This is the next part of our Finemakers Hsinchu tour.
This was the streetscape around Beipu.
The roads felt quite wide, with plenty of shops along the way.
For lunch, we tried
traditional Hakka cuisine.
And honestly,
the Hakka food was delicious!
The flavors felt surprisingly familiar to us as Japanese travelers.
This article is based on our visit in 2018, so individual restaurants and services may have changed since then.
A Different Side of Taiwan: Hakka Food and Culture in Beipu
One of the things I enjoyed about our Hsinchu tour was that we could experience food and culture that felt very different from central Taipei.
Beipu is still known today as one of Hsinchu County’s important Hakka areas, with historic streets, traditional Hakka food and lei cha experiences.
It made Hsinchu feel like a completely different side of Taiwan.
Lunch at Beipu Shitang: A Table Full of Hakka Food
For lunch during our Hsinchu tour,
we ate Hakka cuisine at a restaurant called
Beipu Shitang.
Everything we tried here was really good.
I thought the flavors would also be easy for many Japanese travelers to enjoy.
And then the food arrived...
Ta-da!
The whole table was covered with food!
This was when I realized that Hakka cuisine felt quite different from the Chinese food I was more familiar with.
The seasoning let the ingredients themselves stand out.
This dish reminded me a little of Japanese kishimen noodles.
It was so good!
This was a soup with bamboo shoots and seaweed.
It had a slightly sour flavor, and I loved it!
If you enjoy tangy flavors,
I think you would probably like this one too.
Mamarin in her 60s was very satisfied!
And very full!
Making Hakka Lei Cha: Grind, Grind, Grind...
After lunch,
we went to Shuijing Chatang for something I had really been looking forward to:
making lei cha.
Lei cha is also called Hakka ground tea.
Traditionally, ingredients such as tea leaves, peanuts, sesame seeds and other grains or seeds are ground together in a mortar before hot water is added.
It is also associated with Hakka hospitality and is traditionally served to guests. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
During our experience,
we used ingredients including peanuts, black sesame, white sesame and pumpkin seeds.
Then we started grinding everything together.
Grind, grind, grind...
I do housework all the time,
so this part was easy for me!
As we ground the ingredients,
the aroma of sesame and nuts became stronger and stronger.
It smelled wonderful.
Once it was ready,
we poured the lei cha over puffed rice.
Finished!
It had a gentle sweetness and was delicious.
The flavor actually made me think,
“This would be good with mochi.”
It felt more like a dessert than tea to me.
It was surprisingly filling too!
Especially after that big Hakka lunch,
I was completely full by the end.
Beipu’s Little Streets Are Perfect for Wandering
Beipu also had lots of atmospheric little streets and alleys.
They were perfect for taking photos.
The atmosphere felt completely different from central Taipei or Hualien.
We enjoyed simply wandering around and taking photos.
Beipu Old Street is still known for its historic buildings and strong Hakka character today. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
A Wild Myna Suddenly Came Over to Us!
And then—
we had an unexpected encounter near a temple in Beipu♡
A wild myna came right up to us.
It casually hopped onto my leg!
It seemed very interested in my watch and ring.
And eventually it climbed onto my hand!
It was incredibly friendly and very cute.
It even looked right at the camera.
At the time, someone told us that birds found near temples in Taiwan can be seen as lucky or auspicious.
Whether or not that is a widespread belief,
I decided to take it as a good sign.
Lucky us!
It was such a sweet little surprise.
Our Thoughts on Beipu and Hsinchu
We had such a fun day in Hsinchu.
The Hakka food was delicious,
making lei cha was much more entertaining than I expected,
and Beipu had a relaxed atmosphere that felt very different from Taipei.
And then there was that friendly bird!
Those unexpected little moments are often what stay in your memory after a trip.
I really liked Hsinchu and would happily visit again.
If you are interested in Hakka food, traditional culture and a slower side of Taiwan,
Beipu is definitely worth considering.
Disclosure: Our Taiwan trip in 2018 was hosted by Finemakers.
The tour described in this article reflects our 2018 experience, and current itineraries or services may be different.
