LOHAS Paradise ~ “Houtong-Shuangxi” A Fun One-day Trip with Cats and Forests

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LOHAS Paradise ~ “Houtong-Shuangxi” A Fun One-day Trip with Cats and Forests
Category :
Outdoor excursion
Travel days :
1 day

推薦路線

Day

      Introduction

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      Starting from the “Houtong Station,” cute cartoon cat billboards and popular cat station-master statues can be seen once exiting the station. Enter the “Houtong Cat Village” through the first pedestrian-cat bridge in Taiwan to have a close encounter with the sweet cats, then take a ride on the Taiwan Railways to Shuangxi Station. One may rent bicycles from the “Low-Carbon Station” on the side when exiting the station, then follow the “Shuangxi Bikeway” to admire the clear rivers and beautiful mountain forests along the way and then savor the aromatic ancient-flavored traditional egg cakes at the “Haishan Bakery.” After taking a break, visit the century-old historical “Lin Yi He Tang” Chinese herb store with oriental sentiments in order to admire the colored tiles, decorations as well as the antique medicine apparatus. Experience the nostalgic glory of the old street at the “Shuangxi Ferry Port,” which used to be an important checkpoint for transporting daily supplies. At last, visit the “Slow Café” enriched by a strong art and cultural ambience to enjoy the hand brewed coffees and the store’s signature kiln bread. Experience a Taiwanese field trip in the company of gourmet food and magnificent sceneries.

      Note

      【Return traffic information】
      Take a ride on Taiwan Railways Tze-Chiang Limited Express / Fusing Semi Express / Local Train, get off at “Taipei Station.”
      Previous
      Nostalgic felicity – Slow journey down memory lane
      With long blonde hair, blue eyes, slender body and extravagant dress, a Barbie doll is a common childhood memory among many Taiwanese girls. Visiting the “Taishan Doll Industry Museum” evokes many people’s memories about Barbie dolls. Featuring collections such as the earliest Meining doll clothing, military fatigue dolls, indigenous clothing, early Taiwanese clothing, Southern Fujianese clothing, concubine clothing during the Qing Dynasty and Taiwan Dadaocheng doll collection, etc., visitors are able to admire the glamour of different styles of dolls in the display window. The Taishan Down Temple nearby has a history of 130 years, but its solemness has not been diminished over time. The next stop is the Mingzhi Academy, also praised as the premier academy in northern Taiwan. The ancient academy has an archaic paper burning furnace, serving as a reminder for students to cherish knowledge, and all unused paper or books must be burnt as a sign of respect towards knowledge. Next stop is Taishan Up Temple, which is the oldest temple in the Taishan region. Designated as a class-3 national historic monument, the majestic temple is one of the must-see historic monuments in Taishan. Exquisite wood carvings, stone carvings and paintings on the interior of the temple present the beauty of traditional craftsmanship. Classic architectural masterpieces are abound in Fu Jen Catholic University, with each one featuring unique styling; there are plenty of well-known delicacies on the campus that you cannot afford to miss, such as FJCU’s own ice cream. In addition, there is also the Fuda Night Market, which is just as famous as Tainan Flowers Night Market and packed with numerous original stores and renowned gourmet delicacies that have been featured in television reports. End your memorable day right here at the night market by savoring mouthwatering snacks!
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      Jinzibei Historic Trail – Houtong overlooked mining glories and offers a healing journey searching for kitties while visiting local attractions.
      Jinzibei Historic Trail’s starting point at the Mudan end is the same as that of Canguangliao Historic Trail; Canguangliao exits from Jinguashi, while Jinzibei hiking trail exits from Houtong. After getting off from Shisanceng Old Tree Stop, walk for 15 minutes and you will arrive at “Jinzibei Historic Trail Entrance/Exit”. Along the Trail, visitors will come upon century-old historic sites of Jinzibei and Fengxianshijin Tablet; the total distance of the Trail is approximately 3.4km, and it takes about 2.5 hours to finish walking the Trail. The Trail is mainly made of stone path and stone stairs, which will take some energy to finish the route; but the lush green woods give refreshing coolness along the way. After exiting the Trail, visitors will connect to Jiuqiongqiao Rd. and then Houtong Rd. if they continue going straight. And going further down, visitors will see Ruisan Coal Transporting Bridge and Ruisan Coal Preparation Plant. Walking into the “Vision Hall” transformed from previously the coal preparation warehouse, visitors will have an in-depth experience of the old-time glory of Houtong’s coal mining industry as well as an overview of the local coal mining development through the introduction provided inside the Vision Hall. The other key feature of Houtong would have to be “Cat Village”! Walking over Houtong Cat Bridge, and visitors will arrive at cat lovers’ “promised land” – Cat Village. Let us kindly remind all visitors to follow the rules here, and please do not hit, feed, disturb, or pet the cats, and please do not free your cats here and do not litter. Let’s safeguard this precious “cats’ heaven” together as we enjoy a healing holiday and wander amidst the historic paths.
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