Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rides up onto the short track, rotates in the direction of its garage, and then proceeds in-
side for maintenance and repairs.
The garage accommodates the oldest steam-powered train engine in Taiwan (CK101,
built in 1907). Visitors need to show ID to enter the garage area, but you are allowed to
walk right up to the engines and across the radial tracks.
Nanyao Temple
TAOIST TEMPLE
(Nányáo Gōng; 43 Nanyao Rd; 6am-8pm)
Located 2km south of Changhua train station,
this remarkable temple is one of the stops on the Matsu Pilgrimage. The distinctive char-
acter of the complex lies in the hall in the middle: check out the Doric columns,
Baroque-style decor and Japanese shrines that adorn the space. The sanctum, a 1920s ad-
dition, honours Guanyin, the bodhisattva of mercy.
To get to the temple, head south on Jhongjheng Rd from the train station, then turn left
to Ren'ai Rd. When you reach the intersection with Nanyao Rd, turn right.
Changhua Arts Museum & Hongmao Well
MUSEUM
(Zhuānghuà Yìshù Guǎn; 542 Jhongshan Rd, Sec 2; 1.30-9pm Wed-Fri, 9am-9pm Sat & Sun,
closed Mon)
The museum sits in a lovely heritage building, and on the grounds of
the museum is the 300-year-old
Hongmao Well
(Hóngmáo Jǐng), the last of the original
Dutch-built wells (hence the name Hongmao, meaning 'red hair') in central Taiwan.
Yuanching Temple
TAOIST TEMPLE
This splendid southern-style temple (Yuánqīng Guàn; founded in 1763), just a stone's
throw away from the Confucian temple, boasts elegant, swallowtail rooftop eaves and a
wealth of fine interior woodcarvings. The resident deity is Jade Emperor.
Cycling
The rolling hills between Baguashan and Ershui offers some fine road cycling. There are
a number of marked routes, but you can just follow roads such as the
County Rd 139
, a
sweet rural route down to Jiji.
OK-quality
bikes
(per day NT$150) can be rented across from the train station.
Sleeping
