Hsinchu

Hsinchu City (新竹; Xīnzhú) is a compact city on the north-western coast of Taiwan, administratively distinct from the larger Hsinchu County that surrounds it. With a history of almost 400 years, it is the oldest city in northern Taiwan. It was originally home to the Taokas, an aboriginal people who called the place "Chuchien"; the present name was adopted in the late 19th century under the Qing Emperor Guangxu, the period when the city walls were built — of which only the East Gate survives.

Modern Hsinchu has two defining identities. The first is craft: during the Japanese colonial era glass-making was introduced here, and Hsinchu went on to become Taiwan's centre of excellence for decorative glass. The second is technology: the Hsinchu Science Park, founded in 1980, made the city the birthplace of Taiwan's semiconductor industry, home to TSMC, UMC and many others. That wealth — Hsinchu's residents have among the highest average incomes in Taiwan — has given a relatively small city (around 350,000 people) some unexpectedly good hotels and shopping.

Hsinchu is a pleasant, walkable city rather than a major tourist draw, and many overseas visitors come for conferences and business. But its temples, museums, gateway and glass heritage reward a visit, and with excellent transport links it is the natural base for exploring the mountains and Hakka towns of Hsinchu County. The constant strong winds off the Taiwan Strait have earned it the nickname the "Windy City".

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons. Summer (roughly June–September) is hot and humid and overlaps the typhoon season, with the heaviest rain falling in the warmer months. Winter is mild by the calendar but feels cold because of the relentless wind — the city is at its windiest and chilliest around the Lunar New Year. That very wind, however, keeps Hsinchu relatively free of pollution. Flower festivals on Eighteen Peaks Mountain are a seasonal highlight.

Hsinchu is large enough for a local bus service connecting the suburbs with the downtown area, but not so large that taxis cruise the streets — pick one up at the railway station or a department store taxi rank, or call ahead. The conventional Hsinchu railway station sits right in the city centre on the main Taipei–Kaohsiung line. The Taiwan High Speed Rail stop is in neighbouring Zhubei, about 30 minutes by taxi from the centre; a free shuttle runs roughly every 20 minutes between the HSR station and the city, and the local Liujia Line connects the area by rail. The compact historic core around the East Gate is easily walked, while a rental car or scooter is useful for reaching the wider county.

• Hsinchu City — the historic, walkable city centre itself, anchored by the East Gate and old temples.
• Hsinchu City God Temple — the city's most atmospheric temple and the focus of its best-loved street-food cluster.
• Eighteen Peaks Mountain — a forested hill ringing the city's edge, laced with easy walking trails.
• Hsinchu Fishing Harbor — the working coastal harbour, known for fresh seafood and sunset views.

Hsinchu's food culture is famous out of all proportion to the city's size. Its signature products are rice noodles (米粉) and pork meatballs (貢丸, gongwan) — the dry winds are traditionally credited with being ideal for drying rice noodles. The city is also celebrated for its night-market and temple-front snacks, with the cluster of stalls around the City God Temple regarded as some of the best street eating in Taiwan. As the city sits in Hakka country, Hakka dishes — bold, salty and preserved — are easy to find, and the nearby fishing harbour supplies very fresh seafood.

Hsinchu's cultural identity is built on its glass-making heritage and its long history as northern Taiwan's oldest city. The Hsinchu City International Glass Art Festival, centred on the Glass Museum behind the railway station, showcases decorative glass craft. Lunar New Year is a major celebration, especially vivid given how cold and windy the city becomes; temple festivals at the City God Temple punctuate the year. Flower festivals on Eighteen Peaks Mountain bring seasonal colour, and during them the Japanese-era underground shelters there are sometimes opened to visitors. The city's museums — covering glass, film, firefighting and military-dependents' village history — preserve its layered past.

• Exploring decorative glass craft at the Glass Museum and during the city's glass art festival.
• Grazing the legendary street-food stalls around the Hsinchu City God Temple, sampling rice noodles and pork meatballs.
• Photographing the granite East Gate (Yingxi Gate), the city's surviving Qing-era landmark, especially when lit at night.
• Walking the forested trails and Japanese-era shelters of Eighteen Peaks Mountain.
• Strolling the linear parks along Wenhua and Xinyi roads, which incorporate the city's historic moat and are especially atmospheric at night.