Best Attractions and Places to See in Yilan City, Taiwan
Yilan City Travel Guide. MUST WATCH. Top things you have to do in Yilan City. We have sorted Tourist Attractions in Yilan City for You. Discover Yilan City as per the Traveler Resources given by our Travel Specialists. You will not miss any fun thing to do in Yilan City.
This Video has covered top attractions and Best Things to do in Yilan City.
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List of Best Things to do in Yilan City, Taiwan
Jimi Square - Yilan Station
Luna Plaza
Memorial Hall of Founding of Yilan Administration
Agrioz
Yilan Dongmen night market
Brick Ark Museum
Yilan Museum of Literature
Happy Station
Yilan Railway Station Tourist Service Center
MaKau Ecological Park
Heels 2 Wheels: Taiwan - Luodong Farm Cultural Exchange Visitor Factory in Yilan (Ep 25)
The Luodong Farm Cultural Exchange Visitor Factory, ( also known as the Loton Farmers Association, is well-known for their organic soya milk and preserved century eggs. It is situated near the train station in Luodong Township and is equipped with a tourist information centre, an exhibition hall, a production line tour, and a restaurant. It makes a great stop for family activities, and gives many a chance to get their hands dirty and prepare their own traditional delicacies.
Visitors can have the DIY experience of making own tofu, dolls painting and candles painting. So for all you DIY fans out there, don't forget to give this place a visit!
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Heels 2 Wheels: Taiwan - Su Ao Cold Spring in Yilan (Ep 24)
Su Ao is a small, quaint town in Yilan County. Famous for seafood and cold springs, this rather small place doesn't seem to be frequented by western tourists. Su Ao Cold Spring has a spring water temperature of 22 °C.It is both bathable and drinkable, and has a pH of 5.5. Watch our host Joanne-Marie Sim take a dive, and a sip!
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CPC stands to lose NT$2.7 billion in the wake of fuel fiasco
CPC Corporation says it expects to lose NT$2.7 billion as a result of its Taoyuan refinery supplying substandard 95-octane fuel to gas stations in northern Taiwan for 21 days. Motorists who were affected can apply for compensation beginning November all the way till June of next year. The compensation includes a monetary refund as well as a free fill-up.This man is back at the place where he filled his vehicle with 95-octane gasoline that could have contained unstable fuel additives. He''s armed with three receipts as proof of purchase, but he''s rebuffed when he asks for a refund.MotoristYou should get your refund at the place you bought the gas. It''s more convenient this way. It turns out that CPC is processing refund requests only at 80 designated gas stations and nine of its business centers.CPC says that 41,000 kiloliters of substandard 95 unleaded had been sold. Using a rate of NT$31.5 per liter in its calculations, CPC expects its refund program to cost 2.7 billion Taiwan dollars. Many wonder if taxpayers will end up footing the bill.Shen Jong-chinEconomics MinisterWe need to look at this from the consumer''s perspective, because when something goes awry like this in a business, we have to get to the bottom of it and resolve the problem.CPC made a profit of NT$45.6 billion in the first three quarters of this year alone, surpassing this year''s target of NT$12 billion by a long shot. Even after spending NT$8 billion to subsidize fuel prices in the last three months, and spending NT$2.7 billion in its refund program, the CPC is positioned to end the year very much in the black.
A good time at TAIPINGSHAN and riding the BONG-BONG TRAIN (太平山/蹦蹦車好玩)
We recently went on a two-day trip to the great forest areas of Taipingshan and Qilan in Yilan County. In this video we are at Taipingshan, riding the Bong-Bong Train and going on a forest work.
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Travel in Taiwan Jan./Feb., 2020
By Owain Mckimm
Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area
The Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area (tps.forest.gov.tw; entrance fee: NT$150 Mon-Fri; NT$200 weekends/holidays) is the more bounteous of the two recreation areas in terms of the sheer number of nature trails, hikes, and opportunities for exploring and nature-watching.
In the not-too-distant past, Taipingshan – a 12,000ha expanse of dense forest, much of which is located between 1,500m and 2,500m above sea level – was best known as a logging area. In 1914, the Japanese (who controlled Taiwan as a colony from 1895 to 1945) began operations to harvest the centuries- and sometimes millennia-old cypress trees that grew here. Logging was finally banned in 1982, and you can learn about some of the industry's history at the Taipingshan Visitor Service Station in the recreation area’s main facilities sector.
Climbing the stone stairs to the right of the station brings you to a café and restaurant, the latter serving seven-dish set meals made with fresh local produce for NT$250 per head. At the top of the stairs (lined with Japanese maple trees, whose leaves turn a rich burgundy-red in autumn), you'll find one of the recreation area’s many trails – the Primitive Cypress Forest Trail, an easy 30-minute walk taking you through the intertwining canopies and twisting roots of members of Taiwan's two endemic cypress species (C. obtuse var. formosana and C. formosensis). Beyond this trail is the Chinese Hemlock Nature Trail, a longer and more challenging walk through largely coniferous forest which also contains several broadleaf species such as the Formosan rhododendron, with the viewing platform at the trail’s tail-end providing beautiful views of Taipingshan's breathtaking sea of clouds phenomenon.
Aside from hiking, one of the most popular activities at this recreation area is taking a ride on the Bong-Bong Train – a working relic from the old logging days. Its onomatopoeic name derives from the sound it made as it trundled log-laden along the snaking narrow-gauge rail track to nearby Maoxing Station, a bit higher in the mountains. The trains, now carrying tourists, run hourly from 7:30am until 2:30pm, and tickets cost NT$180 for a return trip. The journey to Maoxing takes roughly 20 minutes, the train twisting and turning along the mountainside through, on many days, dense mist that reveals only ghostly impressions of the forested ridges and slopes that lie beyond.
Arriving at Maoxing Station, you'll have around an hour to explore before the return train, which is plenty of time to make a thorough exploration of the area by walking the Maoxing Reminiscent Trail – a 900m path that follows and encircles the old train tracks. The forest around here once yielded around 3,000 cubic meters of wood per hectare. Today, a dense forest of new-growth cypresses, cedars, and firs exists in place of those felled ancients, whose gigantic stumps loom from within the mist like the ruined towers of some long-lost city.
To soothe your aching legs and tired feet, a highly recommended final stop is the Jiuzhize Hot Springs, situated further down-mountain near the recreation area’s ticket booth. Here, pale-blue alkaline sodium bicarbonate water bubbles from deep beneath the earth at temperatures of up to 140°C, its steam rising in giant white plumes from the boiling wells. The spa has both outdoor pools and private bathhouses, and prices range from NT$150 for access to the outdoor pool in summer to NT$700 for a private two-person bathhouse during winter. If you're peckish, you can rustle up some grub in the cooking area, where eggs and corn purchased in the visitor center shop can be boiled in specially designated springs.
TRA adds 87 trips for general election
The Taiwan Railways Administration has added 87 trips to ease voter traffic. From Friday to next Monday, extra services will be offered on three major train lines that connect the island. Four trips servicing the East Coast offer priority booking to riders whose registered homes are in Hualien or Taitung. Japan’s Tobu Railway sent its resident station master across the sea to attend the TRA’s Lunar New Year lantern-lighting ceremony.The TRA is gearing up for tourists. And with the election around the corner, it’s also preparing for an influx of voters.From Jan. 10 to 13, there will be an additional 87 train services on the Western Line, the Eastern Line and the South-Link Line.Chen Yu-mouTRA operations department In terms of sales, long-distance tickets on the eastern and western lines have mostly sold out. There are still some seats available on mid-distance trips. From Taipei to Hualien, and Taipei to Yilan, we’ll do what we did in the past, which is running local services with the Fu-Hsing Semi Express.To help voters get to the East Coast, the TRA has added four extra train services that give preference to those with household registration in Hualien and Taitung.Chen Yu-mouTRA operations departmentReal-name rail booking is mainly meant to give priority to people originally from Hualien and Taitung..The TRA’s extra service for the general elections is nine times that for the 2018 local elections. The rail operator says it wants to make it easy for out-of-town workers to go home and vote.
Traveling on a train from Taipei to Hualien, Taiwan!
In today's vlog, Lacey takes a trip to Taiwan with some friends! Their first stop is taking the train from Taipei to Hualien. In Hualien, they rent bikes and dilly dally around the beach, and top the night off with some karaoke.
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A Railway in the Clouds! Taiwan's remarkable 'Bong Bong' Train
Taiwan's recently renovated 'Bong Bong' train is located some 2000m above Yilan on the rugged East Coast where it remains the last operational section of a once vast network of 2'6 narrow gauge Cypress railways. Called 'Bong Bong' because of the unique exhaust note emanating from Kato's ubiquitous little 4.5 ton DL locomotive.
Today, our tourist train is hauled by a modern 'Taipei Iron' diesel locomotive and travels the original route of the Japanese Kato DL powered cypress trains, following the contours at a steady 2% grade from Taipingshan Villa to Maosing, a distance of about six km.
At Maosing Station, we alight to explore the land of the Giant Cypress,
rotate our locomotive on the tiny hand turntable, then hold tight while we take a scenic Cab Ride for the short journey back to Taipingshan Villa.
I'm guiding a series of small group, narrow gauge rail tours to Taiwan and Japan. Highlights of the Taiwan tour is a visit to the spectacular Alishan Forest Railway which climbs from sea level to 2.200m in just 75 kilometers and on special occasions, still operates a Shay geared locomotive!
Check out OzSteam.com for more information as well as tour departure dates.
Taipei, Taiwan-Ultimate Guide For The Airport MRT(Taoyuan)
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I was so glad to see the Taoyuan International Airport MRT line open earlier this year. This finally brings Taipei in line as far as convenience and access goes, to it’s international airport, with other major cities in East Asia including Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Southeast Asian centers like Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
Like most airport trains across Asia they do not operate 24 hours a day so if your flight arrives outside of the 6am to 23:00 train schedule then you’ll have to use a bus, still fairly convenient or catch a taxi.
At NT$160 for a one way ticket the Taoyuan Airport MRT is the bargain of East Asia for airport rail fares.
As I mentioned in the video Taipei Metro offers a number of unlimited passes ranging from 24 hours to 72 hours. These passes are not valid for the airport MRT. If you’d like an unlimited pass that includes a return trip on the airport MRT then purchase the “Joint Ticket” at the airport MRT counter.
At the airport and at Taipei Main Station you can purchase an Easy Card or iPass which you can load up and use on the airport MRT, Taipei Metro, many bus lines and convenience stores.
This video should cover most of your questions regarding travel between the international airport and Taipei Main Station. For more information visit their website:
Pingxi Train Line Tour / 平溪線旅游 (Jingtong, Pingxi, Shifen & Houtong Cat Village)
00:00 - Pingxi Train Line / 平溪線
03:06 - Jingtong / 菁桐
06:49 - Pingxi Old Street / 平溪老街
17:54 - Shifen Old Streets / 十分老街
33:41 - Shifen Waterfall / 十分大瀑布
33:45 - Houtong Cat Village / 猴硐貓村
The Pingxi Small Railway line is a thirteen kilometre, narrow-gauge railway, one of three remaining open from the Japanese era. The towns along the Pingxi Line were all once thriving mining towns, all feature “old streets” selling tourist paraphernalia and old Japanese buildings.
Jingtong Station was built by the Japanese in the 1930s. The town is a terminus of the Pingxi Line.
Along the rail line, lovers and others write wishes on bamboo sticks (“wish sticks”) and hang these on trees, fences, and anything else that might be available.
Pingxi is special for its unique architecture and design, as its market area, Pingxi Old Street, is built into a hill with a train track going overhead right through the middle with shops around selling local food and gifts. Visitors are able to check out shops built during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as wooden houses built during the Japanese occupation era.
However, Pingxi is undoubtedly the most famous stop on the Pingxi Line because of its annual lantern-launching activities during the Lantern Festival period after the Chinese New Year. Perhaps 1,000 or so lanterns are launched over a period of a couple of weeks. The launchings are conducted at night, making for a dramatic scene. But be forewarned that the popularity of the festival makes for very crowded viewing. During the rest of the year, one can purchase and launch lanterns on one’s own.
Pingxi is also known for its sausage vendors who slice up and add toppings to their sausages.
Shifen is perhaps the best stop on the Pingxi Line for picture-taking. Travelers are free to walk along the rail line, which runs right through the downtown.
Shifen is the most active place for the purchasing, igniting, and launching of lanterns into the night sky. The lanterns, carrying written notes expressing the wishes of the launchers, are set aloft from the rail tracks, and everyone scampers away when a train makes its way through town. As helpful signs explain, different colors of lanterns represent different types of wishes, such as those involving romance, good health, and success on exams. You can buy the sky lanterns for about NTD150 (US$5) and then paint a good luck message. The origin stems from an ancient custom where people would release sky lanterns to signal an area was safe.
The Jingan Suspension Bridge, a popular spot for photography, is right next to Shifen Station.
About 1.3 KM from Shifen Old Streets / Shifen train station, the Shifen Waterfall has a total height of 20 metres (66 ft) and is 40 metres (130 ft) in width, making it the broadest waterfall in Taiwan. On sunnier days, the waterfall creates a rainbow as it splashes into the lake - widely regarded as the most scenic in all of Taiwan.
Houtong was once a rich small mining town in Ruifang, renowned for a well-preserved culture surrounding its railway, which was built during the Japanese rule of Taiwan. During its prosperous years, the area produced around 220,000 tons of coal per year, the largest coal output of a single area in Taiwan. This attracted many immigrants to the area, which further spurred the town's growth to as many as 900 households with a population of more than 6,000 people. The last facility built in the area was a coal purification factory, built in 1920.
As the coal mining industry began to decline in the 1990s, the area also declined. Young residents started to emigrate to look for other opportunities, and eventually only few hundred residents remained once the mining industry had died out.
However, things started taking a turn for the better from 2008, when a local cat lover organized volunteers to start offering abandoned cats a better life. They posted the cats' pictures online, resulting in an overwhelming response from other cat lovers around the nation. Soon, Houtong became a center for cat lovers as word spread, and the number of cats living there increased – thus reviving a declining village, and transforming it into a tourist destination. Some cats are sterilized, and will have one of their ears trimmed as confirmation – this helps to keep check on the local population of cats, and also helps identify new cats which enter into the village.
Where Cats Call the Shots:
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Next Stop, Pingtung. Transport officials planning HSR extension
Premier Su Tseng-chang has announced that the high-speed rail line will be extended to Pingtung. The exact route is still under discussion, but it will be expensive in every case, with the cheapest plan costing NT$61.9 billion. The question front and center is: Is it worth it? Premier Su says, absolutely, as the bullet train would pay off toward the long-term development of the country. Scholars are not so sure. We give you both sides of the debate in today''s Sunday special report. It’s Friday night. Throngs of people pour into Taipei Main Station. For the Hsiao siblings, it’s the start of a long expedition.After an hour and a half on the high-speed rail, they arrive at Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung. But their journey is far from over. Hsiao Ming-hsiao and Hsiao Fang-ching walk toward the Xinzuoying railroad station.A half hour on the train and a 10-minute ride in the family car later, the siblings are finally home. It is now midnight. An exhausting trek that takes over three hours – that’s the fastest way home for Pingtung natives who work in Taipei. A better alternative is coming soon. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications plans to build a bullet train station in Pingtung. Su Tseng-changPremierSome say that this project is an election gambit. I say, you’re underestimating President Tsai Ing-wen. You’re underestimating the premier, and you’re underestimating the people of Pingtung and Taiwan. What we’re planning -- what we want to build -- is not something for a transient election. It is for Taiwan to use for centuries to come.Chung Shih-yen Pingtung Government transport officialThis land behind me is Taiwan Sugar Corporation''s Lioukuaicuo farmland. It has an area of about 210 hectares. The Transportation Ministry’s Railway Bureau is considering using this site for a Pingtung bullet train station.Pan Men-anPingtung CommissionerThose who haven’t gone out to the countryside before wouldn’t be able to understand. Medical care, education, business, regional development – these are all chronic pain points for the people of Pingtung.According to the Transportation Ministry’s feasibility study, a bullet rail link to Pingtung would see about 4,000 to 5,500 passengers a day and generate revenue reaching NT$1.3 billion a year. An expert says that’s an optimistic estimate.Professor Chang Sheng-hsiungTamkang UniversityAfter extending the high-speed railway to Pingtung, you still have to set up a shuttle system for the 830,000 people living in Pingtung. It’s not like you build it and all 830,000 people will come. They won’t – why? Because the people living in Donggang and Linbian could go to Zuoying Station, and that would take less time than going to this new place. A Pingtung bullet train station would struggle to compete with Zuoying Station, which is already well connected via shuttle buses, trains, and even an express service to Kenting. Experts say a Pingtung HSR would be of marginal benefit for locals as well as tourists. Down south, local officials argue that public infrastructure has to advance public interest and not merely financial gain.Pan Men-anPingtung CommissionerIf public investment decisions were guided only by economic benefits or short-term profitability, and not by the contribution to long-term national planning, then the government has no need to exist. We believe that the project, in its original scope, can drive value of at least NT$60 billion in regional development.Professor Chang Sheng-hsiungTamkang UniversityTransport infrastructure is a necessary condition for economic development. It is not a sufficient condition. Let''s say that Pingtung has built up a certain industry. You have to see what industry it is. Is all the manpower coming in from outside Pingtung? If a transportation project is designed to create jobs in Pingtung, then its services should meet the needs of the people in Pingtung itself. The Taiwan Railways Administration provides basic services to Pingtung residents. Why is it that we keep trying to finance convenient services and yet disregard basic services?One scholar thinks that if the trip to Pingtung is slow, the problem is with the TRA. Professor Lee Ke-tsungFeng Chia UniversityThe TRA’s operations are really very inefficient. Let’s say I want to transfer from the HSR to the rail at Xinwuri station in Taichung. Sometimes I have to wait for 15 to 20 minutes. It’s like going from heaven to hell.As part of its Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, the government has earmarked more than NT$200 million to add trains to the Zuoying-Pingtung section. Nevertheless, the people of Pingtung still yearn for the day when a bullet train rides up to their town. Perhaps, at the core, it''s a longing for equality. Pan Men-anPingtung CommissionerBack in 1977, Taiwan’s first freeway opened up and ended at Fengshan in Kaohsiung, failing to cross the Kaoping River in...
2019 YILAN CHILDREN'S INTERNATIONAL FOLKLORE AND FOLKGAME FESTIVAL #summerisnotyetover
Entrance fee
Weekdays :250NT
Weekends:350NT
ADDRESS:
No. 2, Sec. 2, Qinhe Rd., Wujie Township, Yilan County
Travel Information：Get off the train at Luodong Railway Station and take the rear exit; walk approx. 10 meters to Luodong Bus Transfer Station; take either County Bus 241 or Capital Bus Dongshan River Line; get off at the Dongshan River Water Park stop.
Alternatively, take County Bus 621, get off at the Dapu Bridge stop (Dongshan River), and walk approx. 500 meters to the rear entrance of Dongshan River Water Park.
You can also ride a taxi from loudong for only 200NT
Additional info from an artice that I found on google. Please click the link
Historic Xinbeitou Station in Beitou (Taipei, Taiwan)
The station originally opened as the terminus for the Shin-hokutō Line as Shin-hokutō Station on 1 April 1916. It reopened on 1937 after renovation. The station and the tracks form a unique T configuration. Later on, on 15 July 1988, the service was ceased with the discontinuation of Tamsui and Xinbeitou Line. It was dismantled in 1988 to clear the path for the Xinbeitou MRT station of the Tamsui Line, and in 1992 the old station was purchased and rebuilt as an exhibit at the Taiwan Folk Village in far away Changhua down in central Taiwan.
In 2007, the park went out of business, further galvanizing a lengthy campaign started by Beitou residents in 2004 to convince the defunct park's owner to donate the station to the city government.
After owner finally acquiesced to residents' demands and returned the building to the Taipei City government in 2013, the authorities began a NT$20 million (US$645,161) restoration effort, utilizing 72 percent of the structure's original materials. The restoration is based on the blueprints of the expanded version of the station from 1937, when it was opened as the terminus of the local railway system.
Train Derails in Taiwan — Killing at Least 18 People and Injuring More Than 170
One of Taiwan's fastest passenger trains derailed Sunday on a curve along a popular weekend route, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 170 others, authorities said.
The Puyuma express was carrying more than 360 passengers from a suburb of Taipei in the north to Taitung, a city on Taiwan's southeast coast, when it went off the tracks shortly before 5 p.m., the government said in a statement.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the accident.
Most of the deaths were in the first car, and it was unclear whether other people were trapped in the train, according to a government spokesman, who spoke on the customary condition of anonymity.
Some passengers were crushed to death, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Chen Chung-chi said.
Their train car turned over. They were crushed, so they died right away, Chen said.
Earlier, the government put the death toll as high as 22, but the National Fire Agency, citing the Cabinet spokesman's office, later reduced that figure and blamed a miscalculation.
Photos from the scene just south of the city of Luodong showed the train's cars in a zig-zag formation near the tracks. Five cars were turned on their sides.
Local television reports said passengers tried to escape through windows and that bystanders gathered to help them before rescuers arrived.
Hours after the accident, one of the eight cars was seen tipped over at about a 75-degree angle, with the entire right side destroyed.
Fearing people may be trapped beneath the car, firefighters with lights on their hard hats peered underneath as a crane prepared to upend it. The firefighters were joined by soldiers and Buddhist charity workers who gathered on both sides of the tracks.
Soldiers removed bodies to identify them, but nightfall complicated the rescue work.
On a live feed provided by Taiwan's United Daily News, rescuers could be seen carrying what appeared to be a body wrapped in white plastic away from the site.
At the scene, searchers walked through an upright car with flashlights. The search-and-rescue work was to continue until early Monday to make sure everyone aboard was accounted for, Premier William Lai told reporters shortly after midnight.
The underlying cause should be investigated to the maximum extent to avoid anything like this happening in the future, Lai said. We will make the whole thing transparent.
Ensuring that rail traffic goes back to normal is also a priority, he said.
Most people who were seriously hurt suffered head injuries and one was bleeding internally, said Lin Chih-min, deputy director of Luodong Boai Hospital, where four people were in intensive care. The hospital had treated 65 people total.
The wreck happened at a railway station called Hsin Ma, but the train was not scheduled to stop there.
The Puyuma was launched in 2013 to handle the rugged topography of Taiwan's east coast. It is distinct from the high-speed rail that runs on the west coast. The Puyuma trains travel up to 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour, faster than any other in Taiwan except for the high-speed rail.
The train that derailed had its most recent inspection and major maintenance work in 2017, Taiwan Railways Administration Director Lu Chie-shen said at a televised news conference.
Sunday's derailment was at least the third deadly rail accident in Taiwan since 2003.
A popular tourist train overturned in the southern mountains in April 2011 after a large tree fell into its path. Five Chinese visitors were killed.
A train undertaking a test run ignored a stop sign and crashed into another train in northeastern Taiwan in June 2007. Five people were killed and 16 others hurt.
And in March 2003, a train derailed near a popular mountain resort, killing 17 people and hurting more than 100 people. Investigators blamed brake failure.
????Having Fun in JIUFEN with MT JILONG HIKE (九份好玩)
Jiufen is one of the most popular tourist attractions in greater Taipei. It has scenery, snack foods, history, and lots of tourists. :)
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Travel in Taiwan (Jan./Feb., 2017):
Jiufen
A trip to the mountain village of Jiufen and its “little sister,” Jinguashi, sits atop the list of things to do for many tourists visiting Taiwan. Both settlements are located in the scenic coastal mountains overlooking the northeast coast, both were once thriving mining centers (copper and gold), and both are worth spending a good amount of time exploring. Below are five places and things to experience/check out/enjoy while there.
Jiufen Old Street
After arriving at Jiufen, most tourists head straight to the Old Street, a narrow and winding pedestrian-only alley lined with souvenir shops and eateries on both sides. Apart from trying some yummy hot or cold (depending on time of year) tapioca and sweet-potato ball soup (Jiufen’s best-known specialty), have a cup of tea at Jiufen A Mei Teahouse, in a beautiful and well-preserved wooden structure with great views, and visit the close-by Shengping Theater, Taiwan’s first cinema, built in 1914 to entertain miners during the heyday of mining in Jiufen.
Jiufen Evening Scenery
Back in Jiufen, make sure to stick around until the evening when the weather is fine. The mountainside-hugging town faces the northwest, meaning that the sun will set to the left when looking out over the coast. The sunset can be quite remarkable and dramatic, especially when there is a scattering of clouds in the sky, a common occurrence on the northeast coast.
Getting there:
Bus from Taipei: There is frequent bus service (No. 1062) from near MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing Station (Exit 1) in downtown Taipei to Jiufen and Jinguashi. The ride takes about an hour.
Railway plus bus: Alternatively, take an eastbound train (heading to Yilan/Hualien) to Ruifang and transfer to a bus bound for Jiufen/Jinguashi or further on to Fulong (passing the Golden Waterfall).
Jiufen 九份
Jiufen A Mei Teahouse 九份阿妹茶樓
Mt. Jilong 基隆山
Shengping Theater 昇平戲院
A 30 Story Complex Is Planned for Bangladesh
Industry News for May 27, 2016
Image by Flickr user ASaber91
CONSTRUCTION STARTS ON 67-STORY CHICAGO BUILDING
Construction has begun on One Bennett Park, a 67-story, 850-ft.-tall residential building near Navy Pier in Chicago, Curbed Chicago reports. Located at the southwest corner of Grand Avenue and Peshtigo Court, the building is the tallest in the city's current building boom and will rise above its tallest neighbor by 250 ft. Developer Related Midwest is building a new 1.7-acre park as part of the Robert A.M. Stern Architects-designed project. Assuming Vista, designed by Jeanne Gang, and Grant Park Tower, designed by Rafael Viñoly, also proceed, One Bennett Park will be Chicago's 13th-tallest building.
30-STORY MALL/OFFICE COMPLEX FOR BANGLADESH
Banani DCC-Unique Complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh, a 30-story structure that will house a shopping mall and offices, is under construction, SkyRise Cities reports. Including a three-floor basement parking garage, the project is being developed by Borak Real Estate and promises to help better position Dhaka as a modern business and tourism center. The two-building complex will boast modern amenities such as information-technology services and a 24-hr. power supply.
LIFT MALFUNCTION CLAIMS LIFE OF DOCTOR IN TAIWAN
Authorities are investigating a May 23 accident at National Yilan University in Yilan County, Taiwan, in which a 45-year-old doctor was found deceased, trapped between an elevator cab and the shaft wall, the Taipei Times reports. The man, who was the campus doctor, was on duty at the time of the 2:15 p.m. accident. After passengers reported the elevator was not responding to calls, a custodian found the doctor’s body approximately an hour later. It is believed the cab failed to stop level with the floor, and the man fell as he entered. He died from blood loss due to injuries to his lower body.
Pingxi Train Line Tour / 平溪線旅游 (Slideshow / 幻燈片) - Jingtong, Pingxi, Shifen & Houtong Cat Village
00:00 - Pingxi Train Line / 平溪線
02:26 - Jingtong / 菁桐
04:58 - Pingxi Old Street / 平溪老街
09:10 - Shifen Old Streets / 十分老街
13:38 - Shifen Waterfall / 十分大瀑布
15:31 - Houtong Cat Village / 猴硐貓村
The Pingxi Small Railway line is a thirteen kilometre, narrow-gauge railway, one of three remaining open from the Japanese era. The towns along the Pingxi Line were all once thriving mining towns, all feature “old streets” selling tourist paraphernalia and old Japanese buildings.
Jingtong Station was built by the Japanese in the 1930s. The town is a terminus of the Pingxi Line.
Along the rail line, lovers and others write wishes on bamboo sticks (“wish sticks”) and hang these on trees, fences, and anything else that might be available.
Pingxi is special for its unique architecture and design, as its market area, Pingxi Old Street, is built into a hill with a train track going overhead right through the middle with shops around selling local food and gifts. Visitors are able to check out shops built during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as wooden houses built during the Japanese occupation era.
However, Pingxi is undoubtedly the most famous stop on the Pingxi Line because of its annual lantern-launching activities during the Lantern Festival period after the Chinese New Year. Perhaps 1,000 or so lanterns are launched over a period of a couple of weeks. The launchings are conducted at night, making for a dramatic scene. But be forewarned that the popularity of the festival makes for very crowded viewing. During the rest of the year, one can purchase and launch lanterns on one’s own.
Pingxi is also known for its sausage vendors who slice up and add toppings to their sausages.
Shifen is perhaps the best stop on the Pingxi Line for picture-taking. Travelers are free to walk along the rail line, which runs right through the downtown.
Shifen is the most active place for the purchasing, igniting, and launching of lanterns into the night sky. The lanterns, carrying written notes expressing the wishes of the launchers, are set aloft from the rail tracks, and everyone scampers away when a train makes its way through town. As helpful signs explain, different colors of lanterns represent different types of wishes, such as those involving romance, good health, and success on exams. You can buy the sky lanterns for about NTD150 (US$5) and then paint a good luck message. The origin stems from an ancient custom where people would release sky lanterns to signal an area was safe.
The Jingan Suspension Bridge, a popular spot for photography, is right next to Shifen Station.
About 1.3 KM from Shifen Old Streets / Shifen train station, the Shifen Waterfall has a total height of 20 metres (66 ft) and is 40 metres (130 ft) in width, making it the broadest waterfall in Taiwan. On sunnier days, the waterfall creates a rainbow as it splashes into the lake - widely regarded as the most scenic in all of Taiwan.
Houtong was once a rich small mining town in Ruifang, renowned for a well-preserved culture surrounding its railway, which was built during the Japanese rule of Taiwan. During its prosperous years, the area produced around 220,000 tons of coal per year, the largest coal output of a single area in Taiwan. This attracted many immigrants to the area, which further spurred the town's growth to as many as 900 households with a population of more than 6,000 people. The last facility built in the area was a coal purification factory, built in 1920.
As the coal mining industry began to decline in the 1990s, the area also declined. Young residents started to emigrate to look for other opportunities, and eventually only few hundred residents remained once the mining industry had died out.
However, things started taking a turn for the better from 2008, when a local cat lover organized volunteers to start offering abandoned cats a better life. They posted the cats' pictures online, resulting in an overwhelming response from other cat lovers around the nation. Soon, Houtong became a center for cat lovers as word spread, and the number of cats living there increased – thus reviving a declining village, and transforming it into a tourist destination. Some cats are sterilized, and will have one of their ears trimmed as confirmation – this helps to keep check on the local population of cats, and also helps identify new cats which enter into the village.
Where Cats Call the Shots:
WSJ Video:
Tram - Danhai light rail - Taiwan - LRT - Strassenbahn - Villamos - 淡海輕 - רכבת קלה軌
The Danhai light rail (Chinese: 淡海輕軌; pinyin: Dànhǎi Qīngguǐ) is a light rail transit (LRT) system in Tamsui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. It opened on 23 December 2018. The cars were built in Taiwan by the Taiwan Rolling Stock Company[10] under the first program to domestically build light rail vehicles. The company partnered with the German firm Voith Engineering Services on the design of the cars. Final assembly as well as the manufacturing of many components was done in Taiwan. Through this project, Taiwan seeks to lessen its dependence on foreign manufacturers for rail systems.
Love Amongst the Water #1
It is the largest fresh-water lake in Taiwan, situated in the center of Ilha Formosa. The warriors of the Thao tribe found this lake among the forest mist, Today, tourists from every corner of the globe those come to appreciate its unique beauty.
With apt planning and management by the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration, the area has become an intemationally-recognized resort.
It is the Sun Moon Lake, and let us appreciate its legendaries together.【The information from Tourism Bureau Ministy of Transportation and Communication, Republic of China(Taiwan)】
Heels 2 Wheels: Taiwan - Dachu Coffee Farm and Qigu Salt Mountain in Tainan (Episode 14)
Down one mountain and up another, we chanced upon Dachu Coffee Farm, a cozy joint nestled in a quiet corner, far above and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Refreshed and regenerated from the short coffee break, we then head down the mountain and scootered over to Qigu, which actually has a long history of generating salt and actually contributes to over 60% of Taiwan's salt production. It is also a popular tourist destination and many have come to view and photograph the salt plains and Salt Mountains, also known as Qigu Yan Shan.
Finally, Qian Lai Ye in Qigu is the perfect shop for a little souvenir shopping. Inside it, one can find a large array of knick-knacks, old-school toys, candy, biscuits, drinks, and oh, the unforgettable Salted Egg Yolk & Walnut ice cream. You'll also see alot of frog memorabilia and frog-themed items everywhere, because the Taiwanese drama The Prince Who Turns Into a Frog (王子變青蛙) was filmed here.
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