Nanzhuang thrived on timber and coal and lies in the homeland of the Saisiyat and Atayal peoples. After the 1935 Hsinchu–Taichung earthquake devastated the town, it was rebuilt to a Japanese plan, leaving Zhongzheng Road lined with two-storey timber houses. 'Osmanthus Lane', originally just the name of a noodle shop, became famous through local branding and is now what most visitors mean by Nanzhuang Old Street; the April–May tung blossom season is the busiest.
Architecture
Timber housesJapanese-era
Themes
HakkaIndigenousMiningJapanese eraNature
Getting there
Where
Zhongzheng Road and Osmanthus Alley (Guihua Lane), Nanzhuang Township, Miaoli
Getting there
TRA Zhunan or Toufen, then Miaoli Bus/Taiwan Tourist Shuttle to Nanzhuang
Time needed
Half a day
Best time
Tung blossom season Apr–May; extremely crowded on weekends
