Ho-Fon bikeway & MiaoTung Night Market

by Annie & Debbie

If you would like to go cycling in the breeze under the emerald cover of trees, Ho-Fon bikeway will be your number one choice. Walking out of Houli Station, you can feel the relaxing atmosphere that is different from the hustle and bustle of the city. Just rent a bike at one of the local stores and you are ready to enjoy a pleasant bike ride!

Meandering along an old railway, there are lots of traces that show its history. You can see the remaining trail and the vintage railway platforms along the way. The length of Ho-Fon bikeway is 4.2km, and it is very suitable to spend the afternoon taking pictures and biking. Two spots that are recommended to visit are the Shih-Gang Dam and the Number Nine Tunnel. 

At Shih-Gang Dam, the wide and open view will surely give you a refreshing feeling. Number Nine Tunnel is 1296m long. Biking in the tunnel, an illusion of traveling back to the 1990s in Taiwan emerges. Ho-Fon bikeway is definitely a place worthy of spending an afternoon enjoying a bike ride.

Miao Tung Night Market

After a whole day of cycling, we decided to feast at the Miao Tung Night Market. The night market is located in Feng Yuan, next to the train station. There are a variety of local delicacies in the market. Some of the stands have been in business for more than 30 years!

The market became famous because of seasonal spiritual events at the local Tze Chi Temple in Fengyuan. Since then, the seasonal gathering settled into a permanent marketplace. The name “Miao Tung” in Chinese means “the east of temple” which literally telling the location of the market. Implicitly, Miao Tung Night Market is a place that expresses Taiwanese local passion and spirit for its ancient history.

 

Now to our feast, we started with fried water chestnut balls. Six come in a pack for less than $1 USD! The owner breads and fries the peeled water chestnut until it’s golden and crispy. It tastes like sweet potato balls, but more filling.

After that yummy appetizer, we had our main dish, Deep Fried Pork Rib Noodle Soup, at “Chin-Suei.”The restaurant has been open for more than 30 years.

The pork ribs are fried before being boiled. The chewy ribs pack in a lot of bold flavors, and aren’t greasy. The noodles are immersed in the broth which is a blend of garlic oil and their unique sauce. Once it is served, the smell greets your nose, and you can’t help but enjoy such a palatable dish.

Finally, we got Pineapple shaved ice as our dessert for the end of today’s dinner. “Golden Tree Tea Shop” is a very traditional and ancient restaurant which has been opened for more than 70 years. They braise pineapple as the base and slice some of it into pieces as the sauce for the shaved ice. It is sweet and refreshing, which really cools down the heat from the pork noodles. Tasty pineapple with the shaved ice is regarded as the most suitable desserts in summer.

We had a good time at Miao Tung night market. Besides the food, we experienced people’s passion. As if Miao Tung night market’s boisterous nightlife is everlasting and energetic.

#If you have any hidden gems or spots you are interested in, plz feel free to give us comment or email us at roadintaiwan@gmail.com Thank you!

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National Way Six Arts Cultural Center

by    Austin & Eleanor

As my friends and I arrived at National Way Six Arts Cultural Center, our eyes soon were caught by this historical architecture because it is outstanding in the neighborhood. While walking around here, we all felt peace and relax.

National Way Six Arts Cultural Center (form name was “The Martial Arts Compound”) is located in Taichung City, central Taiwan. It takes about 6 to 10 minutes by car, or approximately 15 to 25 minutes by bus (number 50 or number 55) from the Taichung train station, and is not far from the National Taiwan Fine Art Museum. Tourists can visit for free from 9am to 10pm all the year.

Taiwan had been under Japanese rule for 50 years when Great Qing lost the First Sino-Japanese War to Japan in 1895. During that time, the Japanese built several of their own style buildings all over lots of cities in Taiwan. National Way Six Arts Cultural Center is the only historic Budokan martial arts hall from the Japan Meiji era in Taichung. It was built in 1937, and was used by law enforcement officials for practicing Kendo and Judo. The main structure is a symmetrical shrine situated in the center back area with a kendo court to the left and judo area to the right. Nowadays, after several renovations, the Japanese buildings give people an elegant, bright and energetic feelings again and becomes an excellent place for relaxing and taking photos.

In addition, there is an old banyan tree in the garden behind the main building, which is called the “Tree of Life” because it has been growing and showing its vigorous vitality since 1895. An accidental fire damaged the buildings, and also harmed the tree, but luckily, the roots were kept. Left in fact, thus it continued to grow. Thanks to collaborative efforts by the government, this banyan stands tall and dense.

National Way Six Arts Cultural Center also exploits another space to hold ancient cultural or educational activities. In the ancient China, the Six Arts were rites, music, archery, riding, writing and arithmetic. According to the Zhou Rites, noble children were instructed through the Six Arts in the Zhou Dynasty. The six arts are the core subjects in education, which teach students how to face themselves, the public and their god(s). On November first, 2011, National Way Six Arts Cultural Center combined Yuan Heng school, the Asia Research Center, the Tong Yan Drama Troup, the Da Guan Tea School, the Original Bow Workshop, the Dao He Kendokan, and the Go Game Instruction Institution to develop and execute the research of the New Six Arts cultures. As a result, if you would like to experience the delicate combination of Chinese and Japanese cultures, you can reserve single kendo class in advance. You can even plan for sign up series of tea classes, guqin classes, archery classes, kendo classes, calligraphy classes, or go classes for no more than a thousand NT dollars. 

Tourists can also enjoy the taste of well-known and superior quality Taiwanese tea, like Alishan Oolong tea, while sitting along the garden at the teashop. It’s a great way to indulge yourself in the aroma of the tea on a small budget.

        This is an awesome place to visit because of the ancient Japanese atmosphere and unique cultural experience.

[Further information]

Add: No. 33, Linsen Rd., West District, Taichung City

Tel: +886-4-23759366

#If you have any hidden gems or spots you are interested in, plz feel free to give us comment or email us at roadintaiwan@gmail.com Thank you!

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