Before the bubble tea became an unstoppable worldwide trend, the “Formosa Oolong Tea” produced in Taiwan had appeared in the global tea market a century ago. With hundreds of years of history, Taiwanese tea has an inseparable relationship with the land of Taiwan. On this one-day tour to Shiding, the birthplace of the champagne of Taiwanese teas—Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea, you will not only explore the origin of Taiwanese tea, but also discover the hidden gems of this forgotten mountain town.
The tour starts with a visit to Thousand Island Lake, and Bagua Tea Plantation where cultivates high-quality Taiwanese tea. Whether you are a tea lover or not, the magnificent landscape of the lake and the emerald-green tea plantations will blow you away.
In addition to Taiwanese tea, the local hand-made Taiwanese vermicelli is also something you should not miss out on when you are in Shiding. On this tour, you will not only taste the hand-made vermicelli, but also enjoy a hands-on activity making your own noodles, and experience the “flowing noodles (nagashi somen)”.
The quaint Shiding Old Street is the first developed area in this mountain town, which was built along the river and divided into two streets—west street and east street. Strolling along the east street, you can see the unique scene of Diaojiaolou (stilt houses) and the roofed street. The Shiding Section of Tamsui-Kavalan Trails starts from the end of the west street; it is the most approachable section of this historic trail, even if you are not a frequent hiker, you can still enjoy a rendezvous with nature.
Before the end of this day tour to Shiding, you will pay a visit to Shiding Wulu Fortune Temple to exchange some lucky coins with Huye (Tiger God), pray for wealth and prosperity, and bring the blessings of the God of Wealth back home.
Meet your tour guide and driver at the hotel lobby, and then head off to Shiding District in New Taipei City. Just sit back and relax, enjoy the journey to the idyllic mountain town.
Your Shiding day tour starts with a visit to the magnificent Thousand Island Lake, which shares the same name with the famous scenic spot in Hangzhou City, China. The lake is located in the south of Shiding, it was once an inhabited village before it was flooded to create the catchment area of Feitsui Reservoir. As the water rose, it submerged part of the mountains and resulted in a lake with countless islets scattered here and there. The stunning landscape resembles the Thousand Island Lake in China, hence the name.
The superior geographical location and the pleasant climate that Shiding is endowed with nourish the tea plantations around Feitsui Reservoir, and cultivate the two of top 10 Taiwanese teas, Wenshen Paochong Tea and Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea (Dong Fang Mei Ren). The next stop, Bagua Tea Plantation, is at a short distance from Thousand Island Lake. The tea plantation was so named because the neatly planted rows of tea bushes look just like the symbols of Eight Trigrams.
Before noon, you will pay a visit to the workshop of Hsu’s Noodle. The noodle craftsman, Master Hsu, started to learn the traditional skill of Taiwanese vermicelli making at the age of 16. In this highly-industrialized era, the craft of hand-made noodles is to be lost. However, Master Hsu upholds the spirit of passing down the traditional skill; even today, he still gets up early every day and makes noodles in the traditional way step by step: stir, press, cut, rub, bind, pull, shake and air-dry, devoting himself fully to making each thread of noodle. The fresh air and the pure mountain spring water in Shiding enhance the taste of noodles, making it chewy and tender.
Here you will experience a hands-on activity making your own Taiwanese vermicelli. Follow the instructor step by step, shake and pull the noodles until them become quite thin and almost break. Lastly, enjoy a fun and unique dining experience—flowing noodles (nagashi somen) —vermicelli flowing down a chute, savor this amazing and delectable craft.
Your tour continues with an easy walk along Shiding Old Street. Shiding Old Street used to be the distribution hub of tea merchandising for the adjacent districts such as Pinglin, Shuangxi and Shengkeng. In addition to tea, the textile dyeing industry and coal mining industry also made this street busy and prosperous. Because of the geographic conditions, the houses were built along the river, however, the hinterland beside the river was limited, therefore, people started to build houses above the riverbed directly, and supported the houses by only a few stilts. That makes a unique scene of Diaojjiaolou (stilt houses) and the roofed street. Besides, the Hundred-year-old Stone House and Yuanguang Blacksmith Shop also bring a feeling of nostalgia.
Shiding Section of Tamsui-Kavalan Trails is the southeastern route of Tamsui-Kavalan Trails, which connects Kavalan(now Yilan) and Bangka(now Wanhua) and used to be the main road of exporting tea and Mayflower gloryberry in the past. After the repair, the trail has become an easy and flat trail that is suitable for all ages.
Ambling down to the end of the west street of Shidin Old Street, you can see the entrance of the Shiding Section of Tamsui-Kavalan Trails. The trail in the woods is shaded by the foliages of trees, where the river is running in parallel; every year in May, the Tung Trees on the sides are in full bloom and create a fantastic view of a trail of scattered snow-white petals. If you keep walking forward and pass the viewing platform, you will see the towering National Highway No.5 is right above the trail, coincidentally making a scene of the modern high-way contrasting the historic trail.
Before the end of the one-day tour to Shiding, you will visit Shiding Wulu Fortune Temple, one of the most popular spots in northern Taiwan, where dedicates to 5 Gods of Wealth. Besides the splendid appearance of the temple, the “dragon pillars”, the statues of the deities and the incense burner are resplendent with gold, the dazzling “rotating fortune lights” on the ceiling make the temple even more magnificent. Since you are here, why not exchange some lucky coins with Huye (Tiger God), pray for wealth and prosperity, and bring the blessings of the God of Wealth back home?
After this amazing private tour to Shiding, your tour guide will escort you back to your hotel.
Adults
Child (age 2-11)
Infant
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