1. Yung An Chu (永安居)
Life how it used to be 100 years ago, for the landowner at least, can be glimpsed at this traditional red brick and stone house. It is one of the 10 best preserved traditional domestic residences in Taiwan, according to the sign outside. It is built in the traditional "U" shape, with a walled courtyard leading to the family shrine in the center, and wings on either side. Clothes on the clothesline and other signs of habitation indicate that the house is still in private hands and that due respect should be shown when looking around. Visitors are supposed to buy tickets (NT$60), but this does not seem to be strictly enforced. The house is closed to the public during family events and it is better to phone before hand.
Located beside the 106 County Highway, tel: 0920912857
2. The tree
The big tree at the end of Shenkeng's old street has been standing for about 100 years, according to some old-timers, who say that it has brought the town luck. Whatever the truth of this, Shenkeng would not be the same without its landmark tree, which is the subject of paintings by many local and national artists and can be seen on virtually every promotional item for local businesses.
3. Under the Big Tree (大樹下)
(see review at restaurants of the week)
4. Hsiang-cun Mi-shih (鄉村米食)
The place to get all manner of sticky rice cakes, dumplings and other sweets flavored with green tea, taro and even red currant. The variety of color and taste is remarkable. Prices range from NT$30 for a sticky taro cake to NT$150 for jellied sweets similar to Turkish Delight. There is a display of earthenware and stoneware pots that are also for sale.
146 Shenkeng St., Shenkeng Township (深坑鄉深坑街146號), tel: (02) 2662-9033
5. Peanut Studio (土豆齋老鋪)
Peanut candies are cooked, rolled, cut into chunks and put into jars right in front of you. They are so fresh they are still warm. Offerings include peanut brittle, almonds coated in mustard and other concoctions made with nuts, pumpkin seeds and sesame. An absolute must is the ice cream brittle peanut and coriander rolled in a light rice pancake.
136-1 Shenkeng St., Shenkeng Township (深坑鄉深坑街136-1號), tel: (02) 2662-8719
6. Ko Cha Chu (古早厝)
(see review at restaurants of the week)
7. China Dragon Food Store (中國龍食品坊)
Teas from around the world can be found here. Hundreds of buds, branches, flowers, ground powders and seeds, all with their signature aroma: jasmine, rose, rosemary, larkspur, linden, oregano, apple, cinnamon, chamomile and peppermint. Prices are much lower than you can expect to find in Taipei. There are plenty of surprises, such as pu'er tea sold in hard packed bundles ranging in shape from conical to elliptical or square blocks. Pu'er tea has a bright red-yellowish color and a fine taste and is supposed to provide relief from indigestion, fatigue and intoxication.
106 Shenkeng St., Shenkeng Township (深坑鄉深坑街106號), tel: (02) 2451-7308
8. Song-tao Painting Studio (松濤畫室)
A great little shop with something for everyone and also the gallery of Shenkeng's greatest living artist. The shop is housed in an impressive old building on the old high street. Yen Sung-tao (顏松濤) has been drawing and painting for nearly 50 years. He paints with a bright, impressionist palette and his theme has always been Shenkeng. He offers a nostalgic look at life decades ago, as in his painting Under the Big Tree. Aside from Yen's paintings, the gallery has lots of reproductions and pottery, and even old bricks and toys. There is a wooden frog that sounds like the real thing when it is tapped or stroked with a wooden stick. Other toys include wooden chickens pecking at grain and spinning tops.
46 Shenkeng St., Shenkeng Township (深坑鄉深坑街46號), tel: (02) 2664-4525
9. Tang-shan-po old-style plum soup (唐山伯古味酸梅湯)
Many of Shenkeng's restaurants offer plum juice as an accompaniment to their meals. Here a whole range of plum products are on display. Plum concentrate, crystallized dried plums, stewed plums and delicious plum wine that has a palette of a good red wine, the depth of brandy and the edge of sherry.
111 Shenkeng St., Shenkeng township (深坑鄉深坑街111號), tel: (02) 2664-5639
10. Ah Tsung popsicle (阿宗枝仔冰)
There are around 30 flavors to choose from, ranging from peanut to chocolate, durian to strawberry. The owner insists that they contain no artificial preservatives or flavors.
143 Shenkeng St., Shenkeng township (深坑鄉深坑街111號), tel:), tel: (02) 2662-3323
11. Grand Union Recreational Restaurant
(see review at restaurants of the week)
12. Wenshan Driving Range (文山高爾夫練習場)
Golfers of all levels of ability are represented. A box of 30 balls costs NT$50. There are golf pros who will give you coaching for NT$800 per hour. Thirty hours of lessons from the local pro will cost NT$20,000. Tea is free.
55 Ah-rou Yang, Ah-rou village, Shenkeng township (深坑鄉阿柔村阿柔洋55號), tel: (02) 2664-9199
13. Lai Lai Fishing Pond (來來魚池)
Not exactly scenic and you cannot take your fish home, but owner Chang Hsin-chi (張信啟) says the fish in his ponds are massive and stretches his arms out like fishermen all over the world do to show just how big. Naturally, these lunkers are not easy to catch, and at NT$800 an hour some might say they make expensive sport.
14. Trails
There are several good walks around Shenkeng and some hiking trails in the hills too, though these are sometimes hard to find. Try the trail to "Like a Dragon Waterfall" (似龍瀑布). It used to be called Golden Dragon waterfall because the morning light turned the water a golden color. To get there, walk up to Chishan (吉山) from Shenkeng. It's not too steep and there are views of Taipei to the north, including a view of the giant giraffe painted on the smoke stack of the Mucha incinerator. Spring is a good time to go, as flowers are in bloom making an explosion of mauves and pinks and vermilion.
15. "Like a dragon" restaurant (似龍休閒餐廳)
Halfway up Chishan, this is a good place to take a rest or eat lunch as the menu has some surprising treats in store, such as bee pupae and fried eggs with tea leaves (special, soft tea leaves are used). The small pond behind the restaurant contains five different kinds of fish and even novice anglers can catch them, according to the owners. Some Sundays there are fishing competitions, where the top prize is NT$150, but the aim seems to be eating and drinking. It is civilized and possible to drink a beer or cup of tea from the veranda while fishing for supper.
2 Junliao, Shenkeng township (
16. Oldest house in town
Said to be 180 years old and still inhabited, this house is not as well preserved as Yung An Chu (see 1), nor was it ever as grand. Visiting can be a bit uncomfortable, as one is literally walking into someone's home, but with due sensitivity, a tour is definitely worthwhile.
On April 26, The Lancet published a letter from two doctors at Taichung-based China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) warning that “Taiwan’s Health Care System is on the Brink of Collapse.” The authors said that “Years of policy inaction and mismanagement of resources have led to the National Health Insurance system operating under unsustainable conditions.” The pushback was immediate. Errors in the paper were quickly identified and publicized, to discredit the authors (the hospital apologized). CNA reported that CMUH said the letter described Taiwan in 2021 as having 62 nurses per 10,000 people, when the correct number was 78 nurses per 10,000
As we live longer, our risk of cognitive impairment is increasing. How can we delay the onset of symptoms? Do we have to give up every indulgence or can small changes make a difference? We asked neurologists for tips on how to keep our brains healthy for life. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH “All of the sensible things that apply to bodily health apply to brain health,” says Suzanne O’Sullivan, a consultant in neurology at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, and the author of The Age of Diagnosis. “When you’re 20, you can get away with absolute
May 5 to May 11 What started out as friction between Taiwanese students at Taichung First High School and a Japanese head cook escalated dramatically over the first two weeks of May 1927. It began on April 30 when the cook’s wife knew that lotus starch used in that night’s dinner had rat feces in it, but failed to inform staff until the meal was already prepared. The students believed that her silence was intentional, and filed a complaint. The school’s Japanese administrators sided with the cook’s family, dismissing the students as troublemakers and clamping down on their freedoms — with
As Donald Trump’s executive order in March led to the shuttering of Voice of America (VOA) — the global broadcaster whose roots date back to the fight against Nazi propaganda — he quickly attracted support from figures not used to aligning themselves with any US administration. Trump had ordered the US Agency for Global Media, the federal agency that funds VOA and other groups promoting independent journalism overseas, to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” The decision suddenly halted programming in 49 languages to more than 425 million people. In Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, the hardline editor-in-chief of the
RSS