New Taipei City Travel

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!

Caoling Historic Trail is the most widely known section along the Tamsui Kavalan Trails. Along the way there are Xiongzhen Manyan Tablet, Tiger Tablet, and many other historic sites; setting off from the Historic Trail entrance and traveling all the way to Gongliao – it’s a great route to the mountains and the ocean both in one day! From Dali Train Station, tourists can enter the Historic Trail by passing by the Dali Visitor Center. The Trail is level and easy to walk along the way, and once arriving at Yakou Observation Deck visitors will also be able to spot Guishan Island in the distance. When visiting here in the fall, you will have the opportunity to appreciate the breathtaking beauty of blossoming snowy white silver grass. Once arriving at Yuanwangkeng Water Park, visitors can sit inside the wood gazebo to appreciate the small bridges, running streams, criss-crossed rice terraces, or they can also spend some relaxing time and play in the water at the shallow creeks. Walking from Yuanwangkeng Water Park to Yuanwangkeng entrance, visitors would take approximately 3.5 hours walking on the Trail itself. Beginner hikers can transfer via bus here to reach Fulong Train Station. Once arriving at Fulong Train Station, treat yourself with a hearty Fulong bento to cheer you up. Lastly, visitors can head to Fulong Beach on the way; in addition to playing in the water, Fulong Sand Sculpture Art Festival held here each summer will also offer visitors many awe-inspiring creative sand sculpture art works to enjoy! Even though walking the Trail won’t be too tiring, it is still recommended for the visitors to wear hiking boots to ameliorate stress when walking. Remember to drink water and also to bring your trekking pole – only thorough preparation will lead you to a safe hike into the mountains!