香山天后宮

Xiangshan Train Station (香山車站)

I’ve probably said this a million times over the years, but if you weren’t already aware, Taiwan is probably one of the most convenient countries in the world to live in. Almost everywhere you want to go and everything you want to do is done quickly, efficiently and with little fuss.

This is something that constantly amazes the foreigners who come here as most of us aren’t used to anything that even remotely resembles Taiwanese efficiency in our home countries. 

When I tell my Taiwanese friends how awesome this is, they just shrug their shoulders. People here just expect things to be done quickly and efficiently. 

I could cite numerous examples, but I think one of the easiest ways to explain this is through the example of public transportation.

Getting around the country is easy and there are a bunch of options that allow you to safely and quickly get to wherever you want to go. 

Today, you can go from Taipei to Kaohsiung on the High Speed Rail in less than ninety minutes. This isn’t because Taiwan is a small country, it isn’t. A decade ago, the same trip might have taken four or five hours. 

Before that, I’m sure it would have taken even longer. 

The same goes for the highways - Initially the National Highway was a two lane road that connected the north to the south. Today there is a vast network of highways, expressways and elevated freeways that allow people to get where they’re going much faster. 

Less than five years ago, the highways had toll stations that slowed people down and caused traffic congestion. So what was done? An electronic sensor system was created to replace the toll booths, which were completely removed. 

A little over a century ago however, none of this was even imaginable. 

The Chinese considered Taiwan ‘an unimportant mound of dirt’ and had little interest in developing much of anything in their short time controlling portions of the island.

In 1893, a rudimentary rail track was laid between Keelung and Hsinchu for ox-pulled carts. At that time though, a trip around the country wasn’t really even something that people thought about. 

Then, in 1895 the Japanese took control of Taiwan and quickly put into motion a set of plans that laid the foundations for much of the convenience and efficiency that we enjoy today. 

Shortly after taking control of Taiwan, the Japanese started a massive project to connect the entire country with a modern railway. 

It goes without saying that there were many nefarious incidents that took place during the contraction of the railroad. And yeah, as a colonial government, the Japanese weren’t just developing a railroad out of the goodness of their hearts.

The railway became instrumental in boosting Taiwan’s economy and ensuring that the colonial government was able to get important commodities such as coal, sugar, timber and gravel to port where it could all be shipped back to Japan. 

Nevertheless, the end result was something that completely changed the landscape of the island. Once the the rail network was completed and the economy was stabilized, urbanization and development soon followed. Many of Taiwan’s cities started to take form with the local train station more often than acting as the heartbeat of the modern Taiwanese city.

The importance of the railway in Taiwan’s modern history cannot be understated - Many factors contributed to what would become Taiwan’s economic miracle, but the existence of a fully functional railway system was instrumental in Taiwan’s path to becoming the highly-developed country that it is today.

Unfortunately one of the issues with the push for development and modernization here is that older buildings often fall victim to those efforts. In the past few years alone, historic stations in Kaohsiung, Taichung and Keelung Stations have been replaced with much larger modern stations and this is something that has happened all over the country with smaller stations.

It’s a rare treat these days that you’re actually able to find a century-old train station still in use in Taiwan as there are only a handful of them still in operation.

Fortunately one of them is close to home and is an absolute pleasure to visit! 

Xiangshan Train Station (香山車站) 

In 1899 (明治三十二年), The Governor’s Office established the Railway Bureau (臺灣總督府交通局鐵道部) and started construction on the network of railroads that would eventually encircle the entire island.  

By 1902 (明治三十五年), the Shinchiku (新竹) to Nakaminato (中港) line was completed, providing the people of “Shinchuku” (Hsinchu), one of Taiwan’s most populous areas at the time with public transport and a stop at “Kozan Village“ (香山庄) was included.

The line, which in today’s terms stretched from Hsinchu (新竹) - Zhunan (竹南) was a strategically important one, because “Nakaminato” (Zhunan), which translates as “Central Harbour”, served as an important port for the export of goods at that time. 

The original “Kozan Train Station” (香山驛), was a small one and as traffic on the railway increased was replaced in 1928 (昭和三年) with the building that we currently see today.

At that time, additional warehouses and railway dormitories were included as there were plans to further expand the railway to a dual-track system within the next few years. 

Quite a bit changed in Taiwan over the next few decades, but from 1928 until 1989, things pretty much stayed the same at the station.

In 1990, freight and express trains service was put to an end at the station and it was converted into a ‘Simple Platform Station’ (簡易站) under the management of Hsinchu Train Station.

What this meant was that the station would only be serviced by Local Commuter Trains (區間車) and that it would no longer be necessary to have a Station Manager (站長) on site at all times. 

Then in 2013, the station underwent a year-long renovation project to restore the station to its original condition and ensure that it was structurally sound.

One of the reasons why a restoration project became necessary was because at some point, some weirdo had the idea to paint over the natural color of the beautiful Taiwanese cypress used to construct the station into a gross shade of beige - A sorry attempt to hide the fact that the station was constructed using Japanese architectural design. 

The reason for this shouldn’t really be a big surprise as the colonial regime that took control of Taiwan after the Second World War wasn’t a big fan of anything to do with Japan.

The end result of the painting of the station and the attempt to cover up the original design made the station quite a sad sight. Fortunately it has been restored back to its original design and the paint has been removed.  

Today the station is a local historic protected property and it‘s not likely that we’ll see much in terms of ‘modernization’ taking place, which thankfully means that this beautiful train station should be around for quite a while longer as a living testament to Taiwan’s railway history.

Even though Xiangshan Station is considered a smaller station, the number of passengers passing through the gates at the station has been steadily increasing over the past two decades. In 2001, only 82,000 passed through the station, exponentially increasing to 393,000 in 2018. 

This is likely due to a growing number of people moving out of the expensive Hsinchu city centre to the ever-growing Xiangshan District in addition to all the weekend tourist traffic coming to visit the nearby Xiangshan Wetlands

Design

As mentioned above, the current Xiangshan Station dates back to 1928 (昭和3年), and even though it was restored only a few years ago, it has generally remained in pretty good shape over the past ninety years. 

In the official literature you will see that the building covers an area of about “44 square meters”, which might make you think it’s pretty small. The reason for this is that the measurement of buildings in Taiwan is done using an old system leftover from the Japanese Colonial Era that uses “ping” (坪) instead of metric square meters. 

Basically a “ping” is the traditional size of a tatami mat (畳), which is about 3.306 m2. 

So in metric, the building is actually around 145 square meters. 

One of the things that makes Xiangshan Station unique is that it is the only active station remaining in Taiwan that was constructed using Taiwanese Cypress (台灣檜木), also known as “Hinoki” in Japan. 

If you weren’t already aware, Taiwanese cypress is highly prized and extremely expensive. It is highly-regarded for its resistance to decay and its amazing fragrance. The trees are so highly respected here that the oldest are protected national treasures, often referred to as “God Trees” (神木). 

The roof is typical of Japanese architectural design and is covered with beautiful black tiles (黑瓦) and was constructed using the ‘Irimoya-zukuri’ (入母屋造) style. These terms may not make much sense to most people, so what it means is that it was constructed using the Japanese version of a ‘hip-and-gable’ roof. 

With this specific style of roof, there is a main section known as the “moya” (母屋) covering the central core of the building, while the ‘hipped’ portion known as “hisashi” (廂) extends to the outside veranda, giving it a 3D effect. 

The genius in this style of design is that the roof is often much larger than the base and is too heavy to be supported by the main structure of the building. The weight of the roof is evenly distributed using a network of beams to ensure its stability.

Likewise the front ‘hisashi’ section is supported by four beams with brackets on each that help distribute the weight.

To the right of the main entrance, the lower part of the roof extends a bit further to allow for some roof-covered space for people who are waiting at the station. The extension is likewise supported by an intricate network of cypress beams.

If you visit the station, or any other historic Japanese building in Taiwan for that matter, I can’t stress enough the importance of taking a few minutes to check out the genius of the roof design, which in most cases is done without the use of a single nail.

As I mentioned above, prior to the restoration project, someone had the brilliant idea to paint the beautiful cypress an ugly shade of beige and cover the ‘hisashi’ portion of the roof with an an even uglier sign that read: “Xiangshan Station.” 

Now that the station has been restored to its original condition, you can enjoy the beautiful colour of the cypress and the design of the roof, which was covered to childishly obscure the fact that the building was of Japanese design.

The interior of the building is simple and relies mostly on natural sunlight coming through the beautiful windows from the entrance, exit and on the side.

There isn’t actually a whole lot to see inside as the interior consists of a single room that allowing people to pass through the gate to the train platform or to exit the station.

There is a single ticket window where you can buy tickets from the station employees, but most people instead to just use their EasyCard to pass through. 

While inside the building you can sit on the cypress bench and enjoy the simplicity of the building as the mid-section of the wall is covered in cypress tiles while the top is painted in a typical Japanese colour of off-white. 

Once you pass through the gates, you’ll have to walk up the newly constructed skywalk, to the platform that will take you north or south.

The great thing about the skywalk is that it allows you to check out the beautiful roof of the building from above.

Getting There

 

Address: #2, Alley 347, Lane 2, Section 5, Zhonghua Road, Xiangshan District. Hsinchu City. (新竹市香山區中華路五段347巷2弄2號)

How is one to get to Xiangshan Train Station?

You take the train, of course.

The fact that you can still take a train to one of the nations oldest train stations is something quite special, so you should definitely take the train. 

You do however have other options for getting there. 

The station is located only two stops south of Hsinchu Train Station and takes only eight minutes to get there, so if you’re already in the area you shouldn’t have much of a problem hopping on a train.  

As a smaller station however, Xiangshan isn’t serviced by every train headed south, so if you want to visit, you’ll need to make sure that you get on one of the silver Local Trains (區間車). 

Even though Xiangshan is a small coastal district just outside of Hsinchu City, it is also home to the popular Xiangshan Wetlands (香山濕地) and the historic Xiangshan Mazu Temple (香山天后宮), both of which are a short bike ride or walk from the station.

Generally, the majority of the tourists who visit the historic station are usually only doing so to make their way toward the wetlands, so if you’re planning a trip to the area, you should definitely take some time to appreciate both. 

If you’ve got your own means of transportation, but you still want to check out the historic station, simply copy the address provided above into your GPS or Google Maps. 

The station is located in an alleyway and there isn’t much room for cars, so if you’re driving, it’s a good idea to avoid driving into the alley because you might get stuck and cause a scooter traffic jam.  

Likewise, if you’re only in the area to check out the wetlands and opted to take the bus, I still recommend stopping by the station.

The buses all stop a short distance away, so you can easily walk in and grab a YouBike while appreciating the beauty of the station. 

Just across the street from Hsinchu Station you’ll find a large bus stop where you can take any of the following buses: #5801, #5802, #5803, #5804, #5807 or #5823 to the Xiangshan Station bus stop.  

There are only a handful of train stations constructed during Taiwan’s Japanese Colonial Era that are still in service today - and this is the only one built of cypress. 

So, if you’re a history nerd like I am, this vibrant little station is well worth a visit. 

The fact that it is still in such good shape after almost a century of use goes to show that the Japanese don’t really mess around when they construct something.

Sure, there have been some modern additions to the station and it has recently been restored, but the station has successfully stood the test of time and continues to serve the people of Xiangshan today. 


Xiangshan Tian Hou Temple (香山天后宮)

You might have noticed that there is certainly no shortage of temples in Taiwan. You may find it hard to believe, but places of worship even outnumber the amount of convenience stores throughout the country.

With over 12,000 registered places of worship throughout the nation, you’re never going to be too far from one, and the best thing about them is that you’re always invited to walk in and check it out. 

As this blog has become somewhat of a resource for people wanting to learn more about Taiwan’s religious scene, I feel like it has become somewhat of a personal responsibility of mine to go a bit further than simply offering a simple paragraph or two explanation about each temple that I write about, which is most often the case on many other websites.

This does however pose a bit of a problem: How should I go about introducing these temples to the outside world? Should I focus only on the popular tourist stops? Should I focus on only the most historic? Or should I focus on some of the most obscure? All of these interest me, but with thousands to choose from, its not easy to decide which to devote my time to.

Fortunately, now that I’ve been doing this for a few years, I feel like I’ve covered most of the popular tourist stops, so I’m a bit more free to spend time visiting and learning about some of the lesser known places of worship that interest me (and hopefully others as well) and then introducing them to a wider English-speaking audience. 

Today’s post is about one of those lesser known places of worship, but is one that shares a name that might be familiar to a lot of people and is a historic temple that has been the focal point of its community for the past 250 years. 

With over 12,000 temples in Taiwan, it shouldn’t surprising you to learn that many of them often share the same name and likewise associated with each other through a religious network.

Take Taiwan’s most famous temple for example - the Mengjia Longshan Temple (艋舺龍山寺) is actually just one of over a dozen temples that share the same name in Taiwan. Likewise in almost every major city or town in Taiwan, you’ll be sure to find a Confucius Temple (孔廟), a Qingshui Temple (清水宮), a City God Temple (城隍廟) and a Tian Hou Temple (天后宮) - all of which serve a specific purpose.  

Taipei’s Longshan Temple might be the most well-known with foreign travellers, but if you ask a local, most are quite partial to Taiwan’s “Tian Hou Temples” (天后宮). The nation is home to almost fifty branches which are part of a larger network of almost a thousand places of worship dedicated to “Mazu” (媽祖), who (among many other titles) is often called “Tian Hou” (天后) or the “Goddess of Heaven”. 

Taiwan’s first 'Tian Hou Temple' was constructed in the early 1600s on the offshore Peng Hu Islands (澎湖) and would appear for the first time on the Taiwanese mainland a few decades later in 1664 in Tainan. In the ensuing three and a half centuries, dozens more would be constructed throughout the country and Mazu worship would become the biggest game in town.

Today, the most well-known of those temples are situated in Tainan, Lukang and Taipei - each of which is a large, historic place of worship that attracts visitors from all over. This however doesn’t mean that the dozens of other ‘Tian Hou’ Temples in Taiwan aren’t as important or attractive to tourists. They are often just small temples that act as the focal point of small (more often than not) coastal communities where people gather at the temple to give thanks to the Goddess of the Sea. 

Hsinchu’s ‘Xiangshan Tian Hou Temple’ is a perfect example of one of these places of worship that has been instrumental in bringing the local community together for the past two and a half centuries, becoming the most important structure in town and a place where you’re sure to find lots of locals hanging out.  

History

Modern settlement in the Xiangshan (香山) coastal area started in the 1600s with large numbers of Hokkien people making the voyage across the Taiwan Strait from the Quanzhou (泉州) region of Fujian. Coming from what was an impoverished area, the immigrants brought little with them in terms of possessions, but perhaps more importantly brought with them their language, culture, cuisine and spiritual beliefs.

Settlement in the area was predominately based on the fisheries and trade with China, so it goes without saying that Mazu, the goddess of the sea, and a deity hailing from the Fujian area was a popular figure with local residents.

In 1683 (康熙22年), immigrants brought a statue of Mazu with an incense burner from a temple in Fujian to assist with spiritual worship. It wouldn’t be until 1770 (乾隆35年) however that the statue would officially take up residence in the newly completed Xiangshan Tian Hou Temple. 

It is important when talking about the history of Taiwanese temples to remember that even though a temple may have been ‘established’ on a specific date, it rarely means that it is the same building that you see today. This fact remains true with this temple as the building that you can see today is a recent reconstruction. Generally speaking though, there has been a Tian Hou Temple on this site for the past two and a half centuries. 

The first reconstruction of the temple took place in 1825 (道光5年), then again in 1876 (光绪2年), 1922 (大正11年) and 1992 (民國81年). In the years between all of these reconstructions, the temple was also renovated and repaired on several occasions due to the harsh winds that Hsinchu is known for (in addition to typhoons, earthquakes, etc.)

When the Japanese took control of Taiwan in 1895, the temple was converted into a makeshift police station for a short period of time. Unfortunately due to a lack of maintenance the wooden beams in the building started to crack which meant that it would have to be rebuilt yet again.

A few years later when the Kominka policy (皇民化運動) of forced ‘Japanization’ took effect, the temple’s historic statues, bronze bells and incense burners were all destroyed. 

As I mentioned above, the history of a temple typically dates back to when it was first established, but in this case, the statues and incense burner housed within were much older. This means that their loss was heart breaking for the local people who had no other choice but to comply with their colonial masters.

When the Second World War and the Japanese Colonial Era ended, the statues in the shrine were eventually replaced, the temple once again was renovated a few times and things at the temple returned to normal. 

In 2004, the Hsinchu government designated the temple as a protected historic property

Design

Constructed using Southern Fujian-style Architecture (閩南風格), the Xiangshan Tian Hou Temple is considerably smaller than many of its contemporaries throughout Taiwan. Its size though shouldn’t be an important factor considering that it is so beautifully designed with traditional architecture and also features beautifully painted murals and decorations which combine to make it an attractive place to visit.

Located next to the coastal expressway, the small temple commands a large 400 square meter plot of land with a large public square and parking lot adjacent to the expressway. In the square that lies between the parking lot and the temple you’ll find a stage where the temple occasionally puts on performances. The square also provides ample space for events such as when other temples come by for a visit or during the various holidays held throughout the year.

As you approach the temple from the front, you’ll notice a small, but beautifully decorated front facade that opens up to a courtyard-style palace. As is tradition, the temple faces the northwest (北朝西北), looking toward the western coast of the country toward the Taiwan Strait - allowing Mazu to always have her eyes looking toward the ocean.  

The official design of the temple is referred to as a “Two-Entrance, Three Hall” (二進三間) layout, but that is something new which refers to a separate hall that was added much later. The original layout was in the traditional ‘Two-Hall and Two-Passage-Way’ (兩殿兩廊式) design, which is one of my favourite styles of temple design thanks to the usage of an open-air courtyard in the interior that allows for natural light. 

Link: 廟宇的格局

To explain the design in layman’s terms, the layout was constructed according to Feng Shui for great energy and is rectangular in shape with two different sections. The entrance area forms one of the ‘halls’ (殿) with an open-air courtyard in the middle. There are two covered ‘walkways’ (走廊) on either side that lead to the rear hall where the main shrine is located. 

(See the photo above for reference)

As the temple grew however a third ‘hall’ was added to the right of the main temple and an entrance is provided via the right passageway as well as at the front. This hall not only includes an additional two shrines, but also an office at the rear for the temple administration. 

The first thing you’re probably going to notice about the temple is its intricately designed roof, which may seem like a common design in Taiwan, but don’t let the fact that this style is so prevalent here distract you from how amazing they are - The people of Taiwan have expertly preserved this culturally-rich style of architecture, which is important because in neighbouring China, it has (in many cases) become a distant memory.

One of the most prominent features of Hokkien architectural design is the Swallowtail Roof (燕尾脊), which has an upward-curved ridge shaped like the tail of a swallow. In the case of this temple, the ridge is split into two different sections with the lower section curving at a much higher degree than the upper section. The roof is also adorned with porcelain carvings (剪瓷雕) of historic figures, mythical creatures and flowers.  

The front facade of the temple is beautifully designed and the recent paintings of the door gods and the murals are quite colourful. As this is a temple dedicated to the Goddess Mazu, you won’t find stone guardian dogs at the entrance. Instead there are Stone Drums (抱鼓石) on either side of the main door. Above the drums, you’ll find two beautifully carved traditional wooden windows and above the door a plaque that reads “Tian Hou Temple” (天后宮). 

On the main doors you’ll find Qin Shubao (秦瓊) and his counterpart Yuchi Gong (尉遲恭), two popular generals from the Tang Dynasty, acting as door gods - Qin is the lighter skinned general who is carrying a sword while Yuchi has dark skin and carries batons. The two figures are commonly used as door gods thanks to a legend that tells of how they guarded the emperor from ghosts allowing him to rest peacefully.

On the Dragon Door (龍門), you’ll find a Eunuch (宦官) holding a peony and an incense burner while the Tiger Door (虎門) on the other side features a Palace Lady (宮女) holding a teapot. Both of these door gods are used to indicate that there is a royal palace on the inside. 

 In Chinese, they say “龍門進虎門出“ (lóng mén jìn hǔ mén chū) which means that you should enter a temple through the “Dragon Door” (龍門) and exit via the “Tiger Door” (虎門). The reason for this is because entering the dragon symbolizes ”praying for happiness” while exiting through the tiger is thought to “ward off bad luck or misfortune”.

It is essentially a symbolic way of purifying yourself before you enter a temple. If you however were unaware of the rules and you entered through the tiger door, it would be considered to be bringing misfortune both for yourself and the temple, and thats not a good thing. 

Likewise, the middle door (中門) is a space reserved for the gods or high-ranking government officials. If you’re wandering around a temple and you walk through the middle door, it could be considered bad luck because you’re blocking the view of the gods. 

So, if you want to enter a temple, you should enter through the ‘Dragon Door’, which is on the far right. If you want to leave the temple, you should exit via the ‘Tiger Door’ on the left and if you want to make the gods angry, just walk through the middle door and try your luck. 

Once you’ve passed through the doors, you’re going to be met with a large table for offerings and beyond that an incense urn in the middle of the open-air courtyard. From there you’ll see the passage-ways on either side of the courtyard with larger than life statue-like figures of Qianliyan (千里眼) and Shunfeng’er (順風耳), or “Thousand-Mile Eye” and “Wind-Following Ear”, Mazu’s all-seeing and all-hearing guardian demons facing each other on either side.

Once you’ve passed by Mazu’s cool-looking, yet scary guardians, you’ll have reached the main shrine area. The shrine is split up into three different sections, dedicated to different gods. 

Left Shrine

The shrine on the left is dedicated to the Earth God who is known here in Taiwan either as ‘Tudigong’ (土地公) or Emperor Fude (福德正神). If there is any god in Taiwan who is as popular (or even more popular) than Mazu, it would be the Earth God. There are thousands of temples and shrines all over Taiwan dedicated to him. 

Middle Shrine 

The middle shrine is dedicated to Mazu and has a number of depictions of the goddess sitting within the closed off shrine. On the table in front of the goddess you’ll find an alternating group of folk-religion deities which seems to be different almost every time you visit. 

On either side of the shrine, you’ll once again find some statues of Qianliyan and Shunfeng’er protecting Mazu.

If you have good eyes, you might want to take a peak under the table at the main shrine to check out the ferocious Tiger General (虎爺) who adds another layer of protection for the goddess. 

Above the shrine you’ll see a plaque that reads “Prosperous Ocean Nation” (靈昭海國) - The plaque dates back to 1877 and was placed in the temple when the port of Xiangshan started bringing riches to the area

Unfortunately with the main shrine, you are not only blocked from approaching by a gate but the goddess is also shielded by a screen that doesn’t allow you to see her too clearly. There could be any number of reasons for this, but it is likely that the Mazu statues are quite historic and they are trying to protect her from thieves.  

Yes, there are weirdos in Taiwan who will steal statues of deities and sell them on the black market or hold them for ransom.

Right Shrine  

The shrine on the right is dedicated to the Goddess of Child-Birth (註生娘娘), who is a goddess that you’ll almost always find accompanying Mazu. The purpose of the goddess, I’m sure you’ve figured out, is to provide a bit of spiritual assistance with childbirth. 

Second Shrine Room

The adjacent hall is home to two separate shrines - The shrine against the wall is full of ‘Guangming Lanterns’ (光明燈) dedicated to followers of the temple. The main shrine in the room however is an interesting one with an odd collection of figures placed together. 

The first figure is the Martial (武) representation of the God of Wealth (財神) - This is the god you’ll want to pray to if you’re looking for wealth and are involved in travel, car sales, farming, fishing, military, technology, etc.  

The next figure is named Jiutian Xuannu (九天玄女), who is known as the “Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens” and is regarded as the Taoist goddess of sex, war and longevity. In this temple she appears in human form, but you’ll notice that she has a feather on her head - This is because she often transforms into a bird with a human face. 

The third figure is the God of Literature (文昌帝君), who actually is another one of Taiwan’s most popular deities. If you’re a student, you’ll want to visit him before you have an important exam. 

In front of them you’ll see a statue of the Taisui God (太歲星君) that represents the current year of the Chinese zodiac.

The placement of these gods might seem a bit random as they’re not commonly found sitting together, but given that we have the martial representation of the god of wealth, and the goddess of war, its safe to say that their placement serves a very important historic purpose as Xiangshan was once home to an important port during the Qing Dynasty and lots of economic activity took place in the area, which is a specialty when it comes to this trio.  

Getting There

 

Address: #191, Alley 420, Chunghua Road, Section 5, Xiangshan District, Hsinchu City. 

(新竹市香山區中華路五段420巷191號)

The temple tends to attract quite a few day-tripping visitors on the weekends - This is because it is a short distance from the historic Xiangshan Train Station (香山車站), Haishan Fishing Harbour (海山漁港) and the Xiangshan Wetlands (香山溼地), which are all included in a popular bicycling route along the coast for people wanting a bit of exercise and some time out of the city. 

If you’re planning on visiting the area and want to make use of public transportation, you can simply take the train to Xiangshan Train Station and from there either rent a bicycle from the vendors nearby or grab a Youbike and start your tour of the area.

It is important to remember though that not all trains stop at the station, so if you’re travelling south on the express train, you’ll have to get off at Hsinchu Station and transfer. Likewise, if you’re travelling north, you should get off at Zhunan Station (竹南車站) and transfer to a local train. Xiangshan Station is only a few stops away from both. 

If you have your own means of transportation, you could also drive your car down the West Coast Highway (西部濱海公快速公路), park it near the station or the temple and from there ride your bicycle up and down the coast.

If you are driving south though you’re going to have to pass by the temple, take the Xiangshan Exit and then double back to reach the temple. Make sure to copy the address above in Google Maps or on your GPS to map out the best route. 

If you’re not interested in riding a bike and don’t feel like checking out any of the other places of interest in the area, but want to stop by the temple, never fear, there is a large, free parking lot where you’ll be able to park your car or scooter. While you’re there though, I recommend at least climbing to the top of the elevated highway platform to check out the view of the beautiful Xiangshan Wetlands from above. 

The Xiangshan Tian Hou Temple may not be as large or as well-known as its Taipei, Lukang or Tainan counterparts, but in terms of its history and close relation to the local community, its importance cannot be understated.

While most of the other Tian Hou Temples in Taiwan are some of the nation’s busiest places of worship, activity at this one is a bit more subdued which if you ask me makes it much more accessible, affording guests the opportunity to enjoy all of the finer details.

If you find yourself in the Hsinchu area, you should definitely take the short train ride to Xiangshan Station and then make your way over to this historic temple.

There is of course quite a bit that you can do on a day-trip to the Xiangshan area, so if you want to get some exercise and enjoy some beautiful scenery, you should definitely consider stopping by.