On New Year’s Day I headed south to Xinyi Township to see the area’s plum blossoms [梅花]. I set out early and beat the traffic up the narrow, mountain road to Fengguidou [風櫃斗]. After a brief stop there to pick up some plum-related products I headed down the road to the Liujia Plum Farm [柳家梅園].
The area is dotted with plum farms. Whenever the road widens to allow parking, it’s not uncommon to see cars parked and families taking pictures with plum trees along the side of the road.
I exercised self-control: if I had parked every time I saw a plum tree it would have probably taken me two days to go up and down the winding Xinhe Industrial Road. Doing so was completely out of the question because I hadn’t packed a lunch.
The blossoms on the trees were very impressive during my visit; much better than my trip two years ago, but it would probably be a few days before the trees were in full bloom. Regardless, I’m happy with the photographs I was able to take during my visit.
Photographs from a trip two years ago to Fengguidou and Liujia.
Getting There:
Directions: Follow Provincial HWY 21 towards Xinyi Township. Between Xinyi Elementary School and Xinyi Junior High School is a small sign pointing the way to Fengguidou [Mingde Street (明德街)]. A short distance after crossing Aiguo Bridge [愛國大橋] follow the winding Xinhe Industrial Road [信和產業道路] to Fengguidou. To reach the Liujia Plum Farm, continue about 5 kilometers past Fengguidou and turn left at Niuchoukeng Forest Road [牛稠坑林道]. Depending on the weather, the blossoms usually last from the beginning of the year through the Lunar New Year.
the pictures are fantastic and the idea of the failies who stop their car in order to take a picture is like a dream, nice article and very nice photos
Thanks! I think I will stop at a couple spots next time. There are a couple of places where the trees are growing on a steep hillside and gives the effect of a wall of plum blossoms.
Very nice blossoms. Such perfect shapes.
Thank you! We really lucked out on this trip. If we had gone a few days earlier there would have been nothing to see.
Hey, how do i travel there using public transport? Is it near Ri Yue Tan?
To get there from Sun Moon Lake you’ll need take the Green Bus to Shuili. Once in Shuili take the Yuanlin Bus Company’s Shuili to Dongpu bus and get off at Xinyi Stop. Once in Xinyi you’ll need to take a cab to Fengguidou and / or Liujia. I suggest hiring a cab in Shuili to take you all the way there and skip the bus ride from Shuili to Xinyi. Hope this helps!
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