- What it is Xinpu (新埔) and Guanxi (關西), two Hakka towns in the hills north and east of Zhubei, in Hsinchu County.
- By car From Hsinchu HSR Station: the Yimin Temple about 6 km (10 to 15 minutes), Xinpu Old Street about 8 km (15 to 20 minutes), Guanxi Old Street about 20 km (25 to 30 minutes). Our estimates, outside rush hour.
- Without a car Hard. A taxi from the HSR station is the easy answer for Xinpu. For Leofoo Village, there's a weekend bus from the HSR station (below).
- Best time September to January, when the persimmon farms are working.
This is the day trip we'd plan around the calendar. From about September to January, the persimmon farms of Xinpu fill their yards and hillsides with trays of fruit drying in the sun and the dry northeast wind, the 九降風 that blows down the coast every autumn. The farms let you watch, buy and try your hand. Add the Yimin Temple, then Guanxi for its old street and a bowl of grass jelly. With children, swap Guanxi's old street for a day at Leofoo Village.
From Zhubei these are close: by road, Xinpu Old Street is nearer to the HSR station than Hsinchu City's old town is. The farms and family halls begin a few kilometres from the new apartment blocks of Liujia.
Xinpu: the persimmon farms
The persimmon farms are in Hankeng (旱坑), a dry valley outside Xinpu town. The county explains why it's here: the dry ground and the strong, dry autumn wind are ideal for making persimmon cakes (柿餅), which are still sun-dried, wind-dried and finished over wood charcoal. Two farms open to visitors:
- Wei Wei Jia Persimmon Farm (味衛佳柿餅觀光農場). Shows the whole process, keeps more than 200 persimmon trees unpicked for teaching, and offers persimmon dyeing and persimmon-doll making. Daily 09:00 to 17:00 in season (September to January), No. 53, Lane 283, Section 1, Hankeng Road. The farm posts its exact hours on its Facebook page.
- Jin Han Persimmon Education Park (金漢柿餅教育園區). A third-generation persimmon maker with guided explanations and hands-on persimmon and dyeing workshops, and a large workshop room for groups. Daily 09:00 to 17:00 in season (September to January), No. 501, Section 1, Hankeng Road. Check its Facebook page for the day's hours.
Good to know: go on a dry, sunny day, when the trays are out. In rain the fruit goes under cover and the view is gone. Weekends in late autumn are busy, so arrive in the morning.
Xinpu: the Yimin Temple and the old town
Baozhong Yimin Temple (新埔褒忠亭義民廟)
The centre of Hakka faith in Hsinchu, and the home of the county's biggest festival. It honours the Yimin (義民), the Hakka militia who died defending their villages in the late 18th century, and the hill behind the temple is their great communal grave, the Yimin tomb, rebuilt in its present form in 1923. The main building dates from a 1904 restoration. Inside, look for the carved stone and wood of the front hall and the many old inscribed boards, including the Qing emperor's "Baozhong" (褒忠, "praise for loyalty").
- Hours Daily 06:00 to 19:00. Free.
- Address No. 360, Section 3, Yimin Road, Xinpu.
- The Yimin Festival Held in the seventh lunar month (around August and September), with offerings, a procession and Hakka opera. Fifteen village alliances take turns to host it, each once every 15 years. In 2026 the season opened on 1 August, the main rites were on 1 September and the gods returned on 3 September.
Xinpu Old Street and the family halls
Xinpu Old Street (新埔老街) is a small, quiet town centre known for its many family ancestral halls (宗祠), several within a few minutes of each other. Start at the Xinpu Ancestral Hall Hakka Culture Guide Center (新埔宗祠客家文化導覽館), open daily 09:00 to 16:00 except Tuesdays, for the background and a map. Some halls are private family property, so look from the door unless you're invited in.
Guanxi: old street and grass jelly
Guanxi sits where the Niulan River (牛欄河) meets the Fengshan River (鳳山溪), ringed by hills, and calls itself a town of long lives. It's further out than Xinpu and quieter again.
- Guanxi Old Street (關西老街), on Zhongzheng Road, has red-brick shophouses with arched arcades, some now cafés and studios. Walk on to the Guanxi Catholic Church and the old Dong'an Bridge (東安古橋), both open all year.
- Grass jelly (仙草). Guanxi has the largest grass jelly growing area in Taiwan. The herb is planted in March and April and harvested in September and October, then boiled down into a dark drink and jelly. The Guanxi Farmers' Association grass jelly factory (關西鎮農會仙草加工廠) shows how it's made and sells it: Monday to Friday 08:00 to 17:00, weekends 09:00 to 17:00, at No. 6, Gaoqiaokeng, Beishan Village, outside the town.
Good to know: hot grass jelly (燒仙草) is the winter version, and the one to order on a cold Hsinchu day. → What to eat in Hsinchu
Leofoo Village Theme Park (六福村主題遊樂園)
Leofoo Village, in the hills of Guanxi, is a theme park and safari zoo in one: four themed areas with rides, a safari zoo you tour by bus, shows and, in summer, a water park. It's the big family day out from Zhubei.
- Hours Change by day and season: check the park's online calendar (六福樂遊曆) before you go. On the day we checked in November 2026, it was open 09:30 to 19:30, with only the Wild West area open after 17:00.
- Tickets One ticket covers the rides, shows and animal areas; extras such as VR games and animal feeding cost more. Children under 3 or 100 cm and under, with a parent, go free. Student and concession tickets need ID. Prices are on the park's ticket page and its online shop, which often has discounts. Buy only from the park or its official channels: the park warns about fake tickets sold on auction and social sites.
- By car National Freeway 3 to the Gaoyuan interchange (高原交流道, km 73), then about 2.1 km following the signs. Parking NT$200 a car.
- By bus On weekends and national holidays, the Hsinchu County Tourist Bus No. 2 (新竹縣觀光2號) runs from Hsinchu HSR Station (exit 4, bus platform 5): to the park at 08:00, 08:30, 08:45, 10:00, 10:20 and 10:30, and back at 15:30, 16:00, 16:30, 17:00, 17:30 and 18:00. NT$45, or NT$24 for those 65 and over and children 6 to 12; cash or EasyCard. On weekdays, take a taxi from exit 4.
- Address No. 60, Gongzigou, Renan Village, Guanxi. Phone 03-5475665.
- Website leofoovillage.com.tw
Little Ding-Dong Science Theme Park (小叮噹科學主題樂園), in Xinfeng on the coast north of Zhubei, is the county's other family theme park. → Hsinchu with kids
A simple plan
- Morning at a Hankeng persimmon farm (in season).
- The Yimin Temple on the way back toward town.
- Lunch in Xinpu, a walk past the family halls.
- Afternoon in Guanxi: the old street and a bowl of grass jelly.
- Back in Zhubei in about half an hour.
→ More day trips · Beipu and Emei · Hsinchu with kids · Living in Zhubei
Sources: Hsinchu County tourism: Wei Wei Jia Persimmon Farm, Jin Han Persimmon Education Park, Baozhong Yimin Temple, Guanxi Old Street, Guanxi grass jelly factory, Leofoo Village, and the listings for the ancestral hall centre and Dong'an Bridge; Leofoo Village: getting there, parking and the weekend bus, tickets and opening hours; UDN on the 2026 Yimin Festival, August 2026; Tourism Administration hotel register (Little Ding-Dong lodge, Xinfeng). Drive times are our estimates. Checked November 2026.