A Day in Hsinchu and Guanxi: Discover the Beauty of Hakka Villages | Find Healing in Food and Tea

The unique alleyway design of Hakka villages often makes it easy to get lost. Walking from one street to the next, it's not far, yet you can never find the exit. This intricate layout actually brings a sense of exploration, especially as every corner hides traces of the past, inviting you to return again and again to savor them.

｜Strolling Through Hakka Villages｜
Finding joy in Hakka villages. Take a local tour through public markets and old neighborhoods, chatting with Hakka shopkeepers and elders, speaking, or listening to Hakka conversation. It's like entering a different cultural space. From the Qing Dynasty and Japanese colonial era to the historical architecture of post-Restoration, from the endless outlook of young people returning home and immigrants, Guanxi's "slow" or "wandering" pace has become a lifestyle sought after by modern people. Happiness can be simple; find it in Guanxi at the slow pace of a "stroll."

| Chatting and Finding Life in Hakka Villages |

Appreciate the cultural history of the Hakka people's pioneering work in Guanxi through their industries, including tea, limestone, grass jelly, and rice. Gratitude for the gifts of the land is expressed through their daily meals. Life is simply about food, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. Chatting by the stream, herding cattle, the clanging of stones at the end of the street, and the aroma of tea wafting from the tea factory—these are all Hakka people's aspirations for life. Explore the alleys and find life in Guanxi through "traveling."

| Eating and Finding Memories in Hakka Villages |

The unique cuisine of Hakka villages reflects the Hakka people's ingenuity, evolving from principles adapted to the weather and local environment. Each dish imbues the Hakka mother's tenderness and is imbued with prayers to heaven, such as the steamed buns, vegetable buns, and red buns. Dining in an old house feels like returning to the warmth of your grandparents' homes in the countryside. Rediscovering childhood memories through "eating" is the most beautiful memory of Guanxi.

Finding Healing in Hakka Tea

In front of an old house, make a small cloth bag dyed with local botanicals, capturing the joy of a whole day. Savor Guanxi's native wild tea, its pure, unrestrained fragrance permeating your heart. Listen to the host's elegant Hakka chants, and you'll be healed by a long-awaited sense of peace and tranquility.

- Attraction Introduction -

▲ Guanxi Stroll - Exploring History and Natural Beauty
Guanxi boasts not only a rich history and culture but also breathtaking natural scenery. This Guanxi stroll will begin with visits to Taihe Palace, the vegetable market, Literary Alley, Shidianzi Old Street, Niulan River Water Park, and Dong'an Ancient Bridge, offering a deeper understanding of Hakka life and customs. Our first stop on this Guanxi adventure is Taihe Palace, a key site for experiencing Hakka beliefs. We'll then visit the vegetable market on Guanxi Old Street, a vital part of local life and a perfect place to experience local customs. The market is packed with vendors, offering a dazzling array of Hakka delicacies and agricultural products.

▲ Guanxi Yuzhangtang Luowu Academy - The Pride of Hakka Education
Every detail of the academy's architecture is imbued with exquisite detail, reflecting the family's hopes for future generations. Early locals referred to it as "New House Beneath the Big Tree in Hebei," and the name "Luowu Academy" stems from its former role as a private school for the Luo family of Guanxi, Hsinchu. Today, Mr. Luo Shilong, the principal of Luowu Academy, is dedicated to preserving and inheriting Hakka culture. He continues to impart Hakka history and wisdom at the academy, nestled beside the rice paddies of Upper South, allowing more people to understand this precious cultural heritage.

▲ Dazizai Indigo Dyeing Workshop - A Modern Interpretation of Traditional Crafts
The owner of Dazizai Indigo Dyeing Workshop chose to settle in Guanxi Old Street many years ago. She renovated the old house, preserving its original state, and incorporated creative indigo and plant-based dyeing designs into the space, creating a harmonious contrast without competing with the old house. This time, we specially arranged to experience Hakka brush-dying small cloth bags at Luowu Academy. Using locally extracted dye, we brushed the dye stroke by stroke, creating unique small bags. The process felt like becoming a scholar at the academy, experiencing the exquisiteness of Hakka aesthetics.

▲ Lai's Family Pottery Teahouse - A fusion of nature, tea, and Hakka
Located near the Dong'an Ancient Bridge, Lai's Family Teahouse specializes in wild mountain tea, wild horse tea (mountain tea with horsetail), Oriental Beauty tea, and Baihao Oolong tea. They promote the return of tea trees to their natural growth state, avoiding pesticides and excessive growth intervention. As a result, tea production is scarce and often hard to come by. A visitor to this teahouse must also include a visit to the resting area, decorated with the art of pottery by Master Lai Chuanzhuang, which is like an art gallery. If you haven't spoken a few words of Hakka in a Hakka village, you've almost never been there. Teacher Lai, whose mission is to promote the Hakka language, skillfully shares the pronunciation and cultural connotations of Hakka, from the simplest to the most profound, through lively conversation, with a line of ci, a poem, or a tune. Through tea, he guides you and me to immerse ourselves in the elegance of Hakka.