Hsinchu City has much more to offer than high tech! While most people associate Hsinchu with computer displays and semiconductors due to the local science park, the city also boasts plenty of water-related scenic spots and attractions!

Find refuge from the sweltering summer heat while slowly wandering along Hsinchu's coast, lakes and waterways. Enjoy a cool breeze cycling along the Left Bank, take a refreshing dip at Nanliao fishing port's parent-child beach or splash around in the wading pools and water features at the recently restored Aqueduct Museum of Hsinchu City. Embrace the nostalgic atmosphere of charming fishing ports and experience the windy city's scenic coast as you embark on a dreamlike tour along the waterfront.

Source: Hsinchu City Government

Hsinchu owes its rise to its convenient location on a coastal plain at the mouth of two rivers, hence its abundance of coastal scenic spots and water resources. During the Qing Dynasty, the port of Zhuqian, as Hsinchu was called at the time, provided the shortest sea route to Quanzhou in Fujian Province on the other side of the Taiwan Strait. As a result, Zhuqian became an important trade post.

Today, Hsinchu boasts a 17km coastline area along the coast, the largest coastal wetland in northern Taiwan as well as the most important harbor for deep sea fishing fleets on Taiwan's west coast. In recent years, the city government has actively worked to revive the city's legacy as a trade port, creating public spaces where citizens can get up close to the water near rivers, lakes and the sea.

On hot summer days, accessible shorelines provide a cooling reprieve as open water surfaces exchange heat, wind and moisture with the atmosphere, creating a comfortable microclimate typical for the city. Hsinchu offers many places to make a splash and enjoy the water, be it at the seaside, on riverbanks, along man-made canals or an old aqueduct. Putting together a water-themed fun tour for the summer is easy.

Riding a Bike on the Left Bank for a Low-Carbon Tour

Although the Touqian River that flows through the city is considered its mother river, the river's Left Bank was somewhat neglected and littered with garbage in the past. With the launch of the Hsinchu Left Bank Program, the bicycle lane network along the waterfront was optimized, scenic spots along the stretch were improved, and the riverbanks were planted with greenery.

Now the area offers bicycle lanes with easy access to the waterfront, an ecological education station and a grassy plain for picnicking. The 10-km stretch of once overgrown wasteland has turned into a low-carbon greenbelt, winning the Water Resources Agency's Water Environment Award in the “waterscapes”category.

Following its facelift, the Left Bank has become a park-like green belt, boasting a baseball pitch, a skatepark and improved bicycle lanes. Even on your bike, you can now get close to the waterfront, exploring the Xipuzi and Kezihu man-made wetlands or grassy plains and other natural scenery along the route.  

But the efforts do not stop there; the city government is currently carrying out further improvement of Left Bank facilities. Once the upgrade is complete, travelers will be able to enjoy many attractions and scenic spots along the entire 27-km-long Smiling Waterfront route that connects the Touqian River’s Left Bank greenbelt with the 17km coastline. The bike lanes will be fitted with light fixtures over the entire stretch so that cyclists can even go on romantic night-time rides.

Hsinchu City Mayor Lin Chih-chien rides a bike along the 17km coastline bike lane. (Source: Hsinchu City Government)

Nanliao Fishing Port ­– Playing in the Sand, Catching the Wind, Viewing the Sea

Do you long to see ocean waves rolling onto the shore? Then Nanliao fishing port is the best destination for you this summer. Here you will find many attractions, including a completely revamped Fisherman's Wharf.

Friends and family can get together to have fun at the parent-child beach , watch the coastline from a platform of wave breakers that are shaped like fish scales, or hold kite competitions on the beach. Between August 2017 and July 2018, Nanliao fishing port saw a record of 4.16 million visitors, emerging as the city's most popular tourist attraction.

The resort-like parent-child beach in front of the Nanliao tourist information center made its debut last year and has since proven a hit among families with small children.

The seaside area boasts white buildings with blue roofs and palm trees, wading pools with stepping stones, bridges and terrazzo slides, groups of bollards and large stone sculptures representing marine animals such as crabs, sea turtles and octopuses right next to a sandy beach. As the weather gets hotter, more people visit the seaside. Since the parent-child beach opened for the summer season on May 25, it has become a top destination for families and Internet celebrities.

The city's first international kite competition site is also located near Nanliao fishing port because strong winds and sea breezes are something Hsinchu has in abundance. Kites high up in the sky dancing in the wind are a common sight. Kite runners who participated in the Hsinchu City International Kite Festival in September last year even praised the beach as “the world's best competition venue.”

If you want to watch the sea from an exemplary piece of urban aesthetics, you only need to walk up the “fish scale ladder.” Instead of using the typical tetrapod wave breakers made of concrete, coastal engineers successfully paired function with aesthetic appeal; large stone slabs were laid in a fish scale pattern, forming a wide, giant staircase that leads right down to the beach. The fish scale ladder have become a popular spot for providing an unrestricted view of the wide blue ocean and spectacular sunsets.

The parent-child beach at Nanliao fishing port (Source: Hsinchu City Government)

Demonstrating Architectural Wisdom ­– Highlighting Local History

Aside from improving access to natural bodies of water, the Hsinchu City Government has also restored a historic site and recreated the natural landscape along the canal. Where did past generations of Hsinchu citizens get their water? If you want to know more about this popular science topic, a visit to the Aqueduct Museum of Hsinchu City is a must.

The completion of the Hsinchu aqueduct in 1929 was an important milestone in the city's modernization. From then on, residents had access to running tap water. To make this happen, six wells were dug along the Long-en Canal of the Qiantou River to collect water. From there, the water was led to the Eighteen Peaks Mountain, where sediment was allowed to settle and the water was filtered and treated.

Aqueduct Museum of Hsinchu City documents the city's water history, including information about water resources and the history of the building itself. On top of that, the Museum's outdoor area has been upgraded with stone slides and wading ponds, making it an ideal place for combining learning and fun on hot summer days.

Another hydraulic engineering project in the city is the Gang-Nan Canal scenic area, which was established in 1987. However, over time the leisure facilities along the canal deteriorated and fell into disrepair.

Therefore, the Hsinchu City Government launched a reconstruction project to provide better access to the waterfront. The scenic area on the north side was turned into a children's paradise with playgrounds, while footpaths for leisurely walks and a wooden platform were added at the waterfront on the south side, as well as a viewing platform.

The revamped area, which was reopened to the public with a push bike competition and other family sports events on June 23, is waiting to be rediscovered by leisure-seeking city dwellers.

In the spirit of the early settlers who crossed the treacherous Taiwan Strait, the Hsinchu City Government has used infrastructure projects to redefine the relationship between the city and its environment as it embarks on its waterfront dream. In the future, Hsinchu's Left Bank, Nanliao fishing port and the 17km coastline will form a “Smiling Waterfront,” turning Hsinchu into Taiwan's most water-loving city.

Aqueduct Museum of Hsinchu City (Source: Hsinchu City Government)

Translated by Susanne Ganz
Edited by TC Lin, Sharon Tseng
Content sponsored by the Hsinchu City Government