Beipu

In 1834 the Qin dynasty court granted the right to develop the area to two pioneers, a Cantonese farmer named Jiang Siou-luan and a Fujianese merchant named Jhou Bang-Jheng. After half a century of arduous effort they had developed Beipu into a regional administrative and economic center. Today the town is a center of Hakka culture and is filled with historic sites such as the Jiang residence, Jinguangfu official residence, the New Jiang-Ah residence, and others.

By car, take the number 3 highway from Taoyuan or the 122 highway from Hsinchu and turn right at Judong. Alternatively, take Route 124 from Toufen which accesses Provincial Highway 3. Go north (clearly marked) into Beipu.

Park the car, NT 100, a bit outside the town center and walk on foot. The central streets are nicely paved.

• The thing to do in Beipu is to have traditional Hakka tea in one of the tea houses that line the small streets in the center of town. You grind a combination of tea leaves, peanuts and rice into a thick paste to which hot water is added. It's delicious and no doubt very good for you. The shops themselves are built in traditional Hakka materials and the staff is very friendly.
• Beipu provides a great starting point for day trips into the Lionhead's Mountain Scenic Area.
• There is also a cold spring which produces weakly alkaline carbonic acid water at temperatures of 10 to 15 degrees Celsius. The water is good for treating skin aliments, gout, arthritis. and gastric problems, but is not good for drinking.

• There are many small shops in the center of town selling all kinds of local specialties: pears (nashi) during the summer season; lucky charms, honey vinegar or locally produced tea.