Hualien Harbor

TEXT & PHOTOS | VISION

Places to Go in the East Coast’s Largest City.

This year, ten international cruise liners have been scheduled to make a visit to Hualien, including Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas. The city’s port is also frequented by the high-speed ferries plying the Blue Highway route that connects the harbor town of Su’ao in Yilan County with Hualien City.

Cruise line operators who have chosen Hualien as one of their stops are likely to arrange tour-bus trips from shipside to one of the world’s great natural and scenic wonders, the Taroko Gorge, which is about 25 minutes from the port. If you want to stay closer to the port on your land excursion, however, there are numerous places to choose from. Following are a few.

Pine Garden

This is a former Japanese military office building used by the colonial force during its time in Taiwan (1895~1945). During World War II, this was a site where kamikaze pilots were given heavenly wine before taking off in their planes for the last time. Following the war, the building was used as a vacation resort for American military personnel. Later, it was converted into the cultural center and historical site that we see today. On the first floor is a café; on the second floor is a reading room filled with books by noted Taiwanese poets. Old pines are spread out over the grounds, making it a favorite with photographers.

Pine Garden

(03) 835-6510 No. 65, Songyuan St., Hualien City ( 花蓮市松園街 65 號 ) www.pinegarden.com.tw

Four-Eight Highland and Chilaibi Lighthouse

Located between Hualien Port and Qixingtan, this highland has become a popular spot for Instagrammers in recent times. Looking north, you will be presented with an amazing view of the crescent-shaped Qixingtan beach and the towering coastal mountains beyond. Qilaibi Lighthouse is off-limits to the public, but is in full view from points to the south, enabling you to take photos of it with the coastline further to the north serving as backdrop.

Four-Eight Highland

Qixingtan

Qixingtan is a picturesque stretch of coastline that includes a small fishing village and a pebble beach. The bay is a visitor-busy scenic area known for its gorgeous aquamarine waters and also as an ideal spot for riding a bicycle and stargazing. Swimming is prohibited because the waves and currents here are particularly treacherous, but the beach is certainly not off-limits. Vendors sell traditional Taiwanese snacks in the park area behind the beach, and there is a coffee shop and seafood restaurant in the same building as the visitor center located on the south side.

A-Zone (Hualien Cultural Creative Industries Park)

This site was originally a wine-production complex. There are 26 warehouses, which have been repurposed to create space for exhibitions and cultural-creative markets. Today, the warehouses, offices, and facilities where distilled spirits and rice wine was once manufactured have been converted into art galleries, cafés, restaurants, and shops. The former packing house, dating back to 1929, is now a venue for live music performances. The old lab where recipes for rice wines were once perfected is now the iP Gallery.

(03) 831-3777 No. 144, Zhonghua Rd., Hualien City ( 花蓮市中華路 144 號 ) www.a-zone.com.tw

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

bianshi 扁食

Four-Eight Highland 四八高地

Dongdamen Night Market 東大門夜市

Gongzheng Buns 公正包子

Grenade Scallion Pancake 炸彈蔥油餅

Hualien Cultural Creative Industries Park 花蓮文化產業業創意園區

Hualiendaily 花蓮日日

Hualien Tourist Fishing Harbor 花蓮觀光漁港

Miaokou Black Tea 廟口紅茶

Pine Garden 松園別館

Qilaibi Lighthouse 奇萊鼻燈塔

Qixingtan 七星潭

xiao long bao 小籠包

Yixiang Bianshi 液香扁食

What to Eat and Drink in Hualien City

The Yixiang Bianshi restaurant (No. 42, Xinyi St.) sells one item only: bianshi (a type of dumpling). The meat used for the filling is tasty pork hind leg. The skin of the dumplings is thin and has a smooth texture. Gongzheng Buns (No. 199- 2, Zhongshan Rd.) is famed for xiao long bao, or soup dumplings. The dumplings have a relatively thick, chewy skin, and a juicy filling. Grenade Scallion Pancake (No. 102, Fuxing St.) is a popular roadside snack-food operation selling deep-fried scallion pancakes in different flavors. Miaokou Black Tea (No. 218, Chenggong St.) is a breakfast joint that has been open for decades. Its most interesting feature is the steel pipes that lead to a second-floor storeroom. Open a tap and ice-cold black tea, sour plum soup, and other drinks flow out.

Grenade Scallion Pancake

Gongzheng Buns

Hualiendaily

This is one of those places you might walk right past without noticing. On the first floor is a shop with cultural-creative knick-knacks and stylish daily-use items that make great gifts and souvenirs. On the second floor is a homestay operation providing eight cozy rooms, plus a communal space with a strong nostalgic air. In the basement you will find a space for art exhibitions and other creative events and activities.

(03) 831-1770 No. 37, Jieyue St., Hualien City ( 花蓮市節約街 37 號 )

Hualiendaily

Dongdamen Night Market

This is Hualien City’s largest night market. Its floor was laid using local black and white granite, giving it a distinct local flavor. There are over 400 stalls, providing everything from food to games. Street artists can be seen as well in this bustling market. Some of the snacks are so popular that you have to wait in line, including roast chicken, ice made with local seasonal fruit, rolls with sausage and salty pork filling, as well as freshly roasted clams flavored with Taiwan mountain litsea.

No. 50, Zhongshan Rd., Hualien City ( 花蓮市中山路 50 號 )

Dongdamen Night Market