Foreigners in Taiwan - 外國人在臺灣
  • Home 首頁
  • Blog 部落格
  • Taiwan FAQ 常見問題
  • Blog Index 部落格指南
  • Maps 地圖
  • About 關於我們
  • Contact Us 聯絡我們
  • Privacy 隱私
  • Home 首頁
  • Blog 部落格
  • Taiwan FAQ 常見問題
  • Blog Index 部落格指南
  • Maps 地圖
  • About 關於我們
  • Contact Us 聯絡我們
  • Privacy 隱私

Blog Posts

Chishang 池上

8/8/2023

2 Comments

 
Share

Tweet
Picture
Are you a fan of rice fields, biandang, and rice in general? Chishang is the place for you! As the unofficial rice capital of Taiwan, its unspoiled views of rice fields with a backdrop of the eastern rift valley is one of the most unique and unspoiled scenic areas in Taiwan.

Historical Background:

The name Chishang comes from the town being located near Dapo Pond (or Daopochi 大坡池). The area was first settled by aboriginal tribes relocated from Pingtung. Qing dynasty Chinese farmers started settling there in 1875, as a reaction to Mudan Incident of 1871 (in which a crew of shipwrecked Japanese were beheaded by Taiwan aborigines) and the Japanese punitive expedition to Taiwan in 1874. After the Japanese took control of Taiwan, Chishang's main industries were growing sugar cane and rice. A train station was completed in Chishang in 1926 as part of the eastern railway line.

Because of its flat land and and abundant water, Chishang naturally became a great place for growing rice. It's rice fields and biandang (lunchbox) have generally been accepted as the best quality in Taiwan. Many of the rice varieties grown here can trace their roots to Japanese rule. Besides its unadulterated rice fields, the area also became famous due to a Mr. Brown coffee commercial shot here (at what is now know as Brown boulevard) as well an ad for EVA Air featuring Takeshi Kaneshiro (金城武)a Taiwan born Japanese actor (famous for many movies, the one which I remember him best in is the male protagonist in House of Flying Daggers), in which he drinks tea next to a tree. The tree is still there and is growing strong, although it was damaged in 2014 by typhoon Matmo.

I'm not sure if this is the original Mr. Brown Coffee commercial, but its at least pretty close:
Here is the EVA Air commercial featuring Takeshi Kaneshiro made in 2013:
Watching the above will give you the best idea of why this place is so popular. The area became especially popular for bike riding after the EVA Air commercial came out.
How to get there:
By Train: Take the TRA train to Chishang station, and you're there! From there you can rent bicycles or scooters, but be sure to reserve a scooter in advance if you are going on a weekend.
You can book tickets to travel to Taitung via inter-city bus on Klook here. 
Book tickets via the normal train (TRA)  on Klook here.
By Car/scooter: From Taipei, take National Highway 5 to Yilan, then drive on highway 9 to Hualien, and then continue south to Chishang.
Looking for scooter rental in Taitung? You can search Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here.
If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search KKday here or Klook here. You can check out our car rental guide here.
By Air: You can fly to Taitung Airport from Taipei and then rent a vehicle, take a taxi, or take the train (TRA) to Chishang. A plane ticket to Taitung takes about one hour and costs about 5000 NT per round trip.  You can book discount tickets to Taitung on KKday here. You can also book cheap flights to Kinmen on Trip.com or CheapO Air. You can also search for cheap flights in Taiwan here. 

Accommodation:
Booking accommodation in the Taitung can be difficult in the summer months and on weekends when rooms can be fully booked for months in advance. We suggest a better quality selection on Agoda.com. 
We have stayed at and recommend the Papago International Resort in Chishang (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), which is a five star hotel with private villas with pools for each room, and Mountain and Ocean B & B in Taimali (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), which is a quiet and affordable B&B right next to the beach. 

You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here.  
Need travel insurance? Compare prices on Insubuy here. 

Tours:
There are many companies offering snorkeling, diving, SUPing, Surfing, Speed Boating, Glamping, River tracing and other tours in Taitung. You can find more tours of Taitung on Klook here or KKday here. 

Just to let you know, if you book using the links above, we get some commission at no cost to you, and you can help support our blog. 
You can click here to receive $5 USD on your first Klook purchase. 

​Map: Please see below:

​Our Jounrey:
Picture
We came to Chishang via train, thanks to my generous coworker who also booked our hotel. The hotel didn't have a scooter rental place close by, so I had to walk far into town only to discover that all the scooter rental places had no scooters left! Finally I found a Yamaha place that was rather expensive, (450 per day) but at least we had transportation.

​Looking for scooter rental in Taitung? You can search Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here.
Picture
The most important sight in Chishang is Brown Boulevard, named after the Mr. Brown coffee commercial which is not on Youtube. On the same road is the tree where Takeshi Kaneshiro shot the commercial (see above for the video).

Takeshi Kaneshiro Tree
 金城武樹
Picture
Here is the Takeshi Kaneshiro Tree (Jinchengwu Tree) (金城武樹), recreated by the tourism bureau I assume to look just like it did in the commercial, tea kettle and everything.

How to get there:
If you go by scooter, the local townspeople have the main road to the tree blocked off, so that they can trap you into renting a bike. Don't listen to them, just drive around taking the rice roads and you can still get there via scooter. You can use the map below:
Picture
I also visited the tree back in 2015, and even then it was popular. Back then the tree had just been hit by typhoon Matmo, and was held up by stilts. The tree is a Bishop Wood.

Drone Footage:
Here are some shots from my drone around the tree (unrestricted flying area!). Even if you don't care about Mr. Brown or Takeshi Kaneshiro, surely you can appreciate the beautiful unspoiled scenery.
Picture
A shot from the drone looking west. You can see the throngs of Chinese tourists riding their four person bikes on Brown Boulevard. 
Picture
View to the east toward the eastern mountain range.
Picture
View to the northeast.
Picture
View to the northeast, including downtown Chishang and 60 stone mountain in the distance.
Picture
Unspoiled rice fields as far as the eye can see. Rice plants actually have a sweet floury smell.
Picture
An Ahma planting rice in 2015.
Picture
Bicyclists enjoying their time on Brown Boulevard.
Picture
Rice planting machine.
Picture
Perfect rows of rice!
Picture
There are actually many abandoned buildings around Chishang, many of them taken over by the elements.
Picture
Another abandoned farm house.
Picture
Abandoned barn.
Picture
Also while wandering around Chishang we found a heard of cows! A rare sight anywhere in Taiwan.
Picture
This is the hotel resort (Papago International Resort) that we stayed at. Back in the day, Takeshi Kaneshiroa also stayed at this resort, and his name is hung outside of where he stayed. I guess this is another reason that people come stay here. The resort is very close to Brown Boulevard and offers bike rental as well as day trips to sixty stone mountain. 
Picture
The resort was very nice. We had our own private Jacuzzi and swimming pool. The best part though was that we didn't pay a dime for it!
Picture
And then we packed our bags and headed back to Taipei via train!

There are many tours and activities such as snorkeling, diving, SUPing, Surfing, Speed Boating, Glamping, River tracing and more in Taitung. You can find more tours of Taitung on Klook here or KKday here. ​

Check out our full guide to Taitung here, our guide to Taiwan’s East Rift Valley here, and our guide to  Taiwan’s East Coast here.
​
​You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here. ​
Share
2 Comments
Ericson
3/18/2020 06:59:21 pm

Good day!

Do you knew of a car rental service with driver in Chishang area that would take us up to Xiangjang campground near the Taitung County Police Bureau the jump-off point of our hike? Thank you in advance.

Reply
zidane link
7/27/2022 04:03:03 pm

very clear and good article easy to understand. Thank you

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

     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.

    ​​我們是在台灣的外國人!我們透過額部落格想要幫助外國人了解台灣生活,旅遊,和商業的環境!我們不代表所有在台灣的外國人, 我們只是想要幫助世界各地的人了解台灣美好的一切! (美國人在管理)

    Archives 檔案

    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    October 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    Categories
    ​類目

    All
    Aboriginal Culture 原住民文化
    Alishan 阿里山
    Amusement Parks 娛樂園
    Aquariums 海洋館
    Art 藝術
    Basic Info 基本資訊
    Beaches 海灘
    Blogroll 部落格名單
    Bridges 橋梁
    Buddhism 佛教
    Buddhism 佛教
    Business 商業
    Business 商業
    Camping 露營
    Car Driving Test 考汽車駕照
    Car Rental 租氣車
    Caves 山洞
    Changhua 彰化
    Chiayi 嘉義
    Children Activities 小孩活動
    Chinese Film 中文電影
    Chinese Language 中文
    Chinese Language 中文
    Chinese Literature 中文文學
    Chinese Literature 中文文學
    Chinese Pollution 中國污染
    City Parks 都市公園
    Click Bait 點擊誘餌
    Coal Mining 煤礦
    Confucius Temples 孔廟
    Cycling 騎腳踏車
    Cycling 騎腳踏車
    Daily Life 日常生活
    Daoism 道教
    Disaster Tourism 災害旅遊
    Diving 潛水
    Driving In Taiwan 開車
    Drone Flying 飛空拍機
    East Rift Valley 花東縱谷
    East Taiwan 東部
    Ershui 二水
    Events 活動
    Festivals 節日
    Fish Foot Massage 溫泉魚
    Floral Sea 花海
    Food
    Food 食物
    Forts 堡壘
    Fruit 水果
    Geography 地理
    Geology 地質
    Golf 高爾夫球
    Green Energy 綠色能源
    Growing Bananas 種香蕉日記
    Guest Blog Posts 客人部落格
    Hakka Culture 客家文化
    Hiking
    Hiking 爬山
    Historical Buildings 歷史建築
    Historical Buildings 歷史建築
    Hot Springs 溫泉
    Hot Springs 溫泉
    Hsinchu 新竹
    Hualien 花蓮
    Immigration/Visa 移民/簽證
    Japanese Era 日治時期
    Jiaoxi 礁溪
    Kaohsiung 高雄
    Keelung 基隆
    Kenting 墾丁
    Kinmen 金門
    Lakes And Reservoirs 湖及水庫
    Lighthouses 燈塔
    Longdong 龍洞
    Lukang 鹿港
    Luodong Night Market 羅東夜市
    Maolin 茂林
    Matsu Islands 馬祖列島
    Mazuism 媽祖
    Miaoli 苗栗
    Migrant Workers 外籍勞動
    Monkeys 猴子
    Monkeys 猴子
    Mountain Biking 越野
    Mountain Biking 越野
    Museums 博物館
    Nangang 南港
    Nantou 南投
    National Forest Recreation Areas 國家森林游樂區
    National Palace Museum 故宮
    National Parks 國家公園
    Natural Scenery 自然風景
    New Taipei 新北市
    Night Market 夜市
    Northern Coast 北海岸
    Not Taiwan 台灣以外的地方
    Nuclear Power 核能
    Nuclear Power 核能
    Offroading 越野
    Old City Gates 古城門
    Old Streets 老街
    Old Trails 古道
    Orchid Island (Lanyu 蘭嶼)
    Outer Islands 外島
    Paragliding 跳傘
    Pathos And Logos 情與理
    Penghu Islands 澎湖群島
    Pingtung 屏東
    Pingxi Railway 平息火車綫
    Politics 政治
    Politics 政治
    Qing Dynasty Era 清朝時代
    Railways 鐵路
    Recreational Farms 休閑農場
    River Tracing 朔溪
    Rock Climbing 攀岩
    Sailing 帆船
    Sand Dunes 沙丘
    Sanxia 三峽
    Scooter Driving Test 考機車駕照
    Scooter Rental 租機車
    Seafood Markets 海鮮市場
    Shiding 石碇
    Shilin Night Market 士林夜市
    Shopping 購物
    Sicao Green Tunnel 四草綠色隧道
    Smokestacks 烟囪
    Snorkeling 浮潛
    Snorkeling 浮潛
    Sports 運動
    Starting A Taiwan Business 創業
    Starting A Taiwan Business 創業
    Sun Moon Lake 日月潭
    Sun Moon Lake 日月潭
    Surfing 3490928010
    Surfing 冲浪
    Taichung 臺中
    Tainan 台南
    Taipei 101
    Taipei Zoo 台北動物園
    Taipei 臺北
    Taitung 臺東
    Taiwanese Spouse 台灣配偶
    Taiwan FAQ 臺灣常見問題
    Taiwan History 台灣的歷史
    Taiwan History 台灣的歷史
    Taiwan's Economy 台灣經濟
    Taiwan's Economy 台灣經濟
    Taiwan Temples 臺灣的廟
    Tamsui 淡水
    Taoyuan 桃園
    Taroko Gorge 太魯閣
    Tax 稅
    Thailand 泰國
    Top 10 前十名
    Top 10 前十名
    Top 5 前5名
    Transportation 交通
    Tsai Yingwen 蔡英文
    Turtle Island 龜山島
    Typhoons 颱風
    Ultimate Guide 極限指南
    Urbex 城市探險
    Waterfalls 瀑布
    Weather 天氣
    White Terror 白色恐怖
    Wildlife 野生動物
    Women In Chinese Society 女士們在中國社會
    Working In Taiwan 在台灣工作
    Working In Taiwan 在台灣工作
    Wulai Hot Springs 烏來溫泉
    Xiaoliuqiu 小琉球
    Xitou 溪頭
    Xitou 溪頭
    Xizhi 汐止
    Yangmingshan 陽明山
    Yilan 宜蘭
    Yonghe 永和
    Yunlin 雲林
    Yushan (Jade Mt.) 玉山
    Zhonghe 中和
    Zhongtaishan 中台山
    Zoos 動物園

    RSS Feed

Klook.com



Save on your hotel - hotelscombined.com

Looking for a hotel? Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.

Follow us on social media:


Follow @foreignersinTW