Zhunan

Zhunan (竹南 Zhúnán; also spelled Jhunan or Chunan) is an urban township in Miaoli County, Taiwan; its city centre forms a continuous urban area with Toufen.

Understand
Literally, Zhúnán (竹南) means "bamboo south" but in this context, zhú is short for "Hsinchu". Thus, Zhunan lies south of Hsinchu (cf. Zhubei which lies north [běi] of Hsinchu). Zhunan was traditionally a beach and fishing community, and is closely associated with the sea goddess Matsu. Zhunan's main tourist attraction is its largest Matsu Temple.

By rail
Zhunan is served by the mountain and coastal lines of the Taiwan Railway Administration.

By road
It can be reached by bus and is served by National Highway No. 3 (Taiwan) and Provincial Highway No. 61.

Get around
The best way to get around Zhunan is with your own transportation or taxi.

Temples
The principal tourist attractions are the two temples with large statues on their top:

Do
Jhunan's large beach is suitable for surfing and kite-surfing. You can rent equipment from the centre near the Child and Parent Forest.

Buy
There is an RT-Mart off Ziqiang Road a short drive away in Toufen (see "Go next").

Eat







 * 阿呆鳥刀切牛肉麵. You can recognize this restaurant by the small sign with a picture of a bird. Various kinds of noodles and noodle soups are served. The curry noodles and black bean noodles are both popular. English menu available.
 * 一品 serves almost exclusively duck based dishes. It's at 115 ZhōngZhèng Road.
 * There's a good and inexpensive vegetarian restaurant on the NW corner of Longtian & Santai Rd, near Huanshi Rd. The 2nd rice item, some kind of pepper-flavored purple rice friend with veggies, eggs and walnuts is superb.
 * A few buildings west of 阿呆鳥刀切牛肉麵 on Bo-Ai St is a Cafeteria Buffet (look for the yellow sign w/red text), open for lunch and dinner. Unlike most of the other cafeterias in town, this one is modern and clean with a wide selection of dishes if you come at the right time.  Expect to pay NT$90-110.

Bars
Zhunan isn't known for its nightlife, but there are a few bars.


 * Till Village is a 24-hour Western style bar, a minute's walk from the west exit of the train station on Bo Ai Street (博愛街), the main road leading to the station. It has Western and Asian food.


 * Oh! 麥 has food and a few different kinds of flavored beer, including banana. It's located at the corner of Bo Ai Street (博愛街) and Huanshi Road (環市路). Walk 15 or 20 minutes straight from the west exit of the train station.



Sleep
There are a number hotels near the train station. Hotel Zhu Feng has a dorm with capsules for NT$500.

Go next
Zhunan train station is at the intersection of the mountain and coastal train lines, so it's easy to get a train to anywhere in the country. The two closest cities are Hsinchu to the north and Miaoli to the south (both about 10-15 minutes by train).

There is a small, free Ten-Ren Tea Museum in the industrial area near the intersection of Zhonghua (Hwy 1) & Kexue Roads. It's nothing spectacular but worth a visit if you're in town for an extended period of time and need something to do.

Bus Departure Schedule from Zhunan station. The first big column are the buses to Nanzhuang, 2nd column is Hsinchu, 3rd Miaoli, 4th Toufen, 5th Haikou, & not sure what the 6th bus is. Most of them leave from the train station's East Exit.

There is also a tourist shuttle from Nanzhuang train station to Lion Head Mountain. Ask at the tourist information centre in the train station for a route map and time table in English. Information is also available from the bus webpage although this is more confusing.

Toufen

Toufen is the next town east of Zhunan and is about twice the size. It has a superior selection of restaurants, particularly along Zhongyang Rd. Besides eating however, there isn't much to do here.

Central Toufen, while out of walking distance, its only 10 minutes by bike and 5 by scooter from Zhunan. Buses from the train station's east portal make this run regularly.

There is a night market in a big parking lot in Toufen. It is on Jianguo Rd. It is open on Tuesday and Sunday nights.

Shitoushan (Lion's Head Mountain) & Nanzhuang

Shitoushan is a hill in the highlands above Toufen home to a number of temples and nature trails. Many offer great views of the valley below, and the largest of them offers overnight stays for a reasonable price.

Nanzhuang is a nearby old farming town home to traditional food, hot springs and Xiantian Lake. There is a narrow historic street running through the town center where you can buy treats, tea, etc.

There is a shuttle bus from the Zhunan train station east exit that goes to Shitoushan, Nanzhuang and Xiangtian. An all day multi-use ticket costs NT$100. Buses depart the station at the half hour from 08:30-12:30, then on the hour from 13:00-17:00. The trip to takes about an hour.

It can also be reached by scooter or bike via either Zhongzheng Rd or Shuiyan Rd. in Toufen -> Hwy 3 -> Hwy 124. Hwy 124 runs a loop around the Nanzhuang valley before reconnecting with the 3 farther south. Zhongzheng Road is faster and flatter, Shuiyan Road is challenging but more scenic, running past a large mountain reservoir.