Schedule
Folk Arts Tour ( 4 hours ) ( afternoon )
Tour stops: Sanhsia Tsushih Temple, Old Street in
Sanhsia, Yingko’s Pottery Factory &
Showroom, Pottery Street in Yingko
Price
Adult: US$ 55
US$ 48
Schedule
Folk Arts Tour ( 4 hours ) ( afternoon )
Tour stops: Sanhsia Tsushih Temple, Old Street in
Sanhsia, Yingko’s Pottery Factory &
Showroom, Pottery Street in Yingko
Price
Adult: US$ 55
US$ 48
Sanxia (Sansia) is a traditional district located in northern Taiwan, easily accessible
from Taipei. It has become known in recent years mainly because of its Qingshui
Zushi (Divine Ancestor) Temple, which is unique among all the Chinese temples of the
world for the painstaking and time-consuming dedication to classical temple arts that
is manifested in its modern reconstruction work.
The town, originally named Sanjiaoyong after its location at the confluence of three
rivers, was given its present name of Sanxia (Sansia) (Three Gorges, also the name
of its main river) in 1920. Nestled where fertile plains meet mountain foothills, and
blessed with convenient inland river transport, Sanxia (Sansia) offered excellent
conditions for development in the early years of Taiwan's settlement by the Chinese. It
quickly became an important goods distribution center and a base for the production
of camphor, the growing of tea, and especially the dyeing of cloth. As transport shifted
elsewhere and the use of river transportation declined, however, Sanxia (Sansia)
gradually lost its importance as a commercial center.
Even as the town lost its economic importance, though, its cultural value remained
undiminished, mainly because of Qingshui Zushi Temple. With its unparalleled
combination of religion and art, this temple is the epitome of exquisite carving and
complex structure as well as dynamic center of Chinese religious worship. These
features have also made it a powerful attraction for tourists from all over Taiwan and
the world.
Yingge is a pottery town, known as the "Jingde Township of Taiwan." The town has
several hundred pottery plants, and equal numbers of pottery shops that sell their
products. Jianshanpu Road is the origin of the local ceramics industry, and even today
it has an old square coal-fired kiln chimney that serves as its landmark. Every October
the town holds the Yingge Ceramics Festival; and, if you want to learn about the
development of ceramics in Taiwan, the place to go is the Yingge Ceramics Museum.
Yingge was called Geshi in the past, because there was a bird-shaped stone near the
town. After World War II, the government named this place. The so-called Ge Old
Street is Jianshanpu Rd. After reconstruction, the old street has become a modern
street, along which are pottery and porcelain shops. Though the old street no longer
has its antique looks, some ancient buildings can still be found in Yingge Town. The
new street is paved with beautiful rocks. Visitors can not only appreciate the pottery
and porcelain works, but they can also enjoy the street performance and coffee on the
street.
There are over 100 stores on the street. The products were pretty much the same in
the past, but now the shops have their own workshops and artists. Each shop has its
own characteristics and the pottery works are exquisite and refined. Some of the
restaurants will give diners the cups or plates they use for free. Even the ice cream
stand has lovely mugs and cups for customers to choose from. Besides purchasing
the pottery and porcelain products, you can even learn how to make your own pottery
works.
