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Luodong and Yilan Night Markets – Attack of the Night Markets

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Although Yilan has a limited selection of restaurants, the county makes up for it with its night markets. Yilan locals usually eat at home but the Yilan Night Market and the Loudong Night Market are good bets for a decent meal especially for the hungry traveler.

luodong night market, yilan, taiwan
Luodong Night Market

Compared to the Kaohsiung and Taipei market, the Yilan Night market is not as big in size but provides a considerable good array of munchies to excite the palate. The Yilan Night Market is located in the heart of the city and is known for a couple of local specialties that are worth the try. …

Persevering the Arts at the Yilan County Cultural Center

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The Yilan County Cultural Affair Bureau has motivated and nurtured the spiritual lives of many Yilan citizens with the Yilan County Cultural Center. The cultural center is a large yellow building found in the western part of Yilan City. In May of 1979, plans were made to promote community education and the cultural industry of the Lanyang region. The government then decided to construct a building that covers about 4.9 hectares. The building was then completed and opened to the public on May 20, 1984. The center’s core mission is to promote social education and cultural activities in the Lanyang region. By 1990, the cultural volunteer group was put up to make it easier for the Cultural Bureau to uphold Lanyang’s cultural development. In year 2000, the Yilan County Cultural Affairs Bureau was restructured into five divisions the Culture Development, Library Information, Cultural Heritage, Visual Arts and Performing Arts.

county cultural center, yilan, taiwan
Yilan County Cultural Center

The Institute of Yilan County History and the Taiwan Opera Museum are both under the cultural center as both institutes work at collecting comprehensive information about Yilan’s natural and cultural resources. The purpose of their extensive collection is to …

Renshan Botanical Garden – Beautifying Yilan

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With an area that covers around 100 hectares, the Renshan Botanical Garden is the largest plant nursery in the Yilan County that cultivates bamboos and seedlings of cypress and pine trees as well as variety of trees, plants and flowers. Formerly known as the Renshan Nursery, the garden is located at the northern part of the Central Mountain Range and is found along the upper stream of the Dongshan River at elation between 50m to 50mm. The garden is also known as the Ren Mountain Botanical Garden and is mainly visited because of its prevailing climate typical of subtropical rain forests. The garden is surrounded by vast green valleys and forests that make up its spectacular scenery. Because of its distinct geographical environment, the garden is home to a variety of plants and species including birds, amphibians and insects.

renshan botanical garden, yilan, taiwan
Renshan Botanical Garden

Visitors of the garden need to go through a hiking trail from the base before entering the garden itself. This way, cars and other public transportation will not be allowed to enter the vicinity in order to further preserve the garden’s natural environment. The trail is a …

Xitou: What Is It Exactly?

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No, Xitou is not a fictional character or the male counterpart of Xena. It is a unique natural tourist attraction in Taiwan that you must definitely consider visiting. If you have been to other Asian destinations but have not been to Central Taiwan, you might be surprised that Central Taiwan has rich hills and mountains that look as though they were directly imported from Colorado or Switzerland. Also, the climate is neither hot nor humid. Xitou is located in the county of Nantou in the central regions of Taiwan. Nantou’s average temperature in summer is a cool 20° Celsius. And unlike other Asian tourist spots that you may have visited, there are no white-sand beaches or colorful coral reefs in Nantou, which is not a problem, really.

nantou, xitou, taiwan
Xitou located in the county of Nantou

Found on Phoenix Hill in Lugu Village and set among tall mountains on its sides, Xitou is actually an experimental forest of the National Taiwan University. It is a unique resort that is teeming with cedars, red spruces, and Chamaecuparis obtuse, just to mention …

Reasons to Visit Yushan National Park

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Taiwan has seven national parks and the one located in Nantou County is the Yushan National Park, which was named after Mount Yushan, the highest elevation in the park. Thousands of local and international hikers and mountain climbers come to Nantou, and to say that Yushan National Park is one the best parks in the county is saying a lot. If you are a hiker, mountain climber or simply wanting to experience nature up close, Yushan is definitely for you.

yushan nationa park, nantou, taiwan
Yushan National Park

Part of Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range is found within Yushan National Park. It is a huge park, covering 105,490 hectares with more than 30 peaks that are more than 3,000 meters tall. About two-thirds of the park are 2,000 meters high. The park also includes …

From a Simple Workshop to a World-Class Cultural Park: the Shuili Snake Kiln

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There are no snakes at the Shuili Snake Kiln. Instead, the place is where beautiful Taiwanese pottery is made. A head-turner is the gigantic two-mouthed piece of pottery that was included in the Guinness Book of World’s Records as the largest ceramic of its kind. Another crowd drawer is the 921 Earthquake Commemorative Pots set.

shuili snake kiln,nantou, taiwan
The Shuili Snake Kiln

The widely known kiln began in 1927 when Lin Chiang-sung, a master potter, arrived in Shui-li, a small town in Nantou County. He loved his new home and was impressed to see the winding hillsides that seemed to be slithering like a snake. He also discovered that …