- What it is Beipu (北埔) and Emei (峨眉), two Hakka townships in the hills south of Zhudong, and Lion's Head Mountain (獅頭山) on the border with Miaoli County.
- By bus 5700 Taiwan Tourist Shuttle, Lion's Head Mountain line (台灣好行獅山線), from TRA Zhubei Station and Hsinchu HSR Station (exit 4, platform 6). About 40 minutes from the HSR station to Beipu Old Street.
- By car About 18 km from Hsinchu HSR Station to Beipu, around 30 minutes outside rush hour; Emei Lake is a few minutes further (our estimates).
- Time needed A full day for all three, or half a day for Beipu alone.
If you want to understand the Hakka hill country, come to Beipu. The town was founded in the 1830s as a frontier settlement, with a fortified headquarters to push farming into the hills, and that history is still on the street: a temple at the centre, the old house of the founders, lanes of brick houses, and shops selling lei cha, persimmons and Oriental Beauty tea. Emei Lake, a few minutes away, is for an easy walk after lunch. Lion's Head Mountain is for a longer walk between hillside temples. Do Beipu in the morning, the lake or the mountain in the afternoon.
Beipu Old Street
Beipu Old Street (北埔老街) is a small grid of streets around the temple square. Start at the temple, then walk the lanes beside it. Among the old buildings, the county points to Jinguang Fu, the Tianshui Hall (天水堂) and the Jiang Ah-hsin mansion (姜阿新洋樓). Shops keep roughly 09:30 to 17:30 on weekdays and to 18:00 at weekends, as the county lists them.
Citian Temple (北埔慈天宮)
The temple at the heart of Beipu, dedicated to Guanyin, with Mazu, Shennong and other gods beside her. Its present layout dates from a rebuilding in 1874 by the Jiang family, Beipu's founding family, and the side hall honours the people who opened up the area. Open daily 06:00 to 19:00, No. 1, Beipu Street.
Jinguang Fu (金廣福公館)
The headquarters of the 1835 venture that settled Beipu by armed frontier farming, officially sanctioned but privately run, the earliest such success in Taiwan as the county tells it. It is now a national monument. It's one of the very few buildings of its kind left in Taiwan. Plum trees outside flower in the cold weeks of winter.
- Hours Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00, closed Mondays. The county lists visits as by reservation, so call ahead (Beipu Township Office, 03-5802204) before you count on going inside.
- Address No. 6, Zhongzheng Road, Beipu, on the old street.
Lei cha and what to buy
Lei cha (擂茶) is the Hakka "pounded tea": you grind sesame, nuts, grains and tea leaves in a ridged bowl with a wooden pestle, then pour hot water over the paste. Teahouses on and around the old street serve it; ask whether you can grind your own, which children enjoy. Then buy dried persimmons, Oriental Beauty tea (東方美人茶, also called 膨風茶), and the local cold-spring rice. For produce and home-made foods, the Beipu Farmers' Market (北埔鄉農民直銷站), three minutes from the old street at No. 56, Zhongzheng Road, is open daily 08:00 to 18:30. → Hakka food and the other things to eat
Emei Lake (峨眉湖)
Emei Lake lies just west of Beipu, and its lakeside trail (峨眉湖環湖步道) is a flat loop of about 3.5 km: easy with children or grandparents, open all year. Across the water you'll see the giant Maitreya Buddha of the Tian En Maitreya Temple (天恩彌勒佛院), the lake's landmark.
To see it from the water, the solar-powered boat Emei No. 1 leaves from the Emei Lake boat pier (峨眉湖遊艇碼頭) for a 30-minute trip with a guide. It sails 09:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00 daily; individuals buy tickets at the pier, groups book ahead. The county doesn't publish the fare.
The lake is also the start of a cycle route of about 32.5 km toward Lion's Head Mountain and Toufen in Miaoli (7.5 km of it in Hsinchu County), starting from the lake car park.
Lion's Head Mountain (獅頭山)
Lion's Head Mountain, named for its shape, straddles Hsinchu and Miaoli counties and has long been a Buddhist pilgrimage hill. The old trail (獅山古道) links a string of temples on the slopes, among them Quanhua Hall (勸化堂), Haihui Nunnery (海會庵) and Lingdong Temple (靈洞宮), and the views open out between the trees.
- Hsinchu side The Lion's Mountain Visitor Center (獅山遊客中心), at the end of the 5700 shuttle line, 15 minutes beyond Beipu. Phone 03-5809296.
- Miaoli side The Nanzhuang tourist shuttle from TRA Zhunan Station stops at the trailhead (獅頭山古道口) and at Quanhua Hall (龍門口站), so you can walk across and leave from the other side.
- Seasons Tung blossom (the "May snow") in April and May; fireflies on spring evenings from April to June, as the county lists them.
Check the trail first: mountain trails here close after heavy rain and typhoons. We couldn't find a current trail status notice from the Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area (參山國家風景區) when we checked in November 2026, so call the visitor centre or check the scenic area's site before you set out. → Short hikes near Hsinchu
Getting there
Taiwan Tourist Shuttle, Lion's Head Mountain line (5700)
The 5700 runs from TRA Zhubei Station via the county government, the Sheraton Hsinchu, the HSR station, Zhudong Station, Green World Ecological Farm and the Oriental Beauty tea museum, to Beipu Old Street, Emei and the Lion's Mountain Visitor Center.
- Outbound: in the timetable for November 2026, buses leave the HSR station at 08:25, 09:23, 10:23, 12:23, 13:23, 14:23 and 15:23, reaching Beipu Old Street about 40 minutes later and the visitor centre about 55 minutes later.
- Return: buses leave the visitor centre at 09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30 and 17:00, and Beipu Old Street 15 minutes later. The last one reaches the HSR station at 17:56.
- Fares: by distance, or a NT$100 one-day pass for unlimited rides on the line. Pay on board in cash or with an EasyCard or iPASS.
The timetable is an estimate that depends on traffic, and it changes, so check the line's page on taiwantrip.com.tw before you go.
Good to know: the last bus back is early. If you're walking Lion's Head Mountain, start in the morning so you aren't racing for the 17:00 bus.
By car
From Zhubei or the HSR station, drive to Zhudong and take the road south to Beipu; allow about 30 minutes outside rush hour. Emei Lake and the Lion's Head visitor centre are along the same route. Weekend afternoons are busy coming back through Zhudong.
A simple plan
- The 09:23 shuttle from the HSR station to Beipu Old Street.
- Citian Temple, Jinguang Fu (if you've booked), the lanes.
- Lunch and lei cha on the old street.
- An afternoon bus or a short drive to Emei Lake for the loop walk, or on to Lion's Head Mountain.
- The 15:30 or 17:00 bus back.
→ More day trips · Neiwan by train · Outdoors near Hsinchu
Sources: Hsinchu County tourism: Beipu Old Street, Jinguang Fu, Citian Temple, Beipu Farmers' Market, Emei Lake trail, Emei Lake boat pier, Lion's Head and Emei Lake cycle route, Lion's Head Mountain; Taiwan Tourist Shuttle, Lion's Head Mountain line: route, fares and timetable; Taiwan Tourist Shuttle, Nanzhuang line stops; Tourism Administration attractions open data (Tian En Maitreya Temple). Drive times are our estimates. Checked November 2026.