Feifeng Shan 飛鳳山 and Zhongkengshan 中坑山 Short Loop

 

Zhongkengshan (462m) - the highest point reached on the Feifengshan Trail

 

A popular trail suitable for most hikers and active families. Feifengshan is number 27 on the list of the 100 Small Mountains of Taiwan (Xiao Bai Yue 小百岳). The trail is mostly easy and surfaced and there are lots of attractive rest areas where walkers can take a break, have a snack or just enjoy being outdoors. We walked a shorter version of the route -- going over two small peaks and returning by way of a quiet dirt trail through lush forest. It is easy to get here from Taipei or Hsinchu by public transportation and there are stores and restaurants near the bus stop. 

Distance/Time: 4 hours 8 mins/ 8.8 km  More details as well as a map can be found here

What to bring: I took 2 liters of water and some snacks. A hat is a good idea. The trail is mostly shaded but sometimes is exposed. I took a rain coat, but even though it rained, I did not use it because it was a warm day.

There are shops near the bus stop if you need to buy anything.

The Trail:  This an easy to moderate hike. The trail is mostly surfaced with good traction. It climbs, often up steps, but is not very strenuous. There are not a lot of views except near Zhongkengshan but it is a very pleasant, relaxing walk. We started our hike with a road walk from the bus stop to the trailhead. If driving, of course, it would be shorter.

It is popular and you are likely to see lots of other people. We saw hikers of all kinds including families with kids, and hikers carrying dogs in their backpacks. I enjoyed the main trail but the return route that we walked was my favorite part. It was a beautiful dirt trail surrounded on all sides by dense greenery and we had it to ourselves.

Note: I feel the route we walked is suitable for families and we saw people hiking with children but there was quite a bit of traffic on the road walk and we did not walk the full loop.

There are three summits on the Feifangshan trail. Feifengshan (423 m) is actually an unexciting summit with no view. Zhongkengshan (462 m), the highest point on the trail, is more interesting and the actual goal of hikers who want to claim they have hiked the trail.

It's possible to walk a bigger loop that includes the Guanriping Historic Trail 觀日坪步道 and Shibitanshan 石壁潭山 (402m). We did not go that way but I will describe how to get there in the post below.

Transportation: We took bus Kuo-Kuang (King Bus) 1820 from the Taipei Bus Terminal in the Q Square Mall near Taipei Main Station and got off at Qionglin. It took a little over an hour and a half.  You can also take bus 1820A. 

The bus runs about once an hour--though more frequently in the morning. Check the schedule on the BusTracker Taiwan app.

On the bus I read some of Zadie Smith's The Fraud--partly about a Victorian era fraudster claiming he was the lost heir to a fortune. Even though he was lying, he had his share of supporters, particularly among the working classes. Clearly it has commonalities with modern events. The book is not unsympathetic toward him though and of course there was good reason why the working class would be happy to see someone get one over on the upper classes in Victorian era England. It's a fascinating book but the narrative structure made it hard to get into it.

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The hike: The bus dropped us off right next to a row of restaurants but it was early and they were mostly closed. We were at a big Y-shaped intersection and we were located at the top of the left hand side of the Y. 

It was easy to see which direction we needed to go. In the middle of a traffic circle there was a large colorful sign pointing the way with the Chinese characters for Feifangshan, a depiction of the three peaks on the trail and a flourish of what looked like feathers or maybe was supposed to be the wind.  

We crossed to the other side of the busy street, turned left toward the top of the other side of the Y and then turned right onto a smaller road. This was Hsinchu Route 24. A brown sign above the traffic light read "Fei Feng Mountain" in English and Chinese. We starting walking at 9:15.

turn right here onto Hsinchu Route 24

From here it was about a twenty minute walk to the trail. We passed rice fields, a lumber yard stacked with fragrant wood, some workshops of indeterminate purpose--some with flocks of chickens scurrying around--and several opulent-appearing gated homes. There was more traffic than I expected and we sometimes had to keep close to the edge of the road in single file.  In some places there were sidewalks.

We passed through the tripartite arch marking the entrance to Feifengshan. Just down the road from the entrance the road splits. We turned left and uphill for the short route.

 To walk the longer route along the Guanriping Historic Trail and over Shibitanshan, bear right here. This would add 3km to the total length. 

I have not been there but am just describing the route from the map: walk along the road till you pass a temple (Xiuxin Gong). Then turn right onto a smaller road until you come to the trailhead for the Guanriping Historic Trail. Follow it up and over Shibitanshan, ignoring side paths until eventually it rejoins the short route south east of the Feifengshan summit and south west of Zhongkengshan. 

I plan to go back and explore the whole area more. There are three temples and we only visited one. At the time I think I was suffering from what the travel writer, Tim Cahill, called Zippy's Disease. Basically the irrational compulsion to just keep moving toward a (sometimes arbitrary) destination without slowing down.

Anyway.... we turned left and just after turning spotted a trail on the right that runs above and parallel to the road.

This trail was steep and got our hearts going but it was only 400 meters long. It went up steps, flattened out a bit and came out to a road, next to a cafe.

This lovely trail runs above and parallel to the road.

We bore right and continued uphill. On the left we saw the trail entrance but we continued uphill to a temple (Dai Quan Hall).

 

There were vendors selling cherry tomatoes, the small flavorful bananas known as ba jiao and boiled corn. There was a rest shelter in front of the temple and toilets. It started raining steadily while we were there and we set off in the rain.

There was a short cut to the trail left of the temple incinerator. 

 The shortcut joined a paved track and then we started to climb steps. It was still raining. 

 We came to a pavilion and continued climbing steps and a stone paved path. 

looking back down the path

When I got to the top of this section, my hiking companion had fallen behind, so I stopped at another pavilion next to a right turn, to wait. 

 Behind the pavilion there is short path (and another just after the turn) that leads to the Feifengshan summit. There is not much to see other than the sign marking the summit. 

After twenty more minutes of walking we came to a wide T-junction. On the way the path split into two trails but they came back together later.

This junction is where the Guanriping Historic Trail would join the Feifangshan Trail if doing the bigger loop. 

It was raining harder than before. We turned left and continued. 

We passed a line of improvised shelters with plastic-sheet walls, tables and benches. People obviously cook and store their cookware here. There were pots, kettles and dishes and some people were eating around the tables. We came to another pavilion and stopped for a rest. While we there we noticed that it had stopped raining and the mist was starting to rise from the hills. 

There were views in two directions. From one side you are supposed to be able to make out Taipei 101 but it was too cloudy for us to see much of anything. 

We went on to Zhongkengshan. The path dropped down, climbed back up and came to a paved track.

We turned left, passed around the left side of an ugly metal fence and came to the pleasant summit. There was a nice view with threads of clouds rising off the surrounding hills. 

A couple joined us. We were standing in front of the summit plaque hogging the view and they very gently told us that they wanted to take a picture. We talked for a few minutes and the woman told us that she was trying to hike all of the Xiao Bai Yue.

We walked back to the pavilion we had stopped at earlier and had some lunch. 

While my friend was still eating I went back to the cooking huts where I thought the trail I wanted to return by should be. The map showed a trail here and I could see there used to be one but it was blocked by metal fencing.  I asked some of the people eating about it and my friend later translated a sign. It turned out that this was private land and the owners had erected the barrier.

However, between the pavilion and Zhongkengshan there was an easy way to get around. We walked back toward Zongkengshan and took a dirt trail on the left. 

This was a wonderful trail! My favorite part of the walk! It reminded me of the Neidong Forest Road near Wulai but it is much, much shorter.  It went gently downhill through the forest and we made great time. 

We passed a farm with banana trees and papayas and came to another barrier but obviously no one paid any attention to this one. 

We went around it and on the other side came to a stone path. 

Looking to the left I could see one of the pavilions we had passed on the way up. If I were to hike the trail again I would probably just go left here. We turned right and took the stone path down to the road which took 20 minutes. But it sloped steeply downhill and was slippery and I have to admit I didn't enjoy it much. 

 We turned left on the road. At the next intersection we turned right and took a road that was like a beautiful green tunnel back down to the Feifengshan entrance. (This was the road we had walked parallel to on a trail, on the way up.)

Then we walked back along Hsinchu route 24 to the bus stop. When we got back to Qionglin the sun was so bright and hot it was hard to imagine that it had been rainy and misty on the mountain. We had some time to have a cool drink at 7-11 before taking the 13:40 bus back to Taipei. 

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Map and GPS coordinates:

Qionglin Bus Stop: 24.762811, 121, 088752

Feifangshan: 24.765875, 121,112121

Google Maps link

 Shibitanshan: 24,756674, 121,110076 

Google Maps link

Zhongkengshan: 24.7666, 121,118991 

Google Maps link

http://rblr.co/opmxs

 

 

Hukou Old Street, 湖口老街 and Hangqing 漢卿步道 , Renhe 仁和步道 and Jinshi 金獅步道 Historic Trails

A train ride, a quaint old street, a catholic church, temples, ruins in the forest and pretty walking trails: when a new rail line was built and the train station was moved, Hukou was divided between old and new Hukou and old Hukou went into decline. The old street which has been restored as a tourist attraction is small but a visit to the old street combined with a walk make a trip to this rural community in Hsinchu a very pleasant day out. It is known as a good area for viewing the white blossoms of the tung tree which typically bloom from mid-April to May and cover the ground in white heaps that is called "May snow."

Distance/Time: 6.4km/ 2h 36 min. A map as well as more information can be found here

What to bring:  Nothing is really needed. We just took water and ate lunch at the old street after we finished. Just about any good pair of shoes will do on the trails. There are shops near the train station and the old street.

The Trail: This is an easy to moderate walk. We started at the old street then walked the short Hangqing Historic Trail to Ox Cart Station and Tank Park. After that we walked back to a road and to the Renhe and Jinshi Historic Trails which together form a loop. 

The trails are gentle and easy though there are steps and one long hill. These paths were part of trails formerly used to transport agricultural products.  Some are paved or gravel and some are dirt. Parts of the trail are close to a highway but the hum of the traffic didn't bother me and faded as we moved away. There were lots of flowers, butterflies, dragonflies and birds.

For such a short walk there is a lot to see. Attractions include: 

Hukou Catholic Church

Hukou Old Street

San Yuan Temple

Ox Cart Station and Tank Park

A couple of elaborate tombs including the Lou Family Columbarium

Wanshan Temple

Maiden Shrine

Tea Garden Trail

Jinshan (Golden Lion) Temple

Yihe Villa (an abandoned former residence) and other ruins

Transportation: We took a local train from Taipei to Hukou. Trains leave frequently and most take between an hour and an hour and 20 minutes. 

It's 3.4 km from the train station to the old street. There are buses but they are infrequent so we took a taxi which cost $150 NT. 

On the way back we borrowed Ubikes from the station near San Yuan Temple and rode to the train station which was mostly downhill and a really nice ride.

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The trip: My wife, who is not usually a hiker, joined me for this trip equipped with a brand new pair of hiking boots. We arrived at the old street just after 10 am. 

The taxi dropped us off in front of Hukou Catholic Church which occupies the site of the original train station. It was built under the aegis of an Italian Catholic priest, Father Marsecano, in 1958. Construction was completed in 1965. The church actually closed for about 30 years but later was restored and is now used for community activities as well as religious services.

interior of the church

 

Hukou's original train station was established in 1887 but in 1929 the station was moved as part of the construction of a new railway line-- an event which changed the center of commercial activity in the town.  Later the old street was restored and became a tourist attraction. However, it still seems less popular than other well-known old streets and for me this is part of it's appeal because it is less touristy and crowded. There are lots of shops selling snacks and restaurants serving Hakkanese cuisine but not as many shops selling touristy souvenirs or cheap plastic toys as in other popular places. When we arrived it was still early and not much was going on.
 

elderly residents chatting and cats relaxing outside of a shop

former Hukou movie theater

At the end of the street there was an area with games for kids including bagatelle machines, ring toss games and a pool where children can "fish" for toy, plastic animals. 

We had some red bean che lun bing (wheel cakes) and while my wife went to the public toilet I checked out San Yuan Temple.

San Yuan Temple

interior court yard of San Yuan Temple

 We turned right after the temple, passed the public toilets and the Ubike station and walked to the end of a large parking lot.

We turned right again onto a road and in a few minutes turned into a tunnel on the left which passed under highway 1.

When we came out of the tunnel the Hangqing Bu Dao was directly across the street. At first it is a dirt path and then becomes a stone track with steps. As we were walking my wife attracted several mosquitos and welts rose on her arms but none bit me.  It seemed she was more palatable to mosquitos and I was grateful to her for keeping them away from me.

The trail climbed for a short way then leveled out, passed a view point and reached a road. The entire track is just over 300 meters and terminates at Ox Cart Station which used to be a rest stop for farmers transporting goods to market. There is a building but it was closed when we were there. 

A fork on the right leads through Tank Park where there are a tank, artillery and amphibious landing vehicles.

A sign post indicated another trail straight ahead but we didn't see it and I couldn't find it on the map. Later I watched a video by Tony Huang, a well-known Taiwanese hiking vlogger, which indicated that the road itself is the trail. There are some other sites of interest on this road but we did not go that way. 

We took the Hanqing Historic Trail back to the road. 

On the way down our conversation went something like this: Oh, more mosquitos. (slapping). I haven't felt any. How are your new boots? Good! They feel fine. Oh! What's wrong? An insect. This is very slippery. I don't think it's slippery. It's dry. It could be slippery if raining. Heavy rain.  Oh, we are already back at the road.  

At the road we turned right ---now walking on the right side of the highway. 

There were a few groups of walkers coming the opposite way down the road. We passed two tombs and Wanshan temple but I only took a picture of the second tomb.

When we passed the Lou Family Columbarium, I remarked that it looked like an interesting tomb and started to climb the steps but my wife, who can be superstitious and nervous about this sort of thing, instructed me to not even look in that direction and walked away quickly. I took a picture of the second one, I thought surreptitiously, but she noticed and told me it was rude to take a picture of it and again walked ahead quickly.  Outside the small Wanshan Temple there were some people praying and burning ghost money. She told me that it is a temple for people (deceased) who don't have families to pray for them or who are unidentified.

We came to an elevated HSR railway that went into a tunnel in the hill. Renhe trail starts just before getting to the HSR line. At first we continued on the road and up a hill but soon realized our mistake and started walking back to the trail.

Ren He Historic Trail

As we were walking back, we heard a high speed train coming. The sound of the approaching train grew and grew in volume until suddenly it burst from the tunnel, shot by and seemed to be gone in just a moment. 

We got back to the fork and started walking on the well-maintained path. Shortly we came to a junction. The path on the right is Jinshi Trail but we went straight.

 

Next we passed Maiden Shrine. There was a sign with information but I couldn't make out what it meant even after using an app to translate it into English and was left illuminated.

In fact most of the sign talked about how this was a well-known place to appreciate tong blossoms-- and in just a few minutes we passed a tree with a spray of fallen white blossoms all around it.

The path went straight, still near the highway and then turned sharply right where stone steps went up a hillside. This was the most strenuous part of the hike. It was humid and warm for April and we started to sweat. But even this part was not too hard. There were a couple of rest spots with benches. 

 

 
It wasn't long till we reached the top then went down the other side and came to a T-junction. 

We turned left and came to the Tea Garden trail. There were rows of tea bushes and a red earth path. We could hear birds singing in the trees surrounding the tea fields and saw a colorful Taiwan Barbet in the top of one tree. We walked around a bit but didn't explore much because it looked like it went on for a long way and kind of all looked the same. 

We went back to the entrance of the tea trail and straight down a road. (If facing the tea field when coming from the Ren He Historic Trail, this would be a right turn)

Walking along the road we could see Jinshi Temple below. When we came to another road we turned right and following the road around a curve to the temple where we stopped for a short rest. 

Jinshi (Golden Lion) Temple

We walked back to the bend in the road. There were two trailheads parallel to one another.  The trail on the left is older and shorter but made from rounded, moss covered stones that look like they would be treacherous when wet. 

We took the longer but easier trail on the right which passed through a shelter house and curved down a hill next to a stream bed. 

We passed the ruins of three structures. The first was obscured by leaves and had a small statue of Christ in front of it. Looking inside it appeared that it was a small abandoned chapel.

Next there was a dilapidated toilet and a small building across a deep, dry culvert. 

At the bottom of the hill was an arched stone bridge. 

To the left there was a pond with lots of fish, and an archway leading into a derelict garden. This is Yihe Villa. I tried to find out more about it but only read that it was a "former residence." One blog referred to it as a monastic residence. In the garden there were busts of Chiang Kai Shek and Sun Yet Sen.

We crossed the bridge and it wasn't long till the dirt path led us back to the junction we had passed earlier.

We turned left and followed the road back to the old street. There were a lot more people than in the morning. Day trippers were strolling down the street snacking and and several restaurants were crowded with diners. We had a lunch of Hakkanese noodles and vegetables. After lunch, we borrowed Ubikes and cycled back to the train station. All in all, Hukou exceeded my expectations and it was a really enoyable day. 

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Map and GPS coordinates:

Hukou Old Street: 24.87678, 121.055181

Google maps link

map:  http://rblr.co/op5VM