Exploring New Taipei by Taipei MRT – Zhonghe-Xinlu Line (Luzhou branch)

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Exploring New Taipei by Taipei MRT – Zhonghe-Xinlu Line (Luzhou branch)
Category :
MRT Travel
Travel days :
1 day
適合對象 :
Public

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      Introduction

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      The Luzhou branch of Zhonghe-Xinlu Line spans across Luzhou and Sanchong Districts. Both districts belonged to Luzhou Township before 1947. Now they are collectively called Sanlu District, surrounded by Erchong Floodway and Tamsui River like an island. There are 12 bridges connecting Taipei City and Wugu-Xinzhuang area. With a vast waterfront area, this location is highly suitable for cycling.

      Luzhou branch of Zhonghe-Xinlu Line is entirely underground. Launched in 2010, this branch has a total of five stations, including Sanchong Elementary School (O50), Sanhe Junier High School (O51), St. lgnatius High School (O52), Sanmin Senior High School (O53), and Luzhou (O54). As a satellite town of Taipei City, the Sanlu area is only separated from Taipei City by a bridge. It is also the district with the highest density of temples in Taiwan. Take the MRT now and visit Sanlu!
      中和新蘆線_蘆洲端

      Luzhou (O54): Breeze Canal
      "Luzhou Fanyue" (paddling under the moonlight at Luzhou) was one of the eight scenes of Tamsui River in Qing Dynasty, capturing the scenery of river and sandy bays around Luzhou in the early days. Although Luzhou has been highly urbanized today, it is still possible to enjoy the mountain and river scenery in the waterfront area. Breeze Canal is located within Erchong Floodway. It is a designated waterway in New Taipei City for hosting international competitions of rowing and canoeing. The annual Dragon Boat competition is also held here! On usual days, the waterway is also open to the public for activities such as windsurfing and kayaking. This location is blessed with the widest view in the Sanlu area, with Guanyin Mountain and Yangmingshan standing on two sides of Tamsui River. The natural scenery here is rare in the city.
      微風運河

      Sanmin Senior High School (O53): Luzhou Li's Residence, Yonglian Temple, Luzhou Temple Street Commercial District
      The historic site of Li's Residence in Luzhou is a cultural landmark in the Luzhou area. In Luzhou, where the population density is as high as 27,000 people per square kilometer, it has not been easy to preserve Li's Residence in its complete, original appearance. Luzhou Li's Residence was built in 1895 with nine halls and sixty rooms. There is a lotus pond in front of the courtyard. It is a grand mansion of a prominent local family. The architecture is of a combined layout of a farmhouse and an official's residence.
      蘆洲李宅古蹟-李友邦將軍紀念館遠景

      The Li family of Luzhou immigrated from Quanzhou, Fujian to Luzhou during the Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty. The third generation of the family after immigrating, Li Shuhua, served as a Confucian School official in Anping and Fengshan counties, which greatly enhanced Luzhou’s scholarly culture. The fifth generation of the family after immigrating, Li Youbang, was a lieutenant general who performed well in the Second Sino-Japanese War who eventually died in the White Terror political oppression. Consequently, General Li Youbang Memorial Hall was set up at Li's Residence in Luzhou, in memory of the modern history of Taiwan.
      蘆洲李宅

      When it comes to the most representative delicacy of Luzhou, it has to be Qiezi noodles (tshı̍k-á-mī in the Taiwanese dialect)! The name, Qiezi, comes from the movement of shaking noodles in a skimmer when the noodles are cooked. It is served with a rich broth made from pork bones and added with leeks and bean sprouts so it is fresh and filling at the same time. Qiezi noodles is a representative noodle dish of northern Taiwan, equally well-known as Danzi noodles from Tainan in southern Taiwan. Qiezi noodles originated from the stalls in front of Yonglian Temple. Today, Luzhou Temple Night Market that developed around Yonglian Temple has become the liveliest commercial district in the area! Qiezi noodles as well as Yonglian Temple are important identities for Luzhou locals!
      湧蓮寺
      蘆洲廟口商圈

      Sanhe Junier High School (O51): Bihua Temple, Bihua Fabric Street
      With great location advantages, Sanchong is only a bridge away from Taipei City. In the era of rapid economic and population growth in Taiwan, a large number of people poured into Sanchong. In the 1970s, the government pushed the "your living room as the workshop" campaign and turned the whole population into a workforce and created economic miracles. The prosperous Sanchong Bihua Fabric Street, in its heyday, was where more than 300 fabric stores gathered in the 1980s. Having witnessed the rise and fall of Taiwan's garment industry, it has now been transformed into a fabric museum. Offering a wide variety of fabrics at affordable prices, it is a favorite of DIY enthusiasts and students! At the end of Fabric Street, you will find the century-old Bihua Temple which used to be dedicated to Sakyamuni, and now has become a temple integrating Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. It is a popular place of worship.
      碧華布街
      碧華寺

      Sanchong Elementary School (O50): Sanhe Night Market
      As it gets dark, you will find yourself at the last stop of Luzhou Branch, Sanchong Elementary School. From here it is an 8-minute walk to Sanhe Night Market, which is the night market frequented by Sanchong locals. There are many stalls that have been around for more than three decades, and the price here is more affortable compared to tourist night markets such as Shilin Night Market. Sesame oil chicken soup, wontons, rice balls, xiaolongbao, milk sticks, ba-wan (Taiwanese meatballs), papaya milk, sweet potato balls, crispy sticks, and green onion cakes are all popular delicacies at Sanhe Night Market.
      三和夜市
      Next
      Walk Across Danjiang Bridge and Wander Through Tamsui District and Bali District
      Standing at the Tamsui River Estuary like hands raised in prayer, Danjiang Bridge officially opened to traffic on May 12, 2026, after decades of planning and construction. Beyond carrying the weight of transportation, the bridge also features spacious pedestrian and bicycle paths, inviting travelers to walk into the sea breeze and admire the Tamsui sunset and Guanyin Mountain from an entirely new perspective.An afternoon visit begins at Fort San Domingo, where visitors can look out from Tamsui District's oldest surviving building toward the newly completed Danjiang Bridge. Continue to Hobe Fort to immerse yourself in the history of Tamsui District's coastal defense. Nearby Cloud Gate Theater was an important source of inspiration for Danjiang Bridge: the bridge's smooth, elegant lines echo the dynamic, extended movements of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's dancers. Ride a bicycle across Danjiang Bridge to take in the soaring bridge tower and the river-and-sea scenery, then arrive at the Bali District end and explore the wetland ecology of Wazihwei. Finally, head to Bali Left Bank, where glittering lights and the sea breeze accompany the enchanting night view over the Tamsui waters.Fort San Domingo has stood in Tamsui District for nearly four centuries and is the district's most representative historical landmark. Beneath its vermilion walls, multiple flags flutter in the wind, telling the turbulent story of this old fortress. Its predecessor was Fort San Domingo, built by the Spanish in 1628; in 1644, the Dutch rebuilt nearby and named the site Fort Antonio. Buildings from the Dutch and Spanish Colonial Period, Qing Dynasty Rule, and the Japanese Colonial Period stand within the grounds, making the complex feel like a living history of Taiwan.When Taiwan opened its ports in 1860, Tamsui District gradually developed into an important international commercial port. In 1867, Britain leased Fort San Domingo for use as a consulate and built an elegant Consular Residence beside it. Strolling through the residence's arched corridor and looking toward the Tamsui River Estuary, visitors can enjoy a view that frames Fort San Domingo and Danjiang Bridge together, capturing a cultural landscape where past and present meet.The small hill beside FAB Green Village is the first ridge of Tamsui District's Wuhu Hill formation. In earlier times, it was an excellent lookout over the Tamsui River Estuary, and Hobe Fort, built to defend Tamsui District, is located here. After the Sino-French War, the Qing court decided to strengthen Taiwan's coastal defense by building ten forts at five harbor locations: Penghu County, Keelung City, Tamsui District, Anping District, and Cihou. Hobe Fort was one of them.Facing south from its northern position, Hobe Fort occupies an important strategic site guarding the Tamsui River Estuary. At the entrance hangs the Beimen Suoyao Plaque, inscribed by Liu Mingchuan, then governor of Taiwan. Inside the fort grounds, the barracks, gun platforms, and replica Armstrong Cannon still project a formidable presence more than a century later. In the past, the site directly overlooked the Tamsui River Estuary and the Guandu area. Today, although trees obscure part of the view, the imposing silhouette of Guanyin Mountain can still be seen in the distance.In 2008, a devastating fire consumed Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's rehearsal facility in Bali District. Yet this renowned Taiwanese contemporary dance company did not stop there. With the joint efforts of New Taipei City Government and private enterprises, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre built the new Cloud Gate Theater at the former site of the Radio Taiwan International Tamsui Branch, reopening in 2015.Cloud Gate Theater's pale-green glass curtain wall reflects the surrounding trees, allowing the building to coexist harmoniously with the natural landscape. The grounds also feature several works by sculptor Ju Ming, including pieces from the Living World Series, letting visitors admire Cloud Gate Theater and Danjiang Bridge in the same view. The design team behind Danjiang Bridge also drew inspiration from this internationally renowned dance company rooted in Tamsui District, translating the fluid and graceful physical movements of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's dancers into the structural language of the bridge.Danjiang Bridge's main tower extends its stay cables in all directions, paired with elegant curves that resemble a dancer stretching in the night. For this reason, the bridge has been given the poetic name The Silent Dancer. At the opening ceremony on May 9, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre premiered Chain of Light, a work created especially for the bridge. Centered on the theme of connection, the piece symbolizes the bridge linking Tamsui District and Bali District while also connecting the landscapes and emotions between Datun Mountain and Guanyin Mountain.Cycling onto Danjiang Bridge offers a view back toward Tamsui District and Bali District from the perspective of the Tamsui River Estuary. In the 2015 international design competition for Danjiang Bridge, the team led by master architect Zaha Hadid stood out with a single-tower asymmetric cable-stayed design. The bridge tower is deliberately offset toward the Tamsui District side, echoing Guanyin Mountain in Bali District and preserving the openness of the estuary view.At 920 meters long, Danjiang Bridge is the world's largest single-tower asymmetric cable-stayed bridge. From the center of the bridge, looking inward, visitors can see boats moving across the river, the skyline of downtown Tamsui District, the wetlands of Wazihwei in Bali District, and the rolling ridgelines of Datun Mountain and Guanyin Mountain. Looking outward, the world-famous Tamsui sunset spreads across the sky. As dusk falls, the brilliant lights of Fisherman's Wharf and Port of Taipei appear in succession.After crossing Danjiang Bridge to the Bali District end, follow the path to enter an ecological hideaway: Wazihwei Nature Reserve. Located on the left bank of the Tamsui River Estuary, it is the estuary's largest mangrove wetland, covering about 30 hectares. Dominated by Kandelia, it forms a complete and richly varied estuarine ecosystem.The reserve's most representative scenery is its lush Kandelia groves and the small blue boats resting on the sandy beach. Beyond the mangroves, the daily tides also reveal wetland creatures such as mudskippers, fiddler crabs, and barnacles. Wazihwei is also an important birdwatching site in northern Taiwan, making it a natural hideaway for both ecological observation and leisurely walks.After leaving Wazihwei, continue along the Bali Left Bank Cycling Route. In less than ten minutes, the view suddenly opens wide. The spacious Bali Left Bank combines cycling paths and wooden boardwalks, linking waterfront parks with broad sandy beaches and pebbly shores. Choose a café that appeals to you, order a cup of Left Bank Coffee, and enjoy the illuminated night view of the Tamsui waters.
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