[RD] Discovering Taiwan

[warpus]

Cycling Chishang’s Rice Fields
aka The Hometown of Rice (米之鄉)

Chishang rice fields have a reputation for growing some of the finest rice in Taiwan. During colonial times rice from here was selected to be used as tribute for the Japanese emperor. The Japanese government basically surveyed various Taiwanese rice fields and selected rice from here as having the finest quality overall. That reputation has stuck ever since, along with the "Hometown of Rice" tag, and for good reason! Or rather multiple reasons:

Chishang rice fields are located in the middle of the East Rift Valley, in between two mountain ranges. Rivers flowing down from the mountains have over time been eroding minerals and alluvial deposits and depositing them into the valley, making the soil rich in nutrients. The mountains also shield the rice fields from pollution, other human activity, and adverse weather.

But that's not all! Large day-night differences in temperature in the valley also help create a firmer sweeter rice. Something to do with slower grain pespiration that happens during larger temperature variations during the day/night cycle. Coincidentally these temperature swings also help keep some pests away.

Last but not least, the The Xinwulu River helps irrigate these fields with clean chemical-free water using a network of irrigation channels first constructed by the Qing in the late 1800s.

Overall these are just excellent rice growing conditions.. set in a beautiful landscape for you to cycle through in relative peace

Spoiler :

The official map promoted by the local tourism board outlines 3 variations of a route you can take around the rice fields, although there's more points of interest there that would take you off some of these routes.

 

[warpus]

Paradise Road (天堂路)

In 2013 a commercial was filmed near here involving Taiwanese born actor/singer star Takeshi Kaneshiro. This has resulted in this area becoming quite popular, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. It is often cited as the most photographed rural Taiwanese landscape.

From what I think I've figured out "Paradise Road" doesn't really refer to any particular road, it is moreso the popular name for this whole set of streets that criss-cross these rice fields, especially the ones that directly connect to Brown Boulevard, which is where the commercial was filmed. Brown Boulevard is not the street you see in the background.

I was able to squeeze in a photo of the empty swing in between people waiting in line to pose here. The picture makes things look deceptively empty, and it wasn't incredibly packed either, but this place can get busy.

 

[warpus]

The Takeshi Kaneshiro Tree
aka Tea Offering Tree

This is probably the most popular tree in Taiwan. The only reason it's popular is because a commercial was filmed here in 2013 starring a famous Taiwanese born actor/singer.

At the time I had no idea. I had this spot marked on my map and thought it was probably a coincidence that there were so many people here when I arrived. I figured the tree is a landmark because it's a bit of a solitary tree, and that's true to an extent.. This Bishop Wood tree was planted here by farmers decades ago in a spot where shade was needed during periods of rest. Trees were generally not planted in the rice fields for that reason - the shade would only get in the way of maximizing a rice harvest. But an exception was made in this case and several others, in strategic spots where farmers would often pass and stop to rest.

So it's a somewhat iconic tree just because it's a lone tree growing in a picturesque spot. When that commercial was shot though, the popularity of the tree exploded. It is estimated that it helps bring in $15 million USD worth of spending by tourists in the Chishang area every year. For a small community like Chishang that is huge.

Officially the name of the tree was actually changed a couple years ago to Tea Offering Tree. However, tourists, google maps, and many locals continue to call it the Takeshi Kaneshiro Tree. From what I understand the new official name didn't stick at all.

A short video I found explaining some of the naming controversy:

And if you're curious, here is the commercial that made the tree famous:

Spoiler :

If you're wondering why the tree looks so much fuller in the commercial, it's due to 2014 Typhoon Matmo. The tree survived, but its appearance was significantly altered during the storm, as several main branches snapped in half. Local farmers came together in an attempt to save and preserve the tree, putting up supports and pruning unnecessary branches. All this has turned the tree into a bit of a local symbol of resilience.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Ok Warpus, what kind of tree is it?

 

[EnglishEdward]

Bischofia javanica - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[warpus]

Bischofia javanica - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

You got it! It's also known as a Bishop Wood tree, it's a tropical shade tree with broad leaves native to south, southeast, and east Asia, as well as a lot of pacific islands incl. Australia. It's considered sacred by several indigenous Taiwanese tribes and used as a communal meeting place. Curiously enough a number of aboriginal ethnic minorities in mainland China also find this tree sacred, although they are not Austronesian (unlike the indigenous peoples in Taiwan, who are)

It seems to be a popular source of hardwood in a lot of the places I mentioned, but in Taiwan other hardwood species became more dominant and ended up being used for this purpose.

 

[warpus]

Brown Boulevard Frame (伯朗大道畫框)

Brown Blvd. is the car-free road that the Takeshi Kaneshiro Tree can be found on, although it is out of view in the first picture and too far away to see in the second.

This frame is popular with those who are here to take pictures, although I thought it looks more interesting on its own. The idea is to pose and get your picture taken such that Brown Blvd. is behind you, although everything in the distance looks pictureworthy if you ask me.

 

[warpus]

Chishang Canal Irrigation System (池上圳灌溉系統)

This irrigation network was initially constructed by Qing-era farmers in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a local grass roots project. During the Japanese colonial period the network was officially surveyed and upgraded, with further modernizations in the 1950s and beyond.

Water is drawn from the Xinwulu River (新武呂溪), a tributary of the larger Xiuguluan River (秀姑巒溪), which is the longest river in eastern Taiwan.

 

[amadeus]

Worth mentining is also a Taiwanese version of the trendy 10 yen shaped piece of bread filled with melted cheese. From what I've been able to determine this night market treat originated in South Korea, spread to Japan, and then to Taiwan.

I’ve never seen a 10-yen coin-shaped thing here, but it sounds similar to taiyaki—a fish-shaped bread thing filled with red bean paste, or custard, or some other ingredient.

Here in Osaka there is also Ikuno Koreatown, a district that has historically … for … reasons … been populated with a heavy concentration of Koreans. Anyway, there are a few stalls there that sell something similar but the name is lost on me and I haven’t been out that way in a few years now.

 

[warpus]

I’ve never seen a 10-yen coin-shaped thing here, but it sounds similar to taiyaki—a fish-shaped bread thing filled with red bean paste, or custard, or some other ingredient.

I bet they essentially evolved from the same sort of snack. I have come across a variety of "some sort of starch/batter with some sort of filling" night market snacks on my travels. It's fascinating how many different types of things like that you can make with different textures and flavours. The 10 yen coin had a fluffy airy pancake-like sort of texture, correct me if I'm wrong but taiyaki is a bit tougher, more like a waffle.

 

[amadeus]

The 10 yen coin had a fluffy airy pancake-like sort of texture, correct me if I'm wrong but taiyaki is a bit tougher, more like a waffle.

It is a bit more rubbery, I guess, although I’m not painting the most flattering picture despite enjoying them quite a bit.

 

[warpus]

Great View Pavilion (大觀亭)

This elevated lookout platform is a part of Chishang Canal Park, a tourist-forward ecology park integrated with parts of the Chishang Canal Irrigation System.

Unfortunately the area had been hit hard by Typhoon Leon right before I arrived in Taiwan, and as a result the park was partially dissassembled and shut down while undergoing repairs. When I google the park now I recognize very little from what I actually saw there. At the time I didn't even know about the park's existence!

What I came across was a cordoned off Great View Pavillion, which was partially damaged. I noticed a couple people hanging out on it though, so I also decided to bypass the barriers and make my way to the top.

The views from the pavillion were nice, but you've basically seen those pictures already.. What was more interesting to me was the typhoon damage that hadn't been taken care of yet.

The pavillion reopened this March along with the rest of Chishang Canal Park.

 

[warpus]

Chishang Huge Waterwheel (池上大水車)

This is a popular wooden waterwheel that was built in the early 2000s, when Chishang township was investing in its eco-tourism infrastructure. It was actually never used as an irrigation waterwheel, although it was built to look exactly like one, minus the buckets. Like the Great View Pavillion, this waterwheel is a part of Chishang Canal Park.

Wooden waterwheels like this were used in Taiwan under the Qing and the Japanese to channel water from a flowing stream into irrigation channels. By the 1940s and 1950s most of this type of infrastructure had been replaced with more modern equivalents though, mainly diesel and electric pumps. This waterwheel was built to resemble something older as a nod to the past. These days it's a popular spot for scenic photos and selfies.

 

[warpus]

Chishang Station (池上火車站)

This rural rail station was built in 1924 (completely out of wood) back when the Japanese colonial government was building the first rail route running along Taiwan's east coast. It was replaced by a concrete structure in 1968 and rebuilt & modernized in 2017. A bike rental shop with solid reviews is conveniently attached to the station.

 

[warpus]

Happy birthday to me! (again)

Amazingly enough I was able to meet up with one of my new Republic of China Air Force friends I had met in Tainan about 9 days before this. Turns out the military base she is stationed at is very close to Taitung, and so we were able to meet up for dinner here, along with another Air Force friend who came along.

When she found out that my birthday just passed 4 days before this, she informed me of a Taiwanese custom that birthdays are celebrated for a full week. I can't find any reference to this custom when I attempt to research it now, so I'm not really sure if it's a thing she made this up on the spot or not.. but either way, it turned into a birthday celebration I will never forget!

There was even cake and a full on happy birthday song. I was expecting none of this and felt extremely humbled by the generosity of my new friend. Yeah, she did not let me pay for anything, even though I tried.

 

[warpus]

Day Twenty Reflections
Monday, November 25, 2024

Total Distance Walked This Day - 9.4 km

What can I say, this was a great day! Cycling through the expansive Chishang rice fields was a relaxing change of pace. The weather was perfect, the roads were mainly empty, and there's just something timeless about cycling through a flat valley that's surrounded by mountains.

Seeing Tiffany again was also a bit of a treat. If you've been keeping track, this was actually the third time I saw her on this trip. One of the many people I've met in Taiwan that I will never forget.

 

[warpus]

Day 21

Return to Kaohsiung
Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Here's the thing.. My original idea was to continue heading north along Taiwan's east coast, stop in Hualien, and continue counterclockwise around the island all the way back to Taipei. The main reason I wanted to stop in Hualien was to visit the spectacular Taroko Gorge.. which I learned had been closed ever since a 7.2 earthquake hit the area back in april of 2024. Typhoon Leon slamming into Taiwan's east coast on October 31st did not help things either.. According to my research it might have actually been possible to see some of the gorge.. The new friend I had lunch with at the beginning of the trip had actually been biking out there. He reported that barriers were up, and officially everything was shut down, but that it was possible and reasonably safe to explore the area to some degree.

I read more official reports and in the end decided to play it safe.. Instead of circumnavigating the island I decided to turn around and return to Kaohsiung.

This wasn't planned, but I ended up taking photos out my Taitung hotel window this day.. and more photos out of my Kaohsiung hotel room window once I arrived.

Two very different cities located at almost the same latitude - one on Taiwan's east coast (Taitung, first photo), the other one on the west coast (Kaohsiung, second photo).

With a tip from my new friend Lisa, who I had met about a week beforehand, I was able to score a very well priced room in a central 5 star hotel. If we're being honest it felt more like a 4 star hotel, but overall it was probably the nicest hotel I stayed at on my whole trip.. It ended up costing me $80 USD a night or so after everything. Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. It was clean, quiet, and the views from my 22nd floor room were just great.

 

[warpus]

Kaohsiung Circular Light Rail (高雄環狀輕軌)

Phase 1 of this light rail rapid transit line opened in 2015 and the full loop opened in 2024. The route connects to many key parts of central Kaohsiung, including 3 direct connections to the two metro lines and 3 direct connections to the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) West Coast Line, which forms the western trunk of the TRA rail loop around Taiwan. One of the stations is also very close (300m) to two piers where you can find connections to various islands near Kaohsiung and further away.

This LRT line is very aesthetically pleasing and has been beautifully integrated into the Asia New Bay Area, which covers a significant amount of the Kaohsiung waterfront. It also passes through some of the most heavily populated parts of central Kaohsiung, a government district, as well as connecting to several parks, museums, shopping malls & districts, and schools.

It's a fairly popular transit line, with an annual ridership of about 12 million passengers, which is not too far away from the orange metro line's annual ridership of 16 million or so. For full context, the red metro line has an annual ridership of about 52 million.

Yes, this line deserves its own post! The waterfront portion of it is incredibly well designed and integrated into the urban landscape. Parts are elevated and it just seems to add so much character to its surroundings. It's also gives you such a convenient connection to my favourite part of Kaohsiung.

This above map gives you a cool overview of Kaohsiung's light rail + metro (KMRT), regular rail (TRA), and high speed rail (THSR) connections.

The circular light rail is of course the green line, with the 3 marked connections to the red and orange metro lines. The harder to spot grey line is the TRA West Coast Line that runs north toward Taipei and east toward Taitung. The narrow slightly darker orange (or brown?) line heading north is the southern terminus of Taiwan's only high speed rail line.

 

[warpus]

The Pier2 Art Center revisited

The Pier2 area was my favourite part of Kaohsiung to walk through the first time I was here. On my return to the city this was the obvious first destination.

 

[warpus]

Hamasen Railway Cultural Park (哈瑪星鐵道文化園區)

The name Hamasen comes from the Japanese pronunciation of the coastal railway that connected Kaohsiung to the rest of the western Taiwanese coast. It was near here that Takao Station opened to the general public in 1908, becoming Kaohsiung's first ever rail station.

After this rail line was discountinued in 2008 the site was redeveloped as a railway park. Most of the park is a green space where you'll come across remnants of the rail line, preserved railway cars and locomotives, and art with a bit of an industrial slant.

The old station has also been preserved and turned into a public area as well as a museum.