◎ Hakka Old Streets - In Search of Nostalgia in Old Miaoli Towns <2009-09-18>
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| Hakka Old Streets |
| In Search of Nostalgia in Old Miaoli Towns |
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If you follow Taiwan’s travel scene, you’ll have noticed this trend: Instead of being bulldozed and redeveloped, as often happened in the 1970s and 1980s, traditional downtown neighborhoods are now being cherished, revamped, and packaged as tourist attractions. |
By Steven Crook
Photos / Vision Int’l
hen a thoroughfare changes from being simply “old” to an “Old Street,” it undergoes a striking physical metamorphosis. The buildings are scrubbed clean; modern accretions like air-conditioning units, stainless-steel water tanks, and television cables are hidden, either behind the houses or beneath the road; and the asphalt road surface is replaced with stone slabs. Entrepreneurs move in and begin selling goods that tourists like to buy — often snacks and souvenirs, sometimes antiques.
Almost every town in Taiwan, it seems, has an Old Street. Some, like Daxi near Taoyuan, have two or three, depending on who's counting. Xinhua, just outside Tainan, has what I consider to be Taiwan’s finest Old Street — superb early-1920s architecture and businesses that still cater largely to locals, not visitors.
| Because of their isolation, Nanzhuang and Beipu |
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have retained a lot of their preindustrial character |
Nanzhuang and Beipu, two small towns in north Taiwan’s interior, have well-known old streets too. Both are far from the coast and on the edge of the mountains. Because of their isolation they’ve retained a lot of their preindustrial character. They’re also blessed with stunning surroundings. Near Nanzhuang there are aboriginal villages and the historical temples of Lion’s Head Mountain. Beipu and its hinterland are dominated by Hakka, a Han Chinese sub-ethnic group that retains its own language and customs.
Folk with their own vehicles can “do” both Nanzhuang and Beipu in the same day. But unless you’ve got a plane to catch, budgeting 48 hours for the region is a much better idea.
Travelers who lack their own set of wheels should continue reading, as both towns can be reached by public transportation. Frequent buses link Nanzhuang with Hsinchu (a city with a characterful old thoroughfare of its own, Beimen Street) and Toufen. There are also some buses from Miaoli which, like Hsinchu, is well-served by north-south express trains.
Getting to Beipu involves a bus trip from Hsinchu to Zhudong, and then a second bus from Zhudong to the destination. This isn't as troublesome as it sounds — services on both routes are very frequent.
anzhuang has two antiquated thoroughfares: the official one, the narrow pedestrians-only lane everyone refers to as Nanzhuang Old Street, and an “unofficial” one, Zhongzheng Road.
The former is packed with businesses and eateries that tourists will find interesting. But before you explore these, there are a couple of things worth seeing along the southern end of the street, across the road from the visitor information center.
The function of the first is obvious if someone happens to be using it when you arrive. Otherwise, you might mistake it for a bus shelter. This is a place where, in the days of yore, the townsfolk would come to do their laundry; a few residents still use it for this purpose. Clean water from the hill above is channeled into a large tub, and rutted slabs of stone serve as washboards.
Right above it there’s a small shrine dedicated to the local earth god. In most Taiwanese towns and villages the earth god is referred to as Tudigong (in Mandarin) or Todeygong (in Taiwanese). In Hakka areas like Nanzhuang and Beipu the deity is called Bogong.
If you’ve just arrived in Taiwan, it’s likely you’ve never before seen some of the snacks being sold along the Old Street. Few of them are labeled in English, and not many of the vendors speak a foreign language. The good news is that this doesn’t matter one jot: Most stores offer morsel-sized samples to passersby, with no obligation to buy if you accept.
Near the northern end of the Old Street are two landmarks. One is Nanzhuang’s biggest place of worship, Yongchang Temple. The other is the 109-year-old former post office. Rebuilt once, after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in 1935, the post office was renovated for a second time in the past decade and converted into the Nanzhuang Culture Hall. It’s a classic single-story wooden structure faithful to its era of origin, and a favorite with photographers.
Many of the buildings along Zhongzheng Road are 50 years or more old; they have a concrete first floor and clapboard second floor (logging used to be a major industry in these parts). Perhaps the most delightful shop is Yongliang Ice Factory, at no. 47. Step inside this 1950s-style popsicle vendor to see old-fashioned ice-making equipment that’s still in daily use. Patrons have included at least one ROC president, two vice presidents and one presidential hopeful; the boss, Mr. Zhang, has the photos to prove it. He also runs a small homestay just around the corner.
Nanzhuang’s retail market is worth wandering around, especially if you’re hungry. The vendors here do business from about six o’clock in the morning until just after lunch, but the two restaurants inside serve up authentic Hakka dishes until dusk.
If you’re traveling to Nanzhuang by private car or motorcycle, be aware that almost all roads in the town itself are one-way. If time allows, explore beyond the town. If you stay on the main road — Miaoli County Road No. 124 — you’ll soon come to Penglai, a small village with three or four homestays and the Penglai Stream Biological Tour Area, a nature reserve rich in fish and dragonflies. April is a good time of year to visit if you wish to see fireflies. August is peak butterfly month.
Beyond Penglai there’s several more kilometers of spectacular mountain scenery before Road No. 124 joins up with Provincial Highway No. 3, which in turn leads to Taiwan’s strawberry capital, Dahu. If you continue southward beyond Dahu, turning right (west) onto Road No. 130 is highly recommended. Not only is it one of Taiwan's prettiest routes, but it also leads straight to Sanyi, a mecca for aficionados of woodcarving.
Alternatively, turn left as soon as you cross the bridge just outside Nanzhuang. This is Miaoli County Road No. 21, a 14.5-kilometer-long dead end with enough sights to occupy you for an entire day.
In addition to the waterfalls of Shenxian Valley (the torrent is loud, but in the hot season the cicadas are even louder!) and the aboriginal weaving-and-dyeing workshop at Shibi (which means “stone wall” — you’ll see how apt this name is when you get here), there’s Xiangtian Lake. The spiritual homeland of the Saisiyat people, one of Taiwan’s smallest indigenous tribes, this pretty little lake is 738 meters above sea level.
The 5,000-strong Saisiyat are well known in Taiwan for their Pastaai festival, a biennial event that’s now a government-recognized “intangible cultural property.” The three-day festival is intended to appease the spirits of an extinct tribe called the “short people.”
According to Saisiyat tradition, it was these people who taught the Saisiyat how to farm. Relations between the two groups were harmonious until a nasty incident led to war and the Saisiyat exterminating the short people. The former soon suffered a series of grave misfortunes — tribal leaders, believing the spirits of the short people were wreaking revenge, decided to hold the Pastaai.
The event has been a central Saisiyat tradition ever since, and an especially impressive version of the festival is held every ten years. The next mega-Pastaai will be in the fall of 2016. To learn more about the festival, and also to see a replica of a traditional Saisiyat home, visitors should head to the Saisiyat Folklore Museum, right beside the lake. The displays inside are bilingual, in Chinese and English.
At the official end of Road No. 21 — though farmers’ tracks continue further up the side of 2,220-meter-high Jiali Mountain — stands Luchang. Formerly a thriving mining-and-logging settlement, few people now live here, and there’s little to do but enjoy superb views of the valley below and buy locally-grown high-mountain produce. At the time of my visit the old police station was being renovated; a remnant of Japan’s 1895-1945 occupation of Taiwan, it played a role in the colonial government’s effort to control the aboriginal population.
ike Luchang, Beipu in Hsinchu County used to draw its prosperity from natural resources. During the Japanese colonial era a number of coal mines operated nearby, and hard-living, hard-drinking miners would blow their wages in local restaurants and bars.
These days tourism underpins the economy. Visitors come to see a town that has preserved much of its 19th-century character (it was founded in 1835), and where 98 percent of the 10,000-plus residents regard themselves as Hakka.
Citian Temple is a good place to begin a walking tour of Beipu. It’s a quaint medium-sized shrine; among the gods worshiped here are Guanyin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, and the Kings of the Three Mountains (Sanshan Guowang), deities revered by Hakkas not only in Taiwan but also throughout China and Southeast Asia.
The road that leads up to the front of the temple, Beipu Street, is often referred to as “Beipu Old Street.” If you stroll down it, you’ll see why: No two buildings look the same, though each has character and looks as if it's seen some interesting events.
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Xiangtian Lake is the spiritual homeland |
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of the Saisiyat people, one of Taiwan’s |
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smallest indigenous tribes |
Some of the businesses here have been going for a very long time, although the proprietor of Hundred Year Old Hakka Cuisine, a restaurant at no. 23 (Tel: [03] 580-2213), willingly admits his eatery has been running for a mere 90-odd years. The building in which it is housed has obviously been rebuilt or renovated in the last few decades, which is more than can be said for the home of Old Street Ban-Tiao at 31 Miaoqian St. (Tel: [03] 580-3871).
The latter restaurant has been in business for about 20 years, but the structure it’s in dates from the very beginning of the 20th century. Sections of wall have been stripped of plaster to show the original daub, bricks, and stones. The ban-tiao in the eatery's name is a kind of thick noodle that features prominently in Hakka cooking.
Miaoqian Road (literally, “road in front of the temple”) is the thoroughfare you should explore if you want to see Beipu’s most imposing private residences. The best-known of these is Jinguangfu Hall, built in 1835 for use as administrative headquarters for the settlement of Han Chinese pioneers in the area. It’s the town’s only first-grade national historic site (a status enjoyed by fewer than 40 spots islandwide). Like the Tianshui Hall (an exquisite traditional-style courtyard house in superb condition) and Jiang A-xin Mansion (a late 1940s mansion with Art Deco and European features), Jinguangfu Hall isn’t open to the public at the moment, though this is expected to change soon. Spending several minutes gazing and taking photographs from the sidewalk outside is permitted and, in my opinion, very rewarding.
All three buildings are still owned by members of the Jiang clan, descendants of Jiang Xiu-luan (1783-1846), the man who founded Beipu.
| At Miaoqian Road you can see Beipu’s |
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most imposing private residences |
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Ban-tiao Beipu has many restaurants serving traditional Hakka dishes with thick noodles |
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An interesting side note: Until the late 19th century, Taiwan was all too often a lawless place. Conflicts over land and natural resources such as water and camphor meant society was often divided along clan and ethnic lines. In addition to the usual walls and gates, Beipu’s founding fathers devised an interesting way to protect the settlement. The town’s major streets were covered with stone slabs, most of which were fixed in place. A few weren’t, however, and would make a loud “clunk” when stepped on. Locals knew where not to step, but intruders trying to infiltrate silently signaled their approach by inadvertently “setting off” the alarm stones.
If you want to enjoy the health benefits of one of Taiwan’s 120-plus hot springs but think the weather is too warm for soaking in 40-degree water, Beipu is the place to be. Bilingual Chinese/English signs point the way from the downtown to Beipu Cold Spring, seven kilometers away in the hills by road. The spring varies in temperature between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius. It’s said to be good for skin and gastric problems, arthritis and gout.
Even if you’ve no desire for a quick dip, consider driving out this way anyway, as the countryside is lovely. This area also has lots of homestays; unfortunately, almost all of them are signposted in Chinese only, so if it’s accommodation you’re seeking, keep your eyes peeled for the characters for homestay/minsu, given below.
