Guys, I’ve been looking for some information about Guishan Township, I’ll be staying in this place for 3 months.
I know that Township itself is not very attractive, but because it’s close to Taipei so I think about spending my free time in capital city.
I was thinking, is there anything interested in Gueishan Township, Taoyuan? Are there any hidden gems worth seeing in this area ?
I want to apologize for asking so many questions, but I’m really excited about my visit 
You’ll have ex-president Chen Shui-bian for a neighbour. 
Close to Taipei? It’s a hassle to get there, first bus or taxi to Taoyuan station, than train to Taipei …
Well, it ain’t THIS bad…
… if you are thinking TOWNSHIP… but essentially, nah, there is nothing there to do cept grow fat off the beef noodles.
The food is better than in Nankan.
ok, I have read on this forum that Taiwan has a good transport system, is it that good?
for example Sanxia District seems like nice place to visit
I live nearby. What part of Guishan? Near Mingchuan University or closer to Linkou and the Chang Gung Hospital?
It’s very good if you live in Taipei – which Guishan isn’t part of. And it’s very good if you want to go between places served by the railway or the high-speed rail – again, Guishan’s not on the list. The bus system is very good in some places; but the learning curve is a lot steeper for those who don’t know much if any Mandarin. You’ll need to learn about some of the buses there.
There’s a free shuttle on at least some days between Yingge (served by the railway, and worth visiting on its own) and Sanxia. (You want to go to the old street, right?) But I’ve heard they may be canceling that.
I will be staying somewhere near Fengshu Rd. it seems to be blose to Ming chuan university, what do You think about it ?
It’s very good if you live in Taipei – which Guishan isn’t part of. And it’s very good if you want to go between places served by the railway or the high-speed rail – again, Guishan’s not on the list. The bus system is very good in some places; but the learning curve is a lot steeper for those who don’t know much if any Mandarin. You’ll need to learn about some of the buses there.
There’s a free shuttle on at least some days between Yingge (served by the railway, and worth visiting on its own) and Sanxia. (You want to go to the old street, right?) But I’ve heard they may be canceling that.[/quote]
Yes I meant old street in Sanxia, I know Gueishan is not part of Taipei but I thought that I wouldn’t be such a big problem to visit it after I finish working working
Spock, I live near the Linkou hospital, so I am not very familiar with the Mingchuan area. Sorry. Wish I could help.
I lived there for a year.
It’s isolating. If you’re not in traffic, the bus into Taipei takes about 40 mins. But you may spend 40 mins waiting by the side of the road and the return buses don’t run all that late.
Best entertainment is hiking or biking in the hills.
Do you often visit Taipei ?? Is it really that hard to get there from Guishan ?
Gueishan Town is an abomination, as is that sorry excuse for a University there.
That said, once you head out of the township up Linkou way, there are some great sites for hiking, mountain biking, herping, and exploring old military emplacements.
It is not that close to Taipei at all.
I live close by the hospital, and there are buses that run every 20 minutes or so from the Linkou Hospital to Taipei Main Station and to the Chang Gung Hospital on Tunhua North Road. You can pick up a Chang Gung bus near the Taoyuan Train station, but you’ll have to take that to Chang Gung Linkou, and from there take another to Taipei City. So yeah, I supposed the part of Guishan you are in will be a little bit inconvenient for getting to Taipei. Maybe the best way would be to get the train schedule and then when you want to go to Taipei jump in a cab and bomb down to the Taoyuan station and then get your train into the city.
Nope. Pretty sure the cabs cost more, the buses are definitely third-rate, and there are great gaps in the train schedule. Unless it’s rush hour, or you’ve got a quick, cheap, direct route to the train station, hopping on a bus to Taipei is the best of none-too-great options.
The quieter bits of Guishan look like this:
Taoyuan’s downtown, this:
Contrary to what many have posted here, there are some excellent strolls in or near Guishan. Obviously, not as diverse as the lower slopes of Yangmingshan, but the area around Dadongshan is comparable to the hills behind Xinyi. Even though the transportation situation has greatly improved over the past few years, I’d still suggest buying at least a bicycle to get around. A scooter is a must if you plan to live there for more than a few months. As for trains from Taoyuan to Taipei, the frequency is about 10 - 20 minutes depending on the time of day.
If you’re interested in more adventurous walks, Taoyuan Bus Co. and Zhongli Bus Co. operate daily service from Taoyuan station thru to the Lalashan gate.
Martyrs’ Shrine
maps.google.com/maps?q=taoyuan&h … o-30310785
Dadongshan Hiking Trail
blog.xuite.net/lee325/mountain/52847389
Herping in Hutoushan
youtube.com/watch?v=t6viAPtabRI
Fuyuan Village
maps.google.com/maps?q=taoyuan&h … o-55652108
I lived near the hospital. I went close to killing myself.
ENJOY.
[quote=“superking”]I lived near the hospital. I went close to killing myself.
ENJOY.[/quote]
You wank! Another untold story, we could have hooked up, as I was just down Tom’s Hill in those daze. 
I used to work in the industrial park area. Some great food places (two of my favourite Yunnan restaurants are in the area).
[quote=“TheGingerMan”][quote=“superking”]I lived near the hospital. I went close to killing myself.
ENJOY.[/quote]
You wank! Another untold story, we could have hooked up, as I was just down Tom’s Hill in those daze. [/quote]
NO WAY! I was living down some red clay filled shit hole of a road. (Aren’t you all? 
) One thing I remember about that place was learning how to say, “I don’t want chopped tomato,” so I could say it in KFC. Bu yau fan jie. Or something similar. And then I said it in KFC, and it was like I DROPPED A BOMB. The cashier said it, like FOUR times, then some other guy heard it, and it went round the room like a wild fire. “CRACKER DONT WANT CHOPPED TOMATO.” I am pretty sure the Apple Daily were getting the quote from the guy, “Yuh, and THEN he said he didn’t want no chopped tomato.” So I was super happy and felt like, “Fuck if you learn the language, you can get shit done.” And then I opened my chicken wrap. The ONLY thing inside it was chopped tomato. I didn’t know how to say, “Oi cockface, which part of BU YAO did you stumble over?” So I just chucked it in the bin and gave up.
Guieshan is also the only place where I have eaten where cockroaches openly run about on the walls. When I pointed them out people laughed at me, like I was trying to get involved in some sort of civilisation.