Wulai- Many resources promote an aboriginal song and dance show. I want to know if this still happens and if so how often? Can I simply show up here and expect to see a show during CNY? I also would like to know if anyone has done this tour coming from Taichung?
Yingge- Want to go here only if we can take part in the pottery making. Is this activity still available?
My mother and nephew will come for a visit for CNY! I am coming from Taichung county and would like to jump on a bus or train and just go. It is important that the specified events are still available.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. I have read through many threads and sites.
Ying ge has enough for a whole day. A short hike over the hills and up to see the Ying Ge rock, the pottery musuem, sit and throw some pots, and there are some great noodle places and a very nice restaurant on the revitalized street, and lots and LOTS of pottery shops.
If your mother and nephew are going to Dajia (that’s where you are, isn’t it?), you might want to take them to the Jhenlan temple on the 1st day of the new year, which is the Sunday. If they’ve never seen a Chinese temple before, that’d be the time to go. It’ll be crowded though.
For Yingge, the best way to get there in terms of trains would be express to Taoyuan then change to a local train to Yingge.
For Aboriginal shows, it might be easier to go to the Formosa Aboriginal Village near Sun Moon Lake. It’s a lot closer to Taichung than Wulai.
BP - I’m probably going to go to Sanxia for the fat god pig festival on the Friday. Are you going to be around then? (Sorry for hijacking the thread WT).
Yes, I am … it’s the sixth day after CNY day … according to my wife … large ‘nightmarket’ and big, big crowd … yesterday they already had a list with participants and weights of the contesters …saw some more than 1000 chin (600 kg) pigs signed up …
[quote=“cfimages”]If your mother and nephew are going to Dajia (that’s where you are, isn’t it?), you might want to take them to the Jhenlan temple on the 1st day of the new year, which is the Sunday. If they’ve never seen a Chinese temple before, that’d be the time to go. It’ll be crowded though.
For Yingge, the best way to get there in terms of trains would be express to Taoyuan then change to a local train to Yingge.
For Aboriginal shows, it might be easier to go to the [color=red]Formosa Aboriginal Village near Sun Moon Lake. It’s a lot closer to Taichung than Wulai.[/color]
BP - I’m probably going to go to Sanxia for the fat god pig festival on the Friday. Are you going to be around then? (Sorry for hijacking the thread WT).[/quote]
I second this suggestion. Sun Moon lake is better, by miles, than Wulai, and the Aboriinal Village is a good place to see, well, Aboriginals. They have 4 shows during the day, all of which involve dancing.
I meant two separate day trips, thanks for the replies.
cfimages- Yes I’m in Dajia. I assume I can take a train to the Formosa Aboriginal Village. There is sure to be some activity there all day every day during CNY, right? Have you been?
Thanks for the video bp.
CNY day is pretty difficult to predict … it’s mostly a ‘family’ day … some are open, some closed … I don’t know sure for tourist spots … CNY day used to be a ‘dead’ day but last year I remember Sanxia was already pretty crowded and the 6 day ‘nightmarket’, normally starting at CNY+3 had already started … Yingge for sure is open for business on day 2.
No, you’ll have to take a bus, there’s no trains out that way. Well, you could go the long way and take a train south to Ershui, then change to the Jiji line and take a train to Shuili, then take a bus, but that’d take a long time.
So, take a bus to Sun Moon Lake or even to Puli, and take a local bus or taxi from there. The Formosa Aboriginal Village is between Puli and Sun Moon Lake, closer to the lake than to Puli.
I assume it’s possible to get a bus there from Dajia, if not, there are plenty from Taichung city.
There’s probably nothing happening on the first day of the holiday (Saturday - CNY Eve) and possibly not on the Sunday (1st day of new year - baibai day at the family temple). But the other days there should be something happening.
A word of warning: If the weather’s half decent, the traffic on the road between Sindian and Wulai is likely to be absolutely terrible - hordes of people will be flocking up there from Taipei.
The worst traffic jam I’ve ever encountered in Taiwan was there during CNY a few years back, when it was jammed along the whole of the 14 km to and from Wulai. I thanked my lucky stars that I was on a motorbike and so didn’t get stuck in the jam, but I truly pitied the poor buggers crammed like sardines in those barely moving buses for hour after interminable hour.
About Yingge, yes you can make pots…but bear in mind that you can’t take the finished pot with you. You’ll need to go back in a week or two to pick it up, as it takes this long to get it fired etc.
This is what we were told at a couple of the pot places we visited, so we didn’t bother making one in the end.
