Nanzhuang Old Street

Nanzhuang was a camphor and coal town in the hills and is now a Hakka market street with a Saisiyat presence in the surrounding villages. The lane most people come for is Xishui Xiang, the washing lane, where a channel of spring water runs past stone basins that residents still use to wash vegetables and clothes. The Japanese-era post office and a Catholic church stand nearby, and Hakka food fills the main street.

What you actually see

• The washing lane - stone basins fed by spring water, still used by residents.
• The Japanese-era post office - a wooden building from the colonial period.
• The Hakka food - rice noodles, mochi and preserved vegetables along the street.
• The Saisiyat connection - the smallest indigenous group, based in villages nearby.

When to go

Year round; weekends are busy. The Saisiyat Pas-ta'ai ritual is held every two years in the autumn in nearby villages. Weekday mornings are quiet.

Honest expectations

The old street is short and can be walked in twenty minutes. Weekend crowds fill it. The washing lane is people's working water supply and should be treated as such.

Nearby

Lion's Head Mountain is north, and Tai'an hot springs are east.