Toucheng (old name Touwei) was the first foothold Wu Sha's settlers built on the Lanyang Plain in 1796, which is why Heping Street calls itself the 'first street of Yilan'. Growing beside Touwei harbour and the channel to Wushi port, it was the region's freight hub in the Qing era. A 1924 flood silted up the harbour and the railway took over trade, so the street declined — leaving its Minnan shophouses, Western-style facades, temples and old banyans largely in place.
Architecture
Minnan red brickBaroque facadesArcades
Themes
Qing eraJapanese eraPort tradeTemples
Getting there
Where
Heping Street (South Gate Fude Shrine to North Gate Fude Shrine), Toucheng Township, Yilan
Getting there
TRA Toucheng Station, ~5 min walk
Time needed
1–2 hours
Best time
Busiest during Toucheng Ghost Grappling (qiang-gu) at the end of the 7th lunar month; quiet and good for strolling on weekdays
