Neiwan was the gateway for timber and coal from the Jianshi mountains; after the Neiwan railway line opened in 1951 the town boomed with cinemas and inns. When logging and mining ended it fell quiet, until nostalgia tourism revived it: its brick-and-timber shophouses, old theatre and suspension bridge, plus links to cartoonist Liu Hsing-chin and TV dramas, now draw big weekend crowds.
Architecture
Timber housesJapanese-era
Themes
RailwayHakkaMiningJapanese eraFilm locationNature
Getting there
Where
Around Zhongzheng Road and Guangfu Road, Hengshan Township, Hsinchu County
Getting there
Right outside Neiwan Station on the TRA Neiwan Line
Time needed
Half a day
Best time
Crowded on weekends, more comfortable on weekdays; firefly season May–Jun
