Travel Date: 2023/07/02
It was still good weather and very hot when we left home. We planned to visit Beipu Old Street, Cold Springs, and drive further into the mountains, but our trip was interrupted by afternoon rain. Since we didn't want to play in the water under the rain, we might consider going there in the future. There are plenty of food stalls on the streets, although some of them are small and pricey. All the popular shops were crowded, with many people waiting in line, so we decided to go to a less busy place. We should have checked Google reviews first; the place wasn't empty for no reason! The food wasn't tasty at all; it was just noodles with canned sauce on top, tasting like the famous instant noodles here.
Beipu Old Street (北埔老街)
Beipu Old Street is located in Hsinchu County, Taiwan. Famous tourist attractions in the area include Jinguangfu Mansion, historic sites such as Tianshuitang, Jiang'a Xinyang Building, Beipu Citian Temple, and Beipu Zhongshu Hall. The specialties of Beipu Old Street include persimmon cakes, dried persimmons, and taro sweet potato mooncakes. Beipu Township, along with the nearby Emei Township and Baoshan Township, was formerly known as "Daai," which was originally the domain of the Saisiyat people. The Han people did not reclaim this area until the early Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. Around 1835, a command center was established at the current site of the "Jin Guangfu Mansion" to manage the reclamation affairs. During this period, Jiang Xiuluan planted bamboo walls on the west, south, and north sides of Beipu, and built four city gates to form the scope of the "Old Settlement of Beipu."
After the Japanese ruled Taiwan in 1895, Beipu remained bustling. At that time, there was a tea testing ground here, and many factories emerged due to the popularity of the tea produced in Beipu. However, the tea industry in Beipu declined after the closure of the tea company owned by the tea king Jiang Axin in 1965. Additionally, the prosperity of Beipu was also supported by nearby coal mines, but after the depletion of the mines, Beipu's prosperity waned. The relocation of the Beipu Township Office and the widening of the Taiwan Third Line further contributed to the decline of this place. However, due to the Hakka-style snacks and the nostalgic appeal of the old street, Beipu has transformed into a tourist attraction.
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Beipu Citian Temple (北埔慈天宫)
Beipu Citian Temple is a Guanyin Temple listed as a county-designated historic site. The exact founding date of the temple is subject to different opinions, but it is believed to have been established by Jiang Xiuluan after he settled in Beipu in 1835. The temple is closely associated with the reclamation activities of the Han people in the area. According to legend, the Guanyin Bodhisattva enshrined in this temple was brought by Jiang Xiuluan from mainland China, and a small house was built in Beipu to worship it. In the early stages of reclamation, people would pray for safety and success in the face of casualties during battles with the aborigines. In 1840, the temple was rebuilt into a wooden structure for worship.
The temple serves as the religious center of Beipu Township and is similar in size to Lianhua Temple in Zhubei. It was previously used as the Beipu Branch School of the Hsinchu Mandarin Institute, which was later converted into a classroom for the Beipu Public School. The Jiang Yifeng family donated the land where the school was located before relocating the school to restore the temple. In 1985, the temple was approved as a third-class historic site, along with Jin Guangfu Mansion and Jiang'a Xinyang Mansion. During the Lantern Festival, residents of Beipu gather in front of the temple, light bamboo torches, and participate in a parade to worship the mountain gods on Xiuluan Mountain. On the 19th day of the second month of the lunar calendar, a grand worship ceremony is held to celebrate Guanyin's birthday.
Tianshui Temple (天水堂)
The exact founding date of Tianshuitang is not recorded, but it is believed to have been established by Jiang Xiuluan after his arrival in Beipu in 1835. The temple has been repaired and maintained by the Jiang family for over 100 years. Descendants of the Jiang family still reside inside, and the temple is not open to the public for visiting. It remains a private house.
Ah Xin Mansion (阿新洋楼)
Jiang Axin Mansion, located in Beipu Township, is a "Baroque-like" residential-commercial mansion. Construction of the mansion began in 1946 and was completed in 1949. It was built by Jiang Ahxin, a well-known tea merchant, to receive guests from foreign tea merchants and to serve as his daily residence. The mansion witnessed the prosperous era of Taiwan's tea industry, known as the "tea gold" era. It was designated as a historic site in Hsinchu County in July 2006 and later bought back by Jiang Axin's descendants in 2012. The mansion is now managed and operated by the "Jiang Axin Education Foundation" and is open to the public.
Jiang Axin's Yongguang Company experienced two collapses of Taiwan's tea industry in 1950 and 1959, and declared bankruptcy in 1964. The whole family moved to Taipei. After regaining the property rights, the Taiwan Province Cooperative Bank used the mansion as a warehouse for storing sundries. Due to a lack of maintenance, the building suffered significant damage. In August 1995, the "Jinguangfu Cultural and Educational Foundation," primarily focused on the preservation of old houses, rented Jiang'a Xinyang Mansion from the Taiwan Provincial Cooperative Treasury and began restoration work, which was completed in December 1996. With the active efforts of the "Jin Guangfu Cultural and Educational Foundation," Jiang Axin Mansion was designated as a historic site in Hsinchu County. In 2012, the cooperative treasury commercial bank intended to sell the mansion, but Jiang Axin's descendants sought to reclaim the memories of their family's past life.
Beipu Cold Springs (北埔冷泉)
We visited Beipu Cold Springs for the first time. Unfortunately, when we arrived, it started to rain lightly, and the sky turned grey and dark. After a while, we decided to head back home. There is a car parking area available, as well as plenty of space along the road for parking. The Cold Springs were crowded with people playing in the water. It seemed safe for kids, as there were areas with both deeper and shallower water to play in the river. Facilities such as toilets and pools for kids to play in were also available. Beipu Cold Springs in Beipu Township, Hsinchu County, produce weakly alkaline carbonic acid water with temperatures ranging from 10 to 15 degrees Celsius.
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