Northern Taiwan - Taiwan - page 298

County Rd 122 runs up a deep river valley in a rugged, chillingly beautiful part of the
country that is often completely cut off from the rest because of landslides. The
last major village along the road before Guanwu Forest Recreation Area is
Qingquan (Qīngquán), like Smangus, another remote Atayal settlement that seems
to be perputually drifting in and out of the mountain mist.
The village has a good hot spring (public pools NT$100; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 10pm Sat &
Sun) overlooking the river, and not far away is the Syakaro Historic Trail (Xiákèluó
Gǔdào); you'll need a local to take you to the trailhead in a jeep. The 24km-long
trail was used by Atayal for hunting and inter-village transport until the Japanese
era when it became a patrol route. Also check out the local Catholic church. Father
Barry Martinson has been living in the village for over 30 years and is a fount of loc-
al knowledge.
There are a number of restaurants in the area, including an outdoor eating area
in the big parking lot as you enter town. If you want to stay in the village, try Palm
Tree House (Zōnglǘ Jū; 0911-255 766; htpp://palm.okgo.tw ; d/tw incl breakfast NT$2500/4000,
20% weekday discounts) just behind the house of travel writer San Mao (Echo Chen).
The attached restaurant serves good set meals (NT$250 to NT$420) of mountain
chicken, fish or pork.
To get here from Hsinchu catch a frequent bus to Jhudong from the Hsinchu Bus
Company station, just left of the Hsinchu train station as you exit. Get off at Xiag-
ongguan (50 minutes) where there are connections to Qingquan. There are eight
buses a day: useful departures are 8.40am, 9.20am, 10.40am and 12.20pm. The
last bus back to Xiagongguan from Qingquan is 4.55pm.
Sights & Activities
Nanzhuang Village VILLAGE
A good place to start exploring in Nanzhuang Village is the visitor information centre
( www.trimt-nsa.gov.tw/cht/main.aspx ; 8.30am-5.30pm) . Across the street look for a stone
washing area, still used by older residents for cleaning their clothes. Behind this starts a
stone-stair alley called Osmanthus Lane (Guìhuā Xiàng), one of the more charming 'old
streets' in Taiwan, with stalls and shops selling Hakka food and local snacks, many
flavored with sweet Osmanthus (a type of flowering plant). This is also the place to go if
you need a gourmet coffee while in town.
The visitor centre is the hub for buses coming from Shitoushan and Jhudong, as well
as buses heading further into Nanzhuang.
Saisiyat Folklore Museum MUSEUM