Taitung.
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Overview

Taitung (臺東 Táidōng) is a city in Southeastern Taiwan. Taitung is situated on a small plain between the mountains and the ocean at the southern mouth of the East Rift Valley. This provides Taitung with not only spectacular scenery but also an ocean breeze that makes this tropical city surprisingly comfortable.

Understand

Taitung was developed by the Japanese in the early part of the 20th century and they were responsible for the construction of the roads and railway to the area. This in turn brought an influx of Han Chinese settlers into the area that already had several indigenous groups, creating a diverse city of indigenous, Hakka, and Hoklo populations.

This uniquely Taiwanese blend is still easily discernible in part because a lot of the recent advances in Taiwan's economy have passed Taitung by. This has prevented Taitung from devouring itself the way more successful cities have. There are still large areas filled with Japanese houses in various states of use and disuse. There are still winding alleyways filled with single-story Chinese-style houses with their unapologetic rustic appearance. There are still neighbourhoods that are largely aboriginal with their own celebrations and unique attributes. One thing that is relatively sparse, however, are 7-Elevens. All this is surrounded by miles of quiet rice fields and orchards. The city has an artistic feel to it and is much more relaxing than other Taiwanese cities.

Tourist Information Center. This might be a good first stop in finding information on any local aboriginal or temple events that are going on, maps and general information.

Get in

By train By train, Taitung is on the main East Coast express route. From the north, the journey from Taipei takes 5½-7½ hr depending on the type of trains you take. From Hualien, expect about 3 hr. From the south, from Kaohsiung to Taitung on the Southern route, the trip takes from just over 2 hr to a little over 3 hr depending on the type of train. From Tainan, expect about 3 hr.

There are also 2 smaller stations in the city:

By plane By plane, Taitung is served by a local airport with flights to Taipei, Lanyu and Lyudao.

Get around

On foot The main part of Taitung is small and compact enough to make walking a pleasant way to explore the city.

By bus There are car and scooter rentals near the train station if you have an international drivers license. If not, you can take a bus or taxi to the city which is some distance from either the train station or the airport. Taitung's public transportation is somewhat limited compared with other Taiwanese cities. There are bus routes, while these are inexpensive, the timetables are in Chinese.

The bus 8101 does the Taitung-Sanxiangtal route and can be used for day trips out and back into the city.

By bicycle Bicycles are a good alternative form of transportation and can be rented at several locations beach side, or near the entrance to the Forest Park at the north end of Jhongshan Rd. For excursions to the attractions on the outskirts of town a taxi may be your best option. Taxis are quite plentiful around the Old Railway Station downtown (near the intersection of Guanming Rd. and Sinsheng Rd.)

See

National Museum of Prehistory. In the 1980s and 1990s, a team of archaeologists from National Taiwan University excavated over 1,500 stone coffins and more than 20,000 stone and pottery artifacts belonging to the Peinan culture. This museum is dedicated to this discovery and is located a few kilometers from the actual archaeological site. It also houses an extremely in depth exhibit on the current aboriginal groups in Taiwan. Outside the Museum building there are beautifully sculpted grounds and garden area.

Beinan Cultural Park. Associated with the Museum of Prehistory the Beinan Cultural Park contains the largest and most important prehistoric archaeological site in Taiwan. Beyond the archaeological site the park also consists of beautiful grounds with a commanding view of the surrounding area. Tours in Chinese begin twice a day at 10:00 and 15:00. English tours must be planned in advance.

Taitung Railway Art Village. Taitung City converted several buildings of the old railway station into an exhibition space for local artists and artist in residence..

Taitung Culture and Tourism Center. Two buildings really, one houses the tourism center and library. The other has exhibition spaces, one of which houses the Aboriginal Artifacts Exhibition.

Tianhou Temple. While there are seemingly temples on every block this one dedicated to Mazu (Matsu) is ornately decorated and quite popular, especially on Mazu's birthday (23rd day of the 3rd lunar month — generally April or May).

Do

Liyushan Park. With its trails and lookouts Liyu Shan offers a panoramic view of Taitung. Also, Long Feng Tower near the monastery gives a great panoramic view of the city.

Islands Green Island – A quite beautiful island off the east coast near Taitung, featuring one of the world's few saltwater hot springs.

Bombing of Master Han Dan. On the 15th of the first lunar month (right after Chinese New Year) is the Festival which in Taitung is played out with a unique and spectacular display known as the Bombing of Master Han Dan. In the course of this display a man wearing nothing more than a pair of shorts and a face mask stands upon a sedan chair while onlookers lob strings of lit firecrackers at him. It is unique to Taitung and a must see.

Makapahay. Every mid-July several aboriginal groups, though of primary importance to the Amis, celebrate the millet harvest. This culminates in the long and colorful celebrations of dancing and merry making by Rukai, Paiwan, and Amis depending on which village or which part of the city you are in.

Cycling Serious cyclists or even moderately serious cyclists will find Taitung a perfect place for cycling. The Taiwanese cyclist already know this and you will find no shortage of them. For anything longer than a casual ride around the city you will need to bring your own bike which is fairly easy thanks to the train. The coastal highway heading north to Hualien is quite popular and has many places for camping and many homestays along the way. The East Rift valley is also a popular ride heading north. For a more strenuous ride Hwy 197 heading north to Luye and Guangshan is a rewarding ride. South from Taitung the strip of land between mountains and the ocean evaporates and the ride winding along the base of the hill is spectacularly picturesque.

Taitung City Bikeway. Rent a bike at the beach (or bring your own) and bike the Taitung City Bikeway. The bikeway does a 32-km loop around the city. It follows the old train track out to near the new train station before heading back along the river eventually going through the Forest and Seashore Parks.

Taitung Seashore Park. Taitung Seashore Park and the attached Taitung Forest Park are extremely popular with both locals and tourist alike. With miles of cycling and walking trails as well a beautiful and surprisingly undeveloped seashore these parks offers a perfect chance to experience Taitung's laid back lifestyle and clean ocean air. There are bicycles for rent at several places along the beach and at the entrance of the Forest Park. If you walk along the beach and enter from the sea side, you can skip the entry fee. Or that goes right through the park. Also, there is a potential overnighting option in the next to the running lake towards the beach, if you have sleeping bag and mattress.

Buy

Ata Aboriginal Culture Craft. Located in one of the buildings of a now defunct sugar factory this glass bead studio and handicraft center sells a variety of aboriginal handicrafts. Including textiles, leather work, and handmade glass beads. Since the Ata glass bead studio is located on site you can also watch glass beads being made.

Carrefour. This Taitung-sized hypermarket should cover you for most of your daily needs and provides the best selection of imported food and drinks in town.

Eslite Bookstore. The largest bookstore in Taitung. If you want a book it is the best place to go.

陳記 'Mochi'. This unassuming little shop sells glutinous rice desserts that are as good or better than any of the more famous shops up the coast (and have been since the 1940s). It is quite popular with Taiwanese tourists.

Eat

Taitung has an eclectic food culture that reflects the various cultural influences that the city has had. There are good examples of all manner of Taiwanese, Aboriginal, and other East and Southeast Asian food. While many people equate Taiwanese food with street food to do so is a disservice to the food cultures that make up Taiwan and miss out on some great food. Like all Taiwanese cities street food can be found throughout downtown. You might want to try the sugar-apples (釋迦 shìjiā), a local sweet fruit. Thanks to the large number of aboriginal groups in the area there are several different aboriginal restaurants in and around the city. Taitung is also home to a fair number of goat meat restaurants along Jhongjheng Rd.

Best to just walk down the fruit night market (towards the beach), then continue on Zhonghua Road Section 1 until Jhongjheng Road, and finally northwest from there. This should leave you with enough options to choose from.

Seaweed Deli Dessert. A very popular and excellent quality noodle house; Offering a variety of fresh, healthy noodle dishes and dumplings in a friendly and clean environment.

Mutton Barbecue. Proper goat, grilled, fried, as you want it. Highly recommended.

Yun Jhan. This Puyuma restaurant offers a unique setting with dance performances and excellent aboriginal food. Best for groups so one should find some friends or family to accompany one and to share the taxi.

Mibanai. This Amis restaurant located in the Malan section of town provides a taste of aboriginal food not too far from the center of the city. It is set up groups so once again bring friends or family.

Yuziwu. Good, simple, home style Korean food.

Drink

Taitung's night life has been described as subdued, that may be true however there are of course some bars. What Taitung does have however, is a rather large number of cafes. Since Taitung County actually grows coffee beans it is also possible to find truly local coffee at several establishments.

Denim Elephant. This artsy cafe has Taitung coffee as well as other coffee and teas and a small but interesting menu.

cheela cafe. A very hip cafe with a modern artsy vibe that is conveniently located right on the bikeway and only a block away from the Taitung Theater. It serves a large range of coffees, teas, mixed drinks, and a fine assortment of Belgian beers. It serves daily freshly home-made bread by various products. Hot chili roll on Friday, hot brownie with ice cream on Saturday and cinnamon rolls on Sunday are the most bakery in Cheela Cafe & Bakery. English menu & bilingual service available.

Sleep

Many places apply a 10-30% surcharge during weekends (Friday and Saturday) and holidays. Ranges below show the lowest (weekday) and highest (Chinese New Year) prices.

If you are looking for a camping option, there is an observation tower between the Forest Park and the beach, see above.

La Pace Hostel. A small and homey place for budget stay.

Hostel Who Knows. Friendly hostel, clean dorms with A/C. Free Wi-Fi in the lobby. The hostel is not always open (e.g., it may be closed at 4PM when you want to check in) so it is advised to call them first.

Naruwan Hotel. This is five-star hotel for those with a large budget and an appreciation for amenities. It offers all the things a hotel of its stature should including spa and free gym.