I came across the eye-catching Carp Tudigong Temple, which was built next to an embankment along the Dajia River that looks like a carp, hence the name. Minutes later, I boarded a bus to Fengyuan, where I transferred to a train to Taichung to check into my hostel. Throughout the day, I visited 13 of the 25 villages administered by Dongshih District.

On the second day, I visited Xinshe, a rural district best known for its "flower sea", among other agricultural products that earned it a nickname: Taichung's back garden. I started by taking a bus to Chungxing, a village of Xinshe that borders Beitun District to the west. From there, I explored on foot, and soon arrived at the Mushroom Street where many shops specialize in sales of mushrooms, a major crop of Xinshe. About two hours later, I arrived at the site of Xinshe's nationally renowned "flower sea". However, I arrived late--the half-year flower season just ended and the next season will start in early November. During the off-season months, they grew corn instead and the endless corn fields looked magnificent, too.

About three hours into my exploration, I arrived at Xinshe High School, the only public high school in the district that serve as both a junior and senior high school. Interestingly, the school traces its origin to an agricultural school established a century ago, showcasing the agricultural root of the area. Finally, I arrived at the city center and was attracted by a giant ad painted on a wall, featuring loquat, another agricultural product that Xinshe is known for. During my day in this agricultural town, I visited six of the 13 villages across Xinshe District.

I spent my third day in Fengyuan, the seat of the former Taichung County, an expansive region that was incorporated into the special municipality, Taichung City, in 2010. Setting out, I took a train to Lilin, a train station of Tanzi District that borders Fengyuan to the north. From there, I hiked northward and entered Fengyuan District in a matter of minutes. About half an hour later, I arrived at Hulutuen Relics, the site where several mounds once stood; in Mandarin, “tuen” referred to a mound, while “hulu” meant “gourd.” The relics told the story of how Fengyuan, previously known as Hulutuen, developed from here to become the seat of the former Taichung County. As I explored outward, I spotted a familiar name--Golden Lighting. "How can it be possible!" I exclaimed to myself. This was the company that manufactured lighting equipment and partnered with my company, a major trading firm based in Taipei, 35 years ago. Considered a sunset industry, the  manufacturing of lighting sets and accessories was reportedly relocated to China and Southeast Asia, where labor costs were lower, decades ago. This company appeared to still run well now at the new and impressive building I passed by. In my view, this company was one of the so-called "hidden heroes" that contributed significantly to renowned economic miracles in Taiwan, though it remained invisible, in contrast to some household names like TSMC.

About three hours into my journey, I arrived at the Yangming Building, previously the seat of Taichung County and now part of the Taichung City Government. On my way to Fengyuan Train Station, I passed by the iconic Miaodong Night Market (Miaodong literally means "temple east") which, against what its name suggested, was open from 10:00 till 23:00, with crowds streaming throughout its operating hours. On this day, I visited 18 of the 36 villages administered by Fengyuan District. 

On the fourth day, I visited Shigang, a rural district with a population of just over 13,000, the second smallest among the 29 districts of Taichung City after Heping, the sparsely inhabited mountain district comprising the Xueshan Range and the Central Mountain Range. Along with Dongshih and Xinshe, Shigang is among the few districts that have a Hakka-majority population, in the otherwise Minnan-majority Taichung City. I began my day by taking a bus to the Shigang Dam, a barrage dam across the Dajia River that supplies drinking water to Taichung City. Having strolled around the dam, I proceeded to a century-old, wooden rice mill building in downtown Shigang, testifying to an agricultural root of the area.

While hiking eastward to my next planned destination, a quiet tourist spot caught my eye: a memorial park converted from an abandoned station of the former Dongshih-Fengyuan Railway; looking at the retired locomotive and a cart loaded with logs on display, I could imagine the good old days of the area, thanks to the once burgeoning forest industry. Finally, I reached Tuniou, a village named after Han-indigenous borderline set during the Qing Dynasty which the Han Chinese settlers were prohibited to cross. The boundary formed by trench-digging, with the earth piled in front of the trench, which looked like an ox lying on its belly. Therefore, the borderline was called "tuniou," which literally means "earth ox." At that time, this neighborhood was the eastern edge of  Taichung area where the Han Chinese lived. Along the way, I visited seven of the 10 villages in Shigang District.

Concluding my day in Shigang District, I also completed my backpacking trip this time. My hostel was located in Taichung city center, a 10-minute walk from the train station. Right opposite to my hostel across the street, there was a convenience store where I visited several times a day. With such convenience, my ambitious itineraries this time--trip-related and otherwise--were completed smoothly. The non-trip-related itineraries included joining my wife, who was traveling separately, to visit an art exhibition in Chiayi City, a one-hour train ride from Taichung.  I look forward to my next backpacking.