Hongdao Night market is a small night market that opens twice a week at the border of Xizhi and Nangang in New Taipei. It is one of many small night markets around Taiwan that are only available a few nights a week because there are not enough people to keep it going every night of the week.
Hours: Tuesday and Friday night from 5 PM to 11 PM. Price: Free How to get there: By car/scooter: From Nangang station, go east and turn right onto Academia Sinica Road, then turn left on Hengke Road. The night market is on the left. By MRT: From Nangang Exhibition Center Station, the night market is within walking distance. Map: Please see below:
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For you expats or foreigners who have never left Taipei, Changhua is a large mostly rural county in central Taiwan. For years I myself never visited, because I didn't know what was there and had no reason to go. It turns out there are quite a few attractions here in this secret paradise.
Below I will list some of the best places in Changhua that I have visited. I will be sure to update this blog as I visit more places later. Historical Background: Before Han settlement, Changhua was inhabited by native peoples. During the Dutch era in Taiwan, a well was made to tap into the Zhuokou River water table. The Red Hair Well was made around 1611 by Dutch colonizers and was often used by Dutch soldiers and missionaries, During the Qing Dynasty, the city of Lukang became an important trading port, because of the depth of the water and the fact that it was closer to Fujian province than other cities in Taiwan. The main product shipped to Fujian was rice. In the 1800s, Lukang was Taiwan's second largest city, with as many as 20,000 residents, even more than Banka (modern day Taipei) and second only to Tainan. Later on, the port began to silt in, and the railroad bypassed the city, meaning that economic activity here went downhill. However because the city has changed so little in the past 200 years, it has become a cultural relic preserved from the past. The city also has over 200 temples. After the railroad was moved to Changhua City, it became the most important economic region in the county. Despite being the smallest county in Taiwan by area, Changhua County is the most populous county in Taiwan. It is often described as being part of the Taichung-Changhua metropolitan area. How to get around in Changhua? As always, we recommend renting a scooter as the best way to see Taiwan. However, you can also a great deal of Changhua by taking the train, inter-city bus, or local bus. Getting around in a car is also a convenient option as there is plenty of parking pretty much everywhere in this less crowded county. Map: You can see a map of all the places that we will visit in this blog below: 
There are roughly 750,000 legal foreign residents in Taiwan. All of them are individual people with different viewpoints and experiences. As a platform that calls itself "foreigners in Taiwan" we cannot represent every person at once. In fact, we are just Americans living in Taipei. Some people like to separate foreigners into different groups, but it is important to remember there is not just one type of foreigner, there are many of us and all of our voices should be heard.
Unfortunately, most foreigners in Taiwan are working in inhumane conditions, being exploited for cheap labor. Most of their hardships go unseen and unheard. 
Shuifanjiao Park in Xizhi District of Taipei is a newly opened park that is a cut above the rest. It is one of the few parks in Taiwan with a splash fountain that goes off hourly. In addition, it has huge long slides that can accommodate a lot of kids. Overall it is a fun place for your kids to enjoy.
Background: Shuifanjiao park sits right along Xizhi Old Street, which was originally known as Shuifanjiao Street, and was a very important transport hub along the Keelung River. It is also known as Xizhi's first street. After World War 2, the train to Yilan replaced the need for a boat dock for shipping in Shenkeng, and the town slowly fell out of importance. Many of the shops here have been running for over three generations. The area where the park now lies is a flood detention area, and before a park was built it was mainly old buildings and makeshift farmland. 
You can see from the photo above (taken from 2018 Google Earth) that the park used to be just trees and illegal farmland.
The park was only recently opened in 2022 to huge crowds and fanfare, and it is probably the best park in Xizhi District, which is home to many residential buildings and young families. Price: Free Hours: 24/7 How to get there: By car/scooter: From Taipei, take provincial highway 5 north to Xizhi. Turn west onto Gongyuan Road and you are there. There is very limited car parking and lots of scooter parking next to the park. By TRA: Take the TRA to Xizhi Station. The park is about a two minute walk to the west. Map: Please see below: 
Lukang Old Street is one of the biggest and best old streets in Taiwan. Not only is it full of historical buildings, but it also has some of the most distinctive shopping and food choices. During the Dutch and Qing eras of Taiwan, it was the most populous city and most important trading port in central Taiwan. There are more historical buildings here than anywhere in Taiwan except Tainan. Now the area is a tourist shopping district, famous for traditional crafts and foods such as oyster omelets, shrimp balls, taro cakes, and meat buns.
Background: Lukang (aka Lugang) literally means "deer port" referring to the deer skin trade which was popular during the Dutch era in Taiwan. During the Qing Dynasty, the city became an important trading port, because of the depth of the water and the fact that it was closer to Fujian province than other cities in Taiwan. The main product shipped to Fujian was rice. In the 1800s, Lukang was Taiwan's second largest city, with as many as 20,000 residents, even more than Banka (modern day Taipei) and second only to Tainan. Later on the port began to silt in, and the railroad bypassed the city, meaning that economic activity here went down. However because the city has changed so little in the past 200 years, it has become a cultural relic preserved from the past. The city also has over 200 temples. The main streets here are Yaolin Street (瑤林街) and Putou Street (埔頭街), but "Lukang Old Street" encompasses basically the entire township of Lukang. It is now one of the most popular old streets in Taiwan and is very bust on weekends and holidays. Price: Free Hours: About 10 AM to 6 PM How to get there: By Car/Scooter: From Changhua City, take highway 142 west to Lukang. There is paid public parking nearby. By Bus: From Changhua TRA station, take bus 6901 or 6900 to Lukang Old Street station. It takes about 40 minutes. Map: Please see below: 
Taiwan is one of the best places for expats to live in the whole world. It can be easy to enjoy your life here. However, sometimes differences in the culture, food, people, and environment can get you down. Therefore we have listed some advice for expats so that they can live their best life in Taiwan and enjoy every moment here.
Let's get started with the list. 
Only a 20 minute car drive away, Dawulun Beach in Keelung is the closest sandy ocean beach to Taipei City. Although it is small, it has a calm shallow swimming area and the sand looks like it was shipped straight from Kenting. It is definitely worth a visit for all beach lovers in Taipei.
Background: This beach is also known as Aodi Beach (澳底沙灘) or Waimushan Beach (外木山沙灘). In 2007, a road was created that connected Dawulun Beach with Wanli, creating a circular road around the north coast that was previously cut off. After that, more and more tourists started coming to this beach, especially from Taipei, because it is the closest oceanside destination to Taipei City. On weekends during the summer, the area can be totally packed with people. Hours: 24/7, but showers close after about 7 PM Price: Free Showers: Yes, multiple paid shower areas, about 30-50 NT per person How to get there: By car/scooter: From Keelung, take provincial highway 2 toward Wanli, and after you cross over the hill and see the ocean, turn right down to the beach. There is free parking on the side of the road, but good spots are limited. You can always park for free on the steep road that goes up the hill. By bus: From Keelung Station, you can take the T99 tourist shuttle Binhai Qiji Line to the beach. The ride takes about 13 minutes. Map: Please see below: 
The Changhua TRA Dormitory Village is an abandoned village near Changhua Station that was used as housing for TRA employees and their families until 2004. It was originally set for demolition, but this did not happen due to local backlash. It still stands today abandoned, waiting to be renovated someday. It is the best preserved TRA dormitory area in Taiwan.
Background: The Changhua TRA Dormitory Village was completed in 1922, built by the Japanese after the completion of Taiwan's coastal railway line from Zhunan to Changhua, across from the Changhua Roundhouse. The village had a community hall, convenience store, barber shops, and air raid shelters. In 1958, the village was damaged by a Typhoon. Cement apartments began to be built here in 1970. In 2003, the occupants were required to leave, and the village was going to be demolished and turned into a park by the city in 2011. When demolition work was about to begin in 2014, a local group called Banxian Xinshenghui (半線新生會) started a protest, which was successful in stopping the demolition. This involved finding old residents and explaining the historical significance of the village to authorities. In 2018 the village was listed as a historical monument. However, as of 2021 the village still sits abandoned. Hours: 24/7 Price: Free How to get there: By Car/Scooter: From Changhua TRA station, travel north and turn left on Zhangmei Road Section 1. The village is on your left next to the train tracks. There is limited parking on the side of the road. By Train: The village is within five minute walking distance from Changhua TRA Station. Map: Please see below: 
Coming to Taiwan as a foreigner can be a lonely and scary experience. Luckily most foreigners that come to Taiwan find out that it is easy to make friends with Taiwanese people, who are mostly friendly and curious towards foreigners in general. Here are the five main reasons that foreigners find it easy to make friends with Taiwanese people.
The Changhua Roundhouse is perhaps the last of its kind in Asia. It was originally made to turn steam locomotives around that could not reverse and repair/service them in the fan-shaped building. It is still in operation and is open to the public to visit for free.
Background: The Changhua Roundhouse was completed in 1922, built by the Japanese after the completion of Taiwan's coastal railway line from Zhunan to Changhua, in order to provide a place to repair and maintain locomotives. Originally the building only had 6 stalls, but later up to 12 stalls were built by 1933. The building was also bombed during American air raids during World War II. There were originally six roundhouses in Taiwan, but the others have all been demolished. The Changhua Roundhouse was also going to be demolished, but the voices of local people saved it from being destroyed. Later the building received historical monument status. Currently, the roundhouse has two steam locomotives ( CK124 and CK120) and two types of diesel locomotives (DT668, and DT650). The roundhouse is a popular spot for tourists on weekends. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 1 PM to 4 PM (open from 10 AM on weekends) Price: Free! How to get there: By Car/Scooter: From Changhua TRA station, travel north and turn left on Zhangmei Road Section 1. The roundhouse is on the left right next to the train tracks. There is limited parking on the side of the road. By Train: The roundhouse is within five minute walking distance from Changhua TRA Station. Map: Please see below: 
Hey all you Taiwan haters and long-term whiny expats, this is the article you have been waiting for. We are sick of writing Taiwan propaganda pieces, it's time to get down to the nitty gritty, why Taiwan sucks. Sure there are lots of good things about Taiwan, in fact, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, but to be fair and honest we must tell the whole story about the dark side of the best place for expats to live in the whole world.
The Anti Aircraft towers in Fanpo/Waipu Villages of Fuxing Township, Changhua County have stood the test of time to tell a tale of an earlier era when the Japanese were trying to ward off American air raid attacks in Taiwan. Quite a few towers still exist in what is now farmland in rural Changhua county, free for all passersby to see.
Historical Background: In about 1943 the Japanese decided to build a temporary airstrip that covered parts of Fanpo Village (番婆村古砲台) and Waipu Village (外埔村古砲台) of Fuxing Township, Changhua County. In order to build the airstrip, many local villagers were required to work night and day for many weeks. At the same time, anti-aircraft gun towers were built to protect the local people from bombs as well as provide firepower. The Americans did drop bombs in the area. After the war, the airstrip became pasture for cattle and became covered with weeds. Later it was converted into farmland. The villagers decided to keep the towers standing, probably because it would be hard to tear them down, because they provide a reminder of past times, and that the villagers were lucky to survive the many bombing raids near the village. Price: Free Hours: 24/7 How to get there: By car/scooter: Just south of highway 142 before you get to Lukang. The tower is easy to see next to the side of the road. By bus: From Changhua Station, you can take Changhua bus 6933A to Yingfa Company Bus Stop. The tower is then only a short walk away. Map: Please see below: |
Author 作家We are US Expats that have extensive experience living, working, and travelling in Taiwan. In our day, we had to learn many things about Taiwan the hard way. But we have come to learn that Taiwan is one of the best places in the world for Foreigners to live. Our blog does not represent the opinions of every foreigner in Taiwan. We are just trying to help others learn more about this beautiful country. Archives 檔案
January 2023
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