Route
MRT Jingmei Station → Jingmei Jiying Temple → Hengmao Pharmacy → Ruitai Sesame Oil → Jingmei Bridge → Yixing Pavilion (lunch) → Wenshan Public Assembly Hall → Wenshan Park → Liu Xiechang Noodle Factory → Muzha Jiying Temple → Jin Yixiang Pastry Shop → San Lao Cun (dinner) → Jingmei Riverside Walk
Though hard to believe today, the Jingmei River (景美溪), which runs through the Wenshan District, was once deep enough for boats to navigate, and contributed to the area's prosperity through trade. Boats no longer ply these waters, but some of the associated historical sites exist still, and make for an intriguing, educational tour.
In Search of Jingmei's Century-old Elegance
Jingmei (景美), located in the south of Taipei city, was originally called Jianwei (梘尾) or"water facility tail,"then Jingwei (景尾) or"scenic tail."The more elegant Jingmei or"scenic beauty"was adopted. It is indeed a place of scenic beauty. In its early days local travel was primarily by boat on the Jingmei River, and there was just one short street, Jingmei Street (景美街). As boat transport flourished, more people moved in, and today's thriving tourist and commercial district (including Jingmei Night Market ; 景美夜市) has its roots in this era. There are also many buildings from the 1960s and 1970s tucked away amidst the shining newer high-rises. A section of yesteryear's Liugong Canal (瑠公圳) ran on the site of today's Jingwen Street (景文街), and though the waterway was filled over to make way for road traffic, there are still century-old buildings on either side, giving a glimpse into Jingmei's cultural history. Ride the Taipei Metro to MRT Jingmei Station, and turn right when you emerge from Exit No. 2. Immediately outside is the Jingmei Street tourist/commercial district. As you enter the narrow old street you'll see it is lined on both sides with myriad snack sellers, apparel shops, and vegetable stalls. Keep left at a fork to reach Jingmei Jiying Temple (景美集應廟). This is the only temple with Historical Relic of the Third Rank status in Wenshan District. It is built in the mid-sized temple style of the Qing Dynasty. The major exterior feature is the striking oversized bright-red fencing; inside are many wall decorations and exquisite stone carvings, and the air is thick with a sense of history and nostalgia.
Continue along Jingmei Street and you'll find the Hengmao Pharmacy (恆茂藥行), hidden among the many small eateries. This seller of Chinese medicines was established by the maternal grandfather of the current owner, Zhang Shuiliu (張水柳) over a century ago. Beyond a proven ability to heal folks' ailments, the shop has flourished for a hundred years because of its well-known high standards in terms of drug usage and selection, winning the admiration of local residents. Pass the pharmacy, turn right, and you'll soon be on Jingwen Street. Here you'll find Ruitai Sesame Oil (瑞泰麻油), founded at the end of the Qing Dynasty, where you can buy a bottle of traditional sesame oil that will make a great gift or souvenir. The venerable shop still follows the authentic old way to make its product, which involves frying, grinding, steaming, compressing to extract the oil, and finally settling.
Continue along Jingwen Street and you'll soon come to Jingmei Bridge (景美橋), which spans the Jingmei River and connects Jingmei with Xindian (新店). Reconstruction makes the bridge look novel, but it's in fact over a hundred years old, although rebuilt four times. A green riverside park lies underneath, popular with bicyclists and walkers. In earlier times, when the river was higher, residents would swim and fish here, and even today there is a sense of past and present intersecting here.
At noon, head back across Jingmei Bridge to Yixing Pavilion (義興樓), a shop in business for more than 80 years. For lunch order from among the many popular Taiwanese house specialties, including snack items such as fried noodles, rice noodles, and the banquet-style red crab steamed rice cakes and crispy fried duck.
Searching for the Past in Muzha
After lunch, head on to Muzha (木柵). Walking would take about an hour, so a good idea is to turn left onto Jingxing Road (景興路) from Jingwen Street and take a bus from there. Much of Muzha is mountain and valley, with the only gentle terrain lying along the banks of the Jingmei River. Although now a thing of the past, in days gone by there was bustling river traffic here as well. The remaining vestiges of former times, however, will make your exploration a worthy one.
Get off at the Wenshan District Office stop (文山行政中心站), and both the Wenshan Public Assembly Hall (文山公民會館) and Wenshan Park (文山公園) are close by. The public assembly hall has two structures, old and new. The old building has an elegant Japanese atmosphere, the wooden entrance door and black roof tiles nicely complementing the lovely old trees. This is a fitting introduction to Wenshan District's history, and there are free exhibits (held on a regular basis) of period photos taken in Wenshan.
Right across from the assembly hall is Wenshan Park, a place of abundant greenery. In the middle is a"livestock soul monument"(畜魂碑), erected during the Japanese colonial period, one of only three left in Taipei City. During this period of time, people were not allowed to slaughter pigs on their own; there was a slaughterhouse here, and the monument was erected to commemorate the animals and express gratitude.
Muzha's three most iconic products are Iron Goddess (Tieguanyin) tea (鐵觀音茶), green bamboo shoots, and mianxian (麵線) or thin noodles. The season for green bamboo shoots stretches from May through October. If you'd like to savor the freshest green bamboo and Muzha's Iron Goddess tea, take a bus from Baoyi Road (保儀路) into the hills of the Maokong (貓空) area. As for thin noodles, once upon a time Muzha was home to over 20 noodle factories, all located along a belt close to the Jingmei River. The Liu Xiechang Noodle Factory (劉協昌製麵廠), off Lane 85, Section 3, Muzha Road (木柵路3段85巷), has been in business for over 60 years. Its product is still handmade, and still dried in the sun, creating noodles that are springy in texture and rich in taste.
Walk to No.120, Section 3, Muzha Road (木柵路3段120號) and turn right, then walk about 5 minutes along Baoyi Road, which will bring you to Muzha Jiying Temple (木柵集應廟). This place of worship was also built in the Qing Dynasty style. As with many Taiwan temples, there are normally several incense and cake shops in the vicinity. Walk back to Section 3 of Muzha Road, turn right, and walk to No. 139, Jin Yixiang Pastry Shop (金益香餅店), opened in 1921. It specializes in such wheat-flour products used in temple worship as longevity peaches (壽桃), curry cakes, and green bean cakes. All are made by hand in traditional fashion, and have delectable, traditional flavors.
For dinner, head to San Lao Cun (三老村) on Section 3, Muzha Road, which has been in business for 37 years. This eatery specializes in delicious northern-Chinese wheat-based foods. The freshly-made dumplings and noodles are inexpensive and come in large servings. Other house specialties are the luwei (滷味), treats stewed in soy sauce, and the"burned"(Smoked, steamed, then deep-fried) chicken (燒雞). When you visit you'll no doubt see old-time regulars tackling their luwei platters, satisfying their appetites.
To round off the day, head to the Jingmei River for a riverside walk. During the day's nostalgia tour, whether exploring places of bustle or locales where the days of bustle have passed, all have their roots in the river. The best way to finish a Wenshan day-trip is to stand on the riverbank and imagine the clamor and excitement of this waterway's past.
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