February 1, 2011

Neiwan, Hsinchu

Time flies. I feel like I just celebrated the year of Tiger, then the year of Rabbit is already around the corner arriving this Thursday, February 3rd. As the day approaches, all red themes with rabbit figures can be seen everywhere on the streets. Find out how the traditional Lunar New Year is celebrated in Taiwan and what those traditional customs are by checking our last year post “Gong Xi Fa Cai” !

Happy New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai to all of you! Receive lots of “ Red Envelopes" !

If you would like to escape for a one-day trip during the holiday, Neiwan in Hsinchu could be an excellent destination. Neiwan can be reached by trains or by car. It is a great place for those who do not have transportations. The Neiwan Small Train would take you directly to Neiwan Station. From there, many interesting spots can be explored.

Neiwan Train Station was built around 1950 for the timber and coal delivery. It has kept the original look with a very simple and nostalgic feeling. A very small and lovely train station has attracted many filmmakers. Sitting on this wooden bench, doesn’t it take you back to the good old time?

Crossing the railroad, a small Neiwan Police Station can be seen on top of the railway tracks. This wood structure house was built during the Japanese Colonial Era. Impressively, the police station is still operating and providing services to the local residents.

Comic illustration has always been my interest. Liu Hsing-Chin Comics Museum was on my list to visit in Neiwan; however, the museum was under renovation at the time we visited. How disappointed! Liu Hsing-Chin is a well-known Cartoonist in Taiwan. Neiwan is his birthplace. His comic books have become one of the important childhood memories for many Taiwanese readers.

Another highlight of the trip was visiting the half century old Neiwan Theater. After strolling through the town, a lunch in an old time theater setting with traditional Hakka dishes was quite pleasant and relaxing.

Neiwan Theater was built in 1950 as the only entertainment center in town for the miners and coal workers at that time. From the size of the theater, I can imagine how booming the business was! Now, the theater has been renovated with the original look in providing the Hakka dishes and watching the early film of Taiwan’s.

Inside the theater, a traditional Taiwanese grocery store can be seen. Walls are covered with early film posters and shelves are displayed with all kinds of early film equipment. I really felt like I was in the film studio and no wonder there were many films shot here.

Wandering on the Neiwan Old Street, I found a variety of Hakka snacks and delicacies. Everything looked so tempting; however, we did not stay long on the Old Street, since the crowds were coming in. Nevertheless, Neiwan is such a lovely small town to explore for a day!

“Neiwan Theater Website”

Neiwan Theater Address: No.227, Zhongzheng Rd., Hengshan Township, Hsinchu County Read More

12 comments:

London Caller said...

Happy Chinese New Year!
Ha ha... The best places to avoid visiting during Chinese NEw Year are actually places where there are many Chinese people like Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc.
All the shops will be closed. Limited transportation. The whole town is very quiet.
Come to Europe. Ha ha...

San said...

祝你兔年行大運
來年拍更多好照片,
帶我們看更多台灣的好風光

micki and kristen said...

@ Londoncaller and San- Thanks! Wish you two have a great Rabbit year~~ :) :)

Jean said...

Wishing you a great Happy Chinese New Year of the Rabbit! Our climate right now is a contrast to yours.

micki and kristen said...

Thank you Jean! We are in the winter as well. The Neiwan trip took place in September last year and it was still pretty hot at that time...

Anonymous said...

Hakka food is always delicious!

新年快乐! I kept on thinking of you when I was in Singapore because there were a lot of "visit Taiwan" ads in the SMRT. I wish I had had the time!

micki and kristen said...

@ Zhu- 新年快乐 to you too! Welcome back from your interesting trip. Next time you will have to find time to travel to Taiwan okay! :):)

Jean said...

My partner has been invited to a cycling conference in Taiwan next month to speak on some topics.

He will be going a short bike ride in this area. Apparently it's featured as having a bike route?. What would be the temperatures/weather be like there in late June?

Any other things he should be on the look out for?

micki and kristen said...

@Jean- Sorry to reply to you late.. That sounds great! Will you be coming to Taiwan as well? The weather in June is pretty hot and humid. Please also follow the weather report to see if the typhoon will also take place. Pack a mosquitos repellent if your partner is sensitive to the bugs. Other than those, have lots of fun in Taiwan and enjoy the local delicacies as well~~ ;o)

kristen and micki said...

@Jean- Kristen rode a bike around the island a couple years ago. There is a 17 kilometers bike route by the coastline with great scenery and gorgeous sunset! Here is the information for you- http://17km.hccg.gov.tw/ki16.htm

Jean said...

Here's my partner's blog post that summarizes some of his observations on cycling in Taipei and Hsinchu:

http://thirdwavecyclingblog.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/taiwan-cycling-tale-of-two-cities-hsinchu-city-and-taipei/

Unfortunately there was no time for him to bike, other than a tiny piece on public bike share in Taipei

micki and kristen said...

Thank you so much in sharing your partner's report. What a great and useful analysis! Looks like he had a great time in Taiwan regardless!

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