Hsinchu County

Not to be confused with Hsinchu City.

Hsinchu County (新竹縣) is in the northern region of Taiwan.

Overview

Hsinchu County contains 13 settlements:

Hsinchu North (Chupei, Guanxi, Xinpu, Hukou, Xinfeng)

Hsinchu East (Zhudong, Baoshan, Qionglin, Hengshan, Beipu, Emei)

Mountain Area (Jianshi, Wufeng)

Cities

• 1 Chupei (竹北市). The only city in the county other than Hsinchu, and the seat of the county government. (updated Jul 2019)

Townships

• 1 Baoshan (寶山鄉). (updated Jul 2019)
• 2 Beipu (北埔鄉). Known in Taiwan as a center of Hakka culture, especially for production of dongfang meiren tea, and for its special Hakkanese blends of tea and nuts called lei cha. (updated Jul 2019)
• 3 Emei (峨眉鄉). (updated Jul 2019)
• 4 Guanxi (關西鎮). (updated Jul 2019)
• 5 Hengshan (橫山鄉). (updated Jul 2019)
• 6 Hukou (湖口鄉). (updated Jul 2019)
• 7 Qionglin (芎林鄉). (updated Jul 2019)
• 8 Xinfeng (新豐鄉). (updated Jul 2019)
• 9 Xinpu (新埔鎭). (updated Jul 2019)
• 10 Zhudong (竹東鎮). (updated Jul 2019)

Rural areas

• 11 Jianshi (尖石鄉). The main population is indigenous Atayal people. (updated Jul 2019)
• 12 Wufeng (五峰鄉). The population is mainly of the indigenous Atayal people and Saisiyat people. (updated Jul 2019)

Understand

Before the arrival of the Han Chinese, the Hsinchu area was home to Taokas plains aborigines, the Saisiyat, and the Atayal. The population of Hsinchu County is now mostly Hakka people (73% as of 2017). There is also a population of about 20,000 indigineous people, mainly from the Atayal and Saisiyat tribes. As a result of its large Hakka population, Hsinchu County is a stronghold for the KMT in presidential elections, though the DPP has made inroads among the younger generation.

Talk

As in most of Taiwan, the most widely-spoken language is Mandarin Chinese. According to the 2010 national census, the languages spoken at home in Hsinchu County are:

Mandarin	Taiwanese	Hakka	Formosan (all)	Others
90.6%	27.7%	56.0%	2.0%	1.1%

Get in

Hsinchu County is connected to the Taiwan High-speed Rail network via 1 Hsinchu station (高鐵新竹站), 6 Gaotie 7th Rd.  , in Chupei City.

Get around

By rail

Hsinchu county is connected to other parts of Taiwan by the TRA network. This is also a useful way to get between townships. Stations in Hsinchu County are:

Name	Chinese	Line	Location	Notes
2 Fugui.	富貴	Neiwan line	Hengshan
3 Hengshan.	橫山	Neiwan line
4 Hexing.	合興	Neiwan line
5 Jiuzantou.	九讚頭	Neiwan line
6 Neiwan.	內灣	Neiwan
7 Beihu.	北湖	West Coast Line	Hukou
8 Hukou.	湖口	West Coast line
9 Xinfeng.	新豐	West Coast line	Xinfeng
10 Liujia.	六家	Liujia	Zhubei
11 Zhubei.	竹北	West Coast line
12 Ronghua.	榮華	Neiwan line	Zhudong
13 Shangyuan.	上員	Neiwan line
14 Zhudong.	竹東	Neiwan line
15 Zhuzhong.	竹中	Neiwan line Liujia line

See

History and culture

Hsin-Pu Upper Fang-Liao Liu Family House

• 1 Beipu Old Street (北埔老街). 09:30-17:30. An old Hakka street featuring stores selling local delicacies. (updated Jul 2019)
• 2 Former Residence of Zhang Xueliang (張學良故居), ☏ +886 3 585 6613. 09:00-17:00. A museum about Zhang Xueliang, the person who declared the Chinese reunification in 1928 after the end of the Northern Expedition by the National Revolutionary Army led by Chiang Kai-shek to unite the Beiyang Government under the Republic of China. The house spans about 150 m2 in area. It is decorated with Zhang's old furniture and more than 500 pictures donated by his two nieces. A bronze statue of him and his wife is displayed outside the front of the historical house. (updated Jul 2019)
• 3 Hsin-Pu Upper Fang-Liao Liu Family House (劉氏雙堂屋), No. 460, Alley 10, Lane 359, Section 2, Yimin Road. 09:00-16:00. (updated Jul 2019)
• 4 Hukou Old Street (湖口老街), Hukoulao Street, Hukou Township, ☏ +886 3 599 3911. 08:00-22:00. (updated Jul 2019)
• 5 Jin Guang Fu Hall (金廣福公館), No. 6, Zhongzheng Road, Beipu Township. 09:00-17:00. An old Chinese-style mansion built in 1835. (updated Jul 2019)
• 6 Maitreya Bronze Statue. A large bronze statue of the bodhisattva Maitreya. (updated Jul 2019)
• 7 Neiwan Old Street (內灣老街), Guangfu Road, Hengshan Township, ☏ +886 3 593 2001. 10:00-18:00. An old street selling a variety of local snacks and delicacies. (updated Jul 2019)
• 8 Tapung Old Fort (李崠古堡), ☏ +886 3 584 1001. Constructed in 1912, during the period of Japanese occupation, the fort was built by the then governor to help with the effort to subjugate the local Altai indigenous people. (updated Jul 2019)

Museums

• 9 Liu Hsing-chin Comic Museum (劉興欽漫畫暨發明展覽館), ☏ +886 3 584 8019. A museum about the comics creator Liu Hsing-chin, located in Hengshan Township. (updated Jul 2019)
• 10 Old Hukou Catholic Church Museum (老湖口天主堂文化館), No. 108, Hukoulao Street, Hukou Township, ☏ +886 3 569 5963. 10:00-17:00. A free museum housed in a 1960s Catholic church building. (updated Jul 2019)
• 11 Rueylong Museum (瑞龍博物館), No. 1, Alley 21, Lane 42, Wenshan Road, Qionglin, ☏ +886 3 592 2521. A natural history museum in Qionglin Township. (updated Jul 2019)
• 12 Zhudong Timber Industry Exhibition Hall (竹東林業展示館), No. 141, Donglin Road, Zhudong Township, ☏ +886 3 595 2012. 09:00-17:00. The exhibition hall features the history of timber industry in Taiwan and traditional logging equipment. (updated Jul 2019)

Temples

Chaoyin Chan Monastery

Tianen Maitreya Temple

• 13 Baozhong Yimin Temple (褒忠亭義民廟), No. 360, Section 3, Yimin Road, Xinpu Township, ☏ +886 3 588 2238. (updated Jul 2019)
• 14 Chaoyin Chan Monastery (關西潮音禪寺), ☏ +886 3 587 2267. (updated Aug 2019)
• 15 Cihtian Temple (北埔慈天宮), No. 1, Beipu Street, Beipu Township, ☏ +886 3 580 1575. A small temple built in 1835, dedicated to the Bodhisattva Guanyin which was constructed to promote peace with the local aboriginal populations. (updated Jul 2019)
• 16 Hukou Sanyuan Temple (湖口三元宮), No. 278, Hukoulao Street, Hukou Township, ☏ +886 3 569 2667. (updated Jul 2019)
• 17 Kuanhsi Taihe Temple (關西太和宮), No. 30號, Datong Road, Guanxi Township, ☏ +886 3 587 2216. (updated Jul 2019)
• 18 Lian-Hua Mountain San-sheng Palace (蓮華山三聖宮), No. 488, Sansheng Road, Xinpu Township, ☏ +886 3 588 2153. 08:00-17:00. A hillside temple complex that was constructed in 1902. (updated Aug 2019)
• 19 Sacred Heart Catholic Church (關西天主堂), No. 126, Zhengyi Road, Guanxi Township, ☏ +886 3 587 2104. (updated Jul 2019)
• 20 Tianen Maitreya Temple (天恩彌勒佛院), No. 3, Kuaile Road, Emei Township. (updated Aug 2019)
• 21 Wenchang Shrine (新埔文昌祠), No. 7, Lane 202, Chenggong Street, Xinpu Township, ☏ +886 3 588 6578. (updated Jul 2019)
• 22 Wuhe Temple (芎林五和宮). A Mazu temple in Yilin county that was constructed in 1796. (updated Aug 2019)

Architecture

Kuanhsi TungAn Bridge

• 23 Kuanhsi TungAn Bridge (東安古橋), Zhongshan East Road, Guanxi Township. (updated Jul 2019)

Parks and nature

• 24 Shei-Pa National Park (雪霸國家公園). The park covers a wide range of ecosystems between 760 meters at the lowest point, the Da-an River Valley (大安溪) and 3,886 meters elevation at the highest point, the top of Xueshan (雪山主峰). (updated Jul 2019)

• 25 Dabajian Mountain (大霸尖山). Dabajian Mountain is known for its steep grade, beautiful surroundings, and rugged terrain, making it a popular rock climbing mountain. There are many companies in the area that offer rock climbing tours to the mountain. (updated Jul 2019)

Do

Theme parks

Leofoo Village Theme Park

• 1 Little Ding-Dong Science Theme Park (小叮噹科學主題樂園), No 199, Kanghe Road, Xinfeng Township, ☏ +886 3 559 2330. An outdoor natural science park in Taiwan intended to promote scientific knowledge and creative thinking in children. (updated Jul 2019)
• 2 Leofoo Village Theme Park (六福村主題遊樂園), ☏ +886 3 547 5665. 09:00-17:00. A theme park and a safari located in Guanxi Township. It features three roller coasters, as well as an old mining railway. (updated Jul 2019)
• 3 Green World Ecological Farm (綠世界生態農場). A theme park in Beipu Township that focuses on ecological education. Covering 70 hectares, the park includes an educational farm, a house, a zoo, and a botanical garden that occupies about 173 acres and hosts over 2,000 species of plants and animals. (updated Jul 2019)

Eat

• 1 6 Garden Restaurant (六號花園), ☏ +886 932 178 177. 10:00-18:00. A 2-storey, vine-covered brick building nestled in the hills surrounded by gardens. (updated Aug 2019)

Vegetarian

• 2 The V:F Zhubei (舞蔬弄果竹北店), No. 78, Section 1, Jiafeng South Road, Zhubei City, ☏ +886 3 658 5997. 11:30-23:30. (updated Aug 2019)