Romantic Ride on Provincial Highway 3: A Hakka Cultural Cycling Journey from Hsinchu to Pingtung

The Origins of the Romantic Route 3

Provincial Highway 3 is a provincial highway through Taiwan’s western mountain foothills, running from Taipei in the north to Pingtung in the south, with a total length of approximately 437 kilometers. The section from Hsinchu to Pingtung passes through Taiwan’s densest cluster of Hakka settlements and is known as the “Romantic Route 3” or the “Hakka Highway.”

For cyclists, Route 3 is a route that pursues emotion, not speed. The old streets, tea plantations, tung blossom trees, Hakka cuisine, and genuine warmth of the people along the way make every pedal stroke full of stories.

Route Overview

Item	Details
Start	Guanxi, Hsinchu
End	Liudui, Pingtung
Distance	Approximately 300 km
Suggested Duration	4-6 days
Elevation Gain	Moderate (rolling hills)
Surface	Paved road
Difficulty	★★★ (long distance but gentle gradients)

Suggested Daily Itinerary

Day 1: Guanxi, Hsinchu → Nanzhuang, Miaoli (60 km)

Route Highlights: Cross the Hsinchu foothills and enter the Hakka settlements of Miaoli.

Attractions:

• Guanxi Old Street (century-old Hakka architecture)
• Beipu Old Street (lei cha experience)
• Emei Lake (lakeside cycling path)
• Nanzhuang Old Street (Osmanthus Lane)

Hakka Cuisine:

• Beipu lei cha (pounded tea)
• Hakka ban tiao (flat rice noodles)
• Stir-fried pork with ginger

Day 2: Nanzhuang → Dongshi, Taichung (70 km)

Route Highlights: Cross from the Miaoli mountains into Dongshi, a major Hakka town in Taichung.

Attractions:

• Sanyi Wood Sculpture Street
• Shengxing Station (old mountain-line railway)
• Longteng Broken Bridge
• Dongfeng Bikeway

Hakka Cuisine:

• Sanyi Hakka dishes
• Zhuolan fruit (seasonal)

Day 3: Dongshi → Guoxing, Nantou (65 km)

Route Highlights: Traverse the Dajia River basin and enter the rolling hills of Nantou.

Attractions:

• Dongshi Forest Farm
• Shigang Dam
• Guoxing Township (deer antler and coffee)

Hakka Cuisine:

• Hakka salted pork
• Mei gan kou rou (preserved mustard green braised pork)

Day 4: Guoxing → Gukeng, Yunlin (55 km)

Route Highlights: Descend from Nantou into Yunlin’s coffee-producing region.

Attractions:

• Gukeng Coffee (the hometown of Taiwanese coffee)
• Green Tunnel
• Huashan Leisure Agriculture Area

Local Specialties:

• Gukeng coffee
• Liuding oranges (winter)

Day 5: Gukeng → Meinong, Kaohsiung (70 km)

Route Highlights: Enter the most iconic Hakka settlement in southern Taiwan.

Attractions:

• Meinong Old Street
• Meinong Hakka Culture Museum
• Meinong oil-paper umbrellas (traditional craft)
• Yellow Butterfly Valley

Hakka Cuisine:

• Meinong ban tiao (the signature dish of southern Hakka cuisine)
• Meinong pork knuckle
• Braised cabbage pot

Day 6: Meinong → Liudui, Pingtung (40 km)

Route Highlights: Arrive at the heart of the Hakka Liudui region and complete the journey.

Attractions:

• Liudui Hakka Cultural Park
• Pastoral scenery of the Pingtung Plain
• Zhutian Station Park (Japanese-era railway station)

The Unique Appeal of Riding Route 3

Rolling Hills

Route 3 follows the western foothills, with terrain consisting of continuous gentle rolling hills. The gradients are modest (typically 3-5%), but the endless ups and downs create noticeable cumulative fatigue by the end of the day. This is not the challenge of one big mountain—it is a sustained, steady grind.

Deep Immersion in Hakka Culture

The Hakka cultural experiences along Route 3 are unmatched by any other route:

Experience	Location	Description
Lei cha	Beipu	Grind your own pounded tea
Oil-paper umbrellas	Meinong	Watch handmade umbrella crafting
Indigo dyeing	Sanxia	Traditional indigo-dyed fabric art
Hakka cuisine	Along the route	Regional Hakka specialties
Bogong temples	Along the route	Hakka land deity worship

Seasonal Scenery

Months	Scenery	Best Sections
Jan-Feb	Cherry blossoms	Miaoli, Nantou
Apr-May	Tung blossoms (May Snow)	Hsinchu to Miaoli
May-Jul	Lotus flowers	Taoyuan, Hsinchu
Oct-Nov	Persimmons	Xinpu, Hsinchu
Nov-Jan	Bald cypress	Throughout

Practical Tips

Accommodation

There are plenty of homestays along Route 3, but booking in advance is recommended:

• Nanzhuang homestay cluster
• Dongshi homestays
• Meinong homestays

Resupply

Route 3 passes through many small towns, so resupply is not a problem. However, some mountain sections (such as the Miaoli-to-Taichung stretch) have fewer convenience stores, so it is advisable to top up your water bottles before leaving town.

Navigation

Route 3 overlaps or intersects with other provincial highways in some sections, so using GPS navigation is recommended to avoid getting lost. Downloading offline maps is a wise choice.

Gear

• Standard long-distance cycling gear
• Lightweight windbreaker (many downhill sections on rolling terrain)
• Sunscreen
• Camera (you will take a lot of photos)

Conclusion

The Romantic Route 3 ride is not a route for chasing KOMs or PRs—it is a route to be experienced with the heart. Here, you ride through not just kilometers, but a journey through Taiwan’s Hakka culture and history. From the lei cha of Beipu to the ban tiao of Meinong, from the tung blossoms of spring to the persimmons of autumn, Route 3 writes a unique story for every cyclist who passes through, with its four seasons of scenery and timeless human warmth.

Related Reading

• Provincial Highway 3 Inland Mountain Road: Route Planning for the North-South Mountain Ride from Hsinchu to Pingtung
• Provincial Highway 3 Inland Mountain Road: A North-South Mountain Ride from Taipei to Pingtung
• Route 3 Southern Section Cycling Route: Rolling Hills from Sanyi to Miaoli
• Provincial Highway 3 North-South Journey: Riding the Inland Mountain Road from Taipei to Pingtung