Sanxia Old Street and Zushi Temple

Sanxia's Minquan Street is a long run of red-brick arcaded shophouses from the 1910s, restored in the 2000s and among the most complete streets of its kind in northern Taiwan. Beside it stands Zushi Temple, which the painter Li Mei-shu took charge of rebuilding from 1947 and worked on for thirty-six years, commissioning stone and wood carving of a density and quality that has made it a reference point; it was still unfinished when he died and remains so.

What you actually see

• The brick arcade - a long run of 1910s shophouses with a continuous covered walk.
• Zushi Temple - carved stone and wood throughout, rebuilt under an artist's direction.
• The stone columns - dragon and figure columns carved over decades.
• The blue dye craft - indigo dyeing revived in the town, with a workshop.

When to go

Year round; weekends bring heavy crowds. Weekday mornings are quiet. Temple festivals fill the street at lunar new year.

Honest expectations

The street is very crowded at weekends and the shops are largely the same souvenirs. The temple is a working place of worship and busy with it. Parking in Sanxia is difficult.

Nearby

Manyueyuan is south in the hills, and Yingge is west.