Yilan
Top 6 Must-Visit Yilan Attractions｜Bucket List Guide
1Luodong Night Market
As the most popular and largest night markets in Yilan, Luodong Night Market boasts yummilicious variety of authentic Taiwanese street food, making it difficult to try everything at one time. But some of must tries are pancakes loaded with local fresh scallions, pearls with red bean filling, stinky fries (stinky tofu disguised Fresh fries) and deep-fried paste made of chicken, pork and shrimps. Other recommended delicacies include steamed spring rolls, ice-cream and peanut wraps and mutton soup. Seating is available at some eateries, so you don’t have to walk with your mouth full. Besides food that fills your tummy and heart with content, a bit of shopping and entertainment will also put a smile onto your face. This is a night market to please your stomach and mind.
For those who are into arcade games, Luodong Night Market is a perfect place to relive your childhood memories until you’re tired of it without even hurting your wallet. However, please pay attention to your personal safety as gangsters sometimes gather in the nearby park.
2Lanyang Museum
Many foreign tourists who go to Wushi Harbor (烏石港) to surf will be momentarily shocked by the huge concrete building that looks as though it has collapsed into a lake as a result of an earthquake. But this is actually Lanyang Museum, which had been planned for many decades before finally being built. It is designed by architect Kris Yao, whose other representative works are the China Steel Corporation Headquarters, the Southern Branch of National Palace Museum and several unique high-speed rail stations. In the entrance to Lanyang Museum, the main building looks like a cuesta emerging from the surface of the lake. Cuesta is the outcome of colliding crustal plates and this sort of special landscape is common in north-east Taiwan.
Entering the hall inside, guests are amazed by the glass curtain and dolphins flying in the sky. Natural light has replaced the fluorescent lamps generally used in such buildings. A tilted array of tiles resemble the texture of terrain cuesta, looking just like crustal plates formed over hundreds of thousands years. Taking the elevator to the top, visitors are greeted by wax figures of aboriginal people dressed in traditional costumes. In the pavilion area, visitors are met with common trees and ecology of the Yilan area.
Lanyang Plain has nurtured a wide range of rice paddies and farmers who live there. Being close to the Pacific Ocean means there are many fishermen who need to jump on boats to catch fish in the middle of the ocean. People in Yilan depend on both the land and ocean, so they worship the sky and pray for a better harvest. Many folk activities in Yilan are unique and especially valued, such as “Qiang-Gu” (搶孤). Rural life and modern changes are depicted in forms of words or models at Lanyang Museum. This museum is more an interesting record of local life than it is a monotonous display of “stuff”. It doesn’t matter whether you are coming here just to hide from the rain or intending to see the building and exhibition, this is the attraction site that you definitely have to visit while you are in Yilan.- 3
Taipingshan
Taipingshan sits in mountain area with average altitude of 2,000 meters in Yilan and is away from city in around 2 hours driving distance. Here you could find the largest alpine lake in Taiwan: Cuifeng Lake (翠峰湖). Throughout the whole year, countless visitors are attracted to here for different landscapes: in summer and autumn, the view is contrasting with varying water level; during winter, sometimes thin-coating snow would cover the lake, which is quite rare scene in Taiwan. If you are going to spend a night in recreation area and willing to get up early, you should take chance to see the brief moment Cuifeng Lake veiled by mist. When the sun rise and shed its light on Taipingshan, the heaven does so. If you are lucky enough, you might watch sea of cloud as well. Although the lake is only about 4 kilometers in circumference, it still takes about two hours to detour around, as rough mountain road and muddy walkway would cause hindrance to inexperienced tourists. However, it is still worthwhile to give it a go, as you would be surrounded by forest and able to overlook the lake on your way. Moreover, many trails are available for hiking in the area, ranging from an hour to a half day in length. Some of them are ideal for bird watching or admiring the scene of dawn. In fine nights, the place also suits for star-gazing. The forest consists of many trees, though some are withered, but their pale boles and leafless branches do enrich the atmosphere.
Taking the Provincial Highway No.7 (台7線) to enter the mountain area from Yilan, any convenient store or B&B but one natural outdoor hot spring could be found by the way. The only legal registered accommodation here is Taipingshan Villa (太平山莊) in the recreation area. Due to its room availability, early booking is necessary in holidays and peak seasons. For tourists used to wide variety of shops and restaurants, it is recommended to buy some snacks, instant noodles, breads, etc. as a fail-safe if the meal provided here does not suits their preference.
7National Center of Traditional Arts
National Center of Traditional Arts is the largest exhibition and performance site for traditional arts with rich collection of cultural antiques in Taiwan. The life of the past of Taiwan has been recreated here along with historic streets, traditional stages and houses with a brick kiln in the center. Visiting National Center of Traditional Arts can be like traveling on a time machine. Visitors will have a basic understanding of various types of traditional arts such as dough figurines, handmade soaps, glassmaking and glove puppetry, even if they don't have the slightest idea about any of these before.
Located in the Wujie Township of Yilan, National Center of Traditional Arts is a definite crowd magnet, where the traditional folk culture has been well preserved and represented with performing arts (puppetry, ballads, acrobatics and repertoires of traditional narrative) as well as handicrafts (weaving, fragmented ceramic art and metalworking). Guided tours are available for groups and can be reserved in advance. The outdoor opera performances (the so-called yetaixi) are held every day, and the whole crew will travel from the commercial street all the way to the main stage. It is a spectacle of traditional Taiwanese theatre that serves as a great cultural experience for international visitors. For some natural fun, you may either hop on the cruise or rent a bike to have a scenic tour around the adjacent Dongshan River. Accommodation is also available within the art center — a quaint hotel whose architecture and its surroundings are reminiscent of a traditional village homestay.
9Five-Peak Flag Waterfall
Made up of three waterfalls found close to the township of Jiaoxi, Five-Peak Flag Waterfall has long been a popular destination for those who want to escape the heat and humidity in the sweltering summer. The trail that leads to the waterfall will only take you one to two hours to finish and is ideal for all.
The very well-established trail is made of stone steps, so there is no need to worry that your shoes might get messy and muddy during the hike. However, when rain approaches, watch your footing as it can be quite slippery. In merely thirty minutes’ time, you will be reaching the first two waterfalls of the three, while the third one is still twenty minutes away. Your hard work climbing those steps will pay off when you finally hit the end of the trail — the stunning waterfall with an elevation difference of 42 meters between the highest and lowest points will take your breath away. It might seem challenging, but the route is well equipped with pavilions and benches for hikers to rest their weary feet whenever they feel like having a break on the way. It is highly recommended to complete the hike as it is truly rewarding.
