Discovering Changhua City’s Best-Known Attractions on Foot
TEXT | STEVEN CROOK
PHOTOS | VISION
The medium-sized city of Changhua doesn’t appear on many “best of Taiwan” itineraries. For those who like nightlife and top-notch accommodation, nearby Taichung City will always have an edge. And for visitors curious about the Taiwan of yesteryear, the old town of Lukang in Changhua County is the region’s obvious destination. But anyone willing to walk a bit and explore at a gentle pace will discover that this historic city is a splendid place to spend a day.
If you arrive in Changhua by conventional railway (TRA) – which this writer recommends, since the railway station is far more convenient than Changhua’s Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) station – and you have an interest in railway history or transportation infrastructure, as soon as you exit the station’s main entrance, turn left and take the stairs up to the pedestrian bridge that crosses the railway tracks. From the bridge, you’ll be able to see the first stop on this walking tour: the Changhua Roundhouse.
Changhua Roundhouse
You can gain access to this century-old building through the Roundhouse Railway Park (about 400m north of the station), where a mini-train and other attractions are sure to keep young sightseers entertained.
The roundhouse isn’t round so much as shaped like a handheld fan. It contains, you’ll notice when you get close, 12 bays in which railway engines undergo maintenance. These bays face a turntable which, in this era of reversible locomotives, isn’t strictly necessary, but is still often used to move engines from one stretch of track to another.
The oldest locomotive normally kept in the roundhouse is named CK124, a coal-fired steam engine that was in regular service from 1936 to 1979. It was restored to working condition several years ago, and still heads out on occasional journeys that are advertised well in advance. These slow but romantic excursions are always a big hit with fans of the Age of Steam.
For the sake of safety, visitors aren’t allowed into the roundhouse itself or on the turntable. Nonetheless, it’s possible to get very good photos from the building’s apron and the viewing platform located to one side. Don’t stray where you shouldn’t, and keep your ears and eyes open, as even when the site is open to tourists, station staff may be moving a locomotive.
Changhua’s turntable is the only one still in use in Taiwan. A somewhat smaller and long-ago pensioned-off turntable still exists next to the Railway Art Village in Taitung City.
Roundhouse Railway Park
(戶羽機關車園區)
Add: No. 83, Ln. 3, Sec. 1, Zhangmei Rd., Changhua City, Changhua County
(彰化縣彰化市彰美路一段3巷83號)
Hours: Wed-Fri 1:30pm-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5pm, closed on Mon & Tue
(Changhua Roundhouse: Tue-Sun 1pm-4pm; on Tue, when the park is closed, access the roundhouse through the entrance at No. 1, Zhangmei Rd.)
FB: facebook.com/changhuaroundhouse
Changhua Food Specialties
When people talk about Changhua meatballs, they’re not talking about something that resembles the meatballs you’ve likely eaten with spaghetti in an Italian diner. More often than not, they’re referring to what some call “crystal meatballs” – a pork filling wrapped in a glutinous translucent mass that’s made by blending sweet potato starch and tapioca starch.
Beimenkou Meatballs
Several eateries in the city serve exactly that, but Beimenkou Meatballs, a short walk south of the roundhouse, has come up with a different twist on the old favorite. Just before serving hungry customers, they deep-fry each meatball in hot oil and then dunk it in a house sauce. This gives it a satisfying crunchiness that many foodies think greatly enhances the experience.
It goes without saying that the filling is as important as the cooking method. At Beimenkou, larger meatballs (NT$90 each) are packed with dried scallops as well as minced pork, while the smaller variant (NT$45) contains pork with mushrooms.
Beimenkou Meatballs
(北門口肉圓)
Add: No. 34, Sanmin Rd., Changhua City, Changhua County
(彰化縣彰化市三民路34號)
Hours: Thu-Mon 11am-5:20pm
Only One Shop
Gourmands heading for Beimenkou Meatballs have been confused by local imitators with similar names. To avoid this kind of problem, the proprietors of Only One Shop, 600m east of Beimenkou, chose Chinese and English monikers that make it clear their signature egg-yolk pastries aren’t sold anywhere else.
As shops go, this bakery’s interior is as plain as plain can be, but this doesn’t seem to dampen demand for its highly traditional products. They’re so sought-after that, rather than join a very long queue, some people who fail to preorder pay extra and buy from a reseller. If egg yolk isn’t a taste that appeals to you, perhaps try Only One Shop’s pineapple cakes, mung bean-paste mooncakes, sweetheart cakes, or Taichung-style suncakes. Unlike egg yolk pastries – which are sold by the box – these items are sold individually, ideal for travelers who simply want to try some new flavors.
Only One Shop
(不二坊)
Add: No. 293, Sec. 1, Zhongzheng Rd., Changhua City, Changhua County
(彰化縣彰化市中正路一段293號)
Tel: (04) 722-5328
Hours: Tue-Sun 9am-12pm, 2:30pm-6pm
Mt. Bagua Great Buddha Scenic Area
After snacking, you may well feel like marching up a hill to burn off some calories. Changhua City residents are blessed by the proximity of the Mt. Bagua Great Buddha Scenic Area, which is excellent not only for short hikes but also for birdwatching.
By the vertiginous standards of Taiwan, 97m-high Mt. Bagua is a mere wrinkle. From atop it, however, you can see all of Changhua City and, if the conditions are right, even the Taiwan Strait. Pedestrians can reach the top quickly via a path near the Changhua City Library buildings at the western end of Guashan Road. Those getting around on two or four wheels should follow that road uphill heading east for about 500m until they see a parking lot on the left (NT$30/hour on weekdays, NT$40 on weekends).
The big Buddha is also on the left-hand side of the road, but hidden by trees. On the right, directly opposite the archway next to the car park, there’s a visitor information center (open daily 9:30am-5:30pm) where you can get your travel questions answered.
The big brown Buddha himself, 22m tall, is quite a sight. He’s been here since the 1960s and has become an emblem of the city. If you arrived in Changhua from the north, you may even have spotted him before you got off your train. Within the statue, there are waxworks-style depictions of scenes from the Buddha’s life.
Mt. Bagua Skywalk
Visitors with plenty of time and decent fitness should proceed to the Mt. Bagua Skywalk. This 1,005m-long elevated trail begins a stone’s throw from the Buddha and takes you up into the forest canopy. June is an especially good time to spend a while here, as Mt. Bagua’s royal poincianas produce a mass of orange-red flowers.
Two of the skywalk’s seven entrance points were designed with wheelchair users in mind. Thanks to gentle gradients and a complete absence of steps, the facility is ideal for those who aren’t sporty or who are pushing strollers.
Places Nearby
There’s more to the aforementioned visitor information center than maps and leaflets. The semi-circular building behind it, dubbed Guashan Village, houses a dozen or more cultural-creative businesses. Some of these little shops make and sell unique souvenirs; others focus on snacks and beverages. Note that many are closed on Monday and/or Tuesday.
One of these ventures is named More Little Life. Located on the second floor of the building, this charming café specializes in handmade puddings and other desserts, cakes, and all manner of baked delights. To make the most of the limited space, the proprietor has created an inviting loft area where you can enjoy your treat.
More Little Life
(野花小姐)
Add: 2F-15, No. 8-1, Guashan Rd., Changhua City, Changhua County
(彰化縣彰化市卦山路8-1號 2樓之15)
Tel: (04) 728-5056
Hours: Wed-Sun 1pm-6pm
FB: facebook.com/misswildflowers
Nantian Temple
Less than 100m southwest of Guashan Village as the crow flies, yet requiring a 10-minute walk because there’s no direct way down the hillside, Nantian Temple is one of Taiwan’s more unusual places of worship. Even if its exterior doesn’t inspire you to set foot inside, do go on in – so long as you’re not of an especially sensitive disposition. Buy a ticket (NT$50) at the desk on the left of the entrance, then proceed to the second floor. There, Hell awaits!
Many years ago, the managers of Nantian Temple decided that the citizens of Changhua would benefit from visual depictions of the torments that await them if, in this life, they don’t stay on the straight and narrow. The Eighteen Levels of Hell is part moral teaching, part entertainment. Western visitors may think it’s not so different from the “haunted house” attractions in some theme parks. For anyone with a typical Han Chinese religious background, however, the scenes within hold a much more profound meaning.
For well over a millennium, Han people have been raised to believe that wrongdoers who go unpunished in this life are destined to appear before judges in the afterlife who’ll sentence them to one of these hells, depending on the nature and severity of their misdeeds.
Utilizing animatronic figures that creak and stagger, ghoulish lighting effects, and a bloodcurdling soundtrack, the displays on the second and fourth floors of Nantian Temple show miscreants getting their just desserts. A demon tugs on a hook that’s impaling one man’s tongue; another man writhes in agony as the stovepipe to which he’s been lashed becomes red hot. Other tortures include being ground into mincemeat, sawn in half, and repeatedly run over by an iron wagon.
Everything is very graphic and quite unsuitable for young kids. Even though there’s nothing in English, this just might be the first place you tell your friends about when you get back home.
Nantian Temple
(南天宮)
Add: No. 12, Ln. 187, Sec. 1, Gongyuan Rd., Changhua City, Changhua County
(彰化縣彰化市公園路1段187巷12號)
Hours (Eighteen Levels of Hell): 8am-6:30pm
Tel: (04) 722-2587
If you come away from the Eighteen Levels of Hell resolved to mend your ways, yet peckish, don’t worry: In the traditional scheme of things, gluttony isn’t a sin. You can enjoy yourself at our final stop with a clear conscience, located back down in the city grid a few blocks southwest of Nantian Temple.
Fazi Noodles
As its name suggests, Fazi Noodles isn’t a place for those who want rice or dumplings. Options include standard wheat noodles, vermicelli made from rice flour, and glass noodles made using mung bean, all of which can be prepared “dry” (flavored with a pork-based sauce and bean sprouts) or “soupy.” For extra sustenance and different textures, order a separate soup and/or a braised egg.
It’s little wonder the noodles here taste good and that so many locals are repeat customers. Fazi has been in business almost as long as Mt. Bagua’s Great Buddha has been watching over Changhua.
Fazi Noodles
(發仔麵)
Add: No. 145, Sec. 1, Nanguo Rd., Changhua City, Changhua County
(彰化縣彰化市南郭路一段145號)
Tel: (04) 725-2190
Hours: 9am-12:45pm, 2:30pm-10pm
About the author
Steven Crook
Steven Crook, who grew up in England, first arrived in Taiwan in 1991. Since 1996, he’s been writing about Taiwan’s natural and cultural attractions for newspapers and magazines, including CNN Traveler Asia-Pacific, Christian Science Monitor, and various inflight magazines. He’s the author of four books about the country: Keeping Up With The War God (2001), Dos And Don’ts In Taiwan (2010), Taiwan: The Bradt Travel Guide (2010), and A Culinary History of Taipei: Beyond Pork and Ponlai (2018)
http://crooksteven.blogspot.com
http://bradttaiwan.blogspot.com
