Hsinchu.
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Overview

Hsinchu (新竹; Xīnzhú) is a city in the north-western part of Taiwan.

Understand

With a history of almost 400 years, Hsinchu is the oldest city in northern Taiwan. It was originally inhabited by an aboriginal tribe called Taokas who called the city 'Chuchien', and the present name, Hsinchu, was adopted at the end of the 19th century, during the reign of the Qing Dynasty Emperor Guangxu. It was also during the later Qing Dynasty that the city was expanded and the city's walls constructed, of which only the Eastern Gate remains.

During the Japanese colonial era (1895 to 1945), Hsinchu was the main administrative center between Taipei and Taichung, and it was during this period that glass production (for which Hsinchu later became famous) was introduced to the city. Production used to be limited to medical equipment, but with the founding of the island's largest glass company in 1954, production was expanded, though still limited to mostly industrial glass. Craft items were added to the list of products in the 1960s, and soon Hsinchu gained recognition as a center of excellence for decorative glass products.

In 1980, the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park (more often called simply 'The Science Park') was founded. The park has been very successful, and hosts companies like TSMC, AU Optronics, UMC and numerous other semiconductor manufacturers. The establishment of the park was a major boost to the economy of the area and as a result, Hsinchu, despite its relatively small population (around 350,000), has some surprisingly high standard hotels and shopping complexes. The average wage of the citizens of Hsinchu is now the highest in Taiwan, surpassing even that of the capital, Taipei.

Hsinchu is a very pleasant city, though definitely not a tourist destination, and most overseas visitors travel here only to attend conferences or business meetings. However, with its abundance of hotels and good transportation links, the city is perhaps the best location to explore the beautiful mountain areas of Hsinchu County.

Due to the constant gusts of wind that blow in from the Taiwan Strait, Hsinchu is often referred to as the Windy City. While the wind keeps the city relatively pollution free, it also makes it a very cold place in the winter, especially around the time of the Chinese (Lunar) New Year celebrations.

Get in

Hsinchu is on the main Taipei - Kaohsiung rail and freeway routes, and it takes about one hour and ten minutes to reach the city from Taipei.

Take highway number 1 or 3. There are two toll gates between Taipei and Hsinchu. Tickets holders can use gates with a blue sign.

The speed limit on Highway number one is in general 100 km/h and on number 3 110 km/h. Speed cameras are active and there are regular speed traps.

By plane The nearest airport is Taoyuan International Airport, which is about a thirty minute drive in the dead of night with no traffic and a speeding taxi driver. Safest to allow around an hour from Science Park or a little longer from down-town.

In Taipei, the red buses depart every fifteen minutes from bay 22 at the Taipei Bus Terminal (See: Taipei 'Get in'). From Hsinchu, the buses depart from next to the Hsinchu Railway Station (when exiting the station, the bus stop is a two-minute walk to the left, just past the Hsinchu Bus Station), and makes a stop at the National Tsing Hua University bus station en-route to the freeway. If your ticket is not collected before departure, hang on to it. It will need to be given to the driver when getting off. The journey takes between 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.

From Taoyuan Taiwan Airport There are no direct buses from Taoyuan Taiwan Airport (Taipei International Airport) to Hsinchu, but the U-bus company offers a link, with passengers changing buses at the 'Jhongli Transit Station'.

From Taichung Taichung Bus (台中客運) and Guoguang Bus (國光客運) connect Hsinchu to Taichung.

By train The TRA (or regular train) station is in the city centre and is a major stop on the main line between Taipei and Kaohsiung/Taichung. is located along Zhonghua Rd. The has a Hsinchu stop located in the neighbouring city of Chupei (竹北; zhúbĕi) and is approximately 30 minutes by taxi from the city centre. A local train line (Liujia Line) runs between Hsinchu and Liujia TRA stations (Liujia being located less than 100 m from the THSR station). The THSR also offers a free shuttle service from the station to Hsinchu approximately every 20 minutes. The journey from Taipei takes approximately 30 minutes .

Get around

Hsinchu is large enough for a local bus service, which connects the suburbs with the downtown area, though not large enough for taxis to cruise. You'll need to go to the station or a department store to pick one up from a taxi rank - or call, if you can speak Chinese.

See

Parks and scenic sites The medians of Wenhua, Xinyi and Sanmin roads have been converted into linear parks. These stretches of green are great for taking a leisurely stroll on a sultry summer day or escaping from the office during lunch break. The parks along Wenhua and Xinyi streets are especially pleasant--and quite romantic at night--as they have incorporated the city's historic moat into their design.

Eighteen Peaks Mountain. best described as a large hill or small mountainous area circling the eastern and southern suburbs of Hsinchu. The highest of the 18 peaks is 131.79 m and the lowest 50 m. It has a lot of well-maintained stepways, concrete paths and Tarmac pathways, making it ideal for walks in the forest without the hardships of true country hiking. It can get very crowded at weekends or in the early morning, and some may find the canned music a little unnatural. If you do not mind crowds the best time to visit is during a flower festival, at this time you may be lucky enough to be able to visit the Japanese underground shelters that are sometimes opened on these occasions. From some locations you are able to enjoy views of Hsinchu, but generally there are limited views of the city due to heavy tree cover.

Hsinchu Botanical Garden. has some great hiking trails and provides the opportunity to become acquainted with more than 300 varieties of Taiwan's indigeneous flora.

Green Grass Lake. Also called Qing-cao Hu, off Ming-hu Road is a parkland surrounding a lake - a great place to relax and watch water fowl gliding with the clouds.

Hsinchu Zoo. This is the oldest and smallest zoo in Taiwan, founded by the Japanese in 1936. The zoo has been very tastefully renovated and proudly displays 250 animals and 70 species, including tigers, crocodiles, monkeys, bears and all kinds of birds. The grounds are lovely and garden like and the animals seem to be having a good time. A great place to bring children.

City God Temple. Built in 1748, on the corner of Zhongshan Road and Dongmen Street. It is a typical Taoist temple with lots of colorful frescoes.

Guan Di Temple. Built in 1776, on the corner of Wenchang St. and Zhongshan Road. It is noted for its refined ornamentation and inscriptions carved by local scholars on the temple pillars.

East Gate. Constructed from granite and with a distinctive arched entrance, the historic East Gate is the city center's most well known landmark. It is at the junction of Dongmen and Zhongzheng Roads.

Hsinchu Railway Station. Built in 1913 in the classic Baroque style that was popular in Taiwan at the beginning of the 20th century. There is nothing to see inside, but the facade provides a good backdrop for souvenir photographs of the city.

Craft Glass Museum. The, sec 1. A gallery dedicated to Hsinchu's long association with the craft of glass making. It is in the park directly behind the railway station.

Space, warehouses 3, 4 and 5 Hsinchu Railway Station - a space for art workshops and exhibitions. Also includes a humanistic recreation area with restaurant.

Hsinchu City Art Gallery & Reclaimation Hall.

Hsinchu City Fire Museum. A small museum in a converted fire station dedicated to the history of firefighting in Taiwan.

Image Museum of Hsinchu City. The museum is in the renovated former movie theater building, and in addition to images and documents of film and theater in Taiwan, the museum also has an auditorium where movies and plays are performed.

Hsinchu City Black Bat Squadron Memorial Hall. A memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives in the conflict between Taiwan and Mainland China.

Hsinchu Museum of Military Dependents Village.

Do

Hsinchu Playhouse and Gallery. Sec 2 (corner of Beida Road). A large concert hall and gallery featuring local and international events.

Learn

National Chiao Tung University. a large university offering a high standard of education.

National Tsing Hua University. a large and prestigious university - specialties include electrical engineering, physical sciences and humanities.

Buy

Malls Big City (Big City遠東巨城購物中心) - 229 Zhongyang Rd - largest mall in Hsinchu, featuring dozens of stores including LEGO, H&M, A.mart, Daiso, Muji, Starbucks, Vieshow Cinemas, including many themed restaurants. The mall has 3,000 parking spaces for car transport, 17 floors in total, and quick, easy access via the Hsinchu city bus service. Far Eastern Hsinchu Store (新竹大遠百) - 323 Xida Rd Crystal City Shopping Plaza (晶品城購物廣場) - 18 Linsen Rd TAROKO SQUARE (大魯閣湳雅廣場) - 91-2 Nanya St

Specialist stores Xinfuzhen Trading Co. (新復珍商行) - 6 Beimen St - *sells pastries* Hai Rui Meatballs (海瑞貢丸) - multiple locations - *fish balls restaurant* Nanxing Rice Noodles (南興米粉) - multiple locations - *rice noodles*

English books Eslite Bookstore, corner of Minquan and Zhongyang Roads. The best selection of English titles in Hsinchu.

Eat

Local dishes popular with domestic tourists include rice noodles (米粉; mĭfēn), pork ball soup (貢丸湯; gòngwántāng) and taiwanese meatballs (肉圓; ròuyuán). There are numerous small booths selling these inexpensive delicacies in the area around the Chenghuang Temple, both fresh and uncooked. North Dist

Because of Hsinchu's relatively large expat community, there are also many restaurants that offer international cuisine.

Buono Bella Italian Restaurant (波諾義大利料理) - 525 Nanda Rd Shengbodian (勝博殿) - multiple locations - Japanese tonkatsu Uomachi Japanese Donburi (魚町日式丼飯) - 170 Dongda Rd, Section 2 - Japanese donburi

Night markets The night market at the end of GuangFu Road (Garden Street), otherwise rather disappointing, has a very popular shop selling food from Singapore. It is located close to the entrance of the night market. The night market here is one of the few places to find real homemade American-style cookies but the vendor is not always there. If you really have a craving you can order them and have them delivered by calling 0973200868.

There's a night market on NanDa Road behind the train station every Tuesday and Thursday. Follow the crowds, you can't miss it.

Drink

Most restaurants, pubs, and even high-class hotels carry a paltry selection of beer, consisting mainly of Heineken, Kirin, Taiwan Beer and one of a variety of mass-marketed, mass-produced American beers (Budweiser, Coors, etc.) In some bars also the German Erdinger is available.

Coffee Flying Tree House Cafe (飛行樹屋咖啡) - 17 Guangfu Road, Section 2, Lane 18

Alcohol Hsinchu has no shortage of bars. Here are some of the most well-known ones:

Coach Pub (黃包車PUB) - 33-39 Minzu Rd Bar Speakeasy - 587 Jingguo Rd

Sleep

AMBASSADOR HOTEL Hsinchu. 5-star hotel, close to the city center, near shopping centers, good for car travel.

Hotel Royal Hsinchu. 5-star hotel with large rooms and floor-to-ceiling windows on the upper levels. Convenient location. Features a Cantonese and a teppanyaki restaurant on premises.

Sol Hotel. This high-end hotel has a gorgeous porch, adjacent to the historic Hsinchu East Gate and the city moat. It takes 7 minutes and 9 minutes to walk to Hsinchu Railway Station and Hsinchu City God Temple. Simple, modern room with free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TV, and tea and coffee making facilities. Suites have an additional living room; some rooms also have balconies. Complimentary buffet breakfast is provided. Other facilities include an Italian restaurant, a fitness center, and coin-operated laundry machines.

Howard Plaza Hotel Hsinchu. Taiwan's largest domestic hotel and resort chain.

Lakeshore Hotel Hsinchu Metropolis. A nice hotel with a great breakfast. There is another location called "Lakeshore Hotel Hsinchu Lakeside Pavilion", but farther from the city center.