Kaohsiung Qishan Meinong Cycling: An Easy Ride Through Plains and Rural Countryside

Introduction

Qishan and Meinong are the two brightest gems in the foothills of Kaohsiung City. Qishan is known as the “Hometown of Bananas,” and the thriving banana export trade during the Japanese colonial era left behind a complete stretch of Baroque arcaded old streets in the town center. Meinong is a stronghold of Hakka culture, where blue shirts, oil-paper umbrellas, the tobacco leaf industry, and well-preserved traditional Hakka courtyard houses give this small town a cultural atmosphere that seems to race against time. Cycling between these two towns is the best way to experience the warmth of rural southern Taiwan.

Route Planning

Qishan Old Street: A Time Corridor of the Banana Kingdom

Qishan Old Street was built during the Japanese colonial era, with rows of stone-arch arcades decorated with washed terrazzo, brickwork, and Baroque ornamentation. It is one of the best-preserved Japanese-era commercial streets in Taiwan. Walking into the old street, banana-related products are everywhere—banana cakes, banana popsicles, and banana pastries—a unique local showcase of banana culture.

Qishan Station is also a well-preserved Japanese-era wooden station, now converted into the Qishan Life and Culture Park, displaying the old sugar factory railway and agricultural history. It is a cultural space worth spending twenty minutes in before setting off.

Meinong: A Living Museum of Hakka Culture

Heading southeast from Qishan along Provincial Highway 28, you will reach Meinong City Center in about twelve kilometers. Before entering Meinong, wide fields begin to appear on both sides of the road—tobacco fields (now mostly converted to vegetable farming), sugarcane groves, and Hakka courtyard settlements—giving a sense of the abundance and tranquility of rural southern Taiwan.

Three Essential Cultural Experiences in Meinong:

• Meinong Folk Village: Showcases the craft of Hakka blue shirts and oil-paper umbrellas; visitors can personally enjoy the fun of painting their own oil-paper umbrellas.
• Guangshan Temple: The most important folk religious center in Meinong, with a spacious temple square and thriving incense offerings. The nearby Hakka snack stalls are especially lively on weekends.
• Meinong Lake: A semi-artificial lake on the edge of town, with a lakeside walking path and fishing areas that are favorites for locals on their days off. Cycling around the lake is peaceful and comfortable.

Riding the Farm Roads: A Pastoral Poem Between Qishan and Meinong

Besides Provincial Highway 28 between Qishan and Meinong, there are also farm roads that run close to the rice paddies. These farm roads have almost no traffic, and the surfaces range from concrete farm paths to gravel dirt roads, making them ideal for exploring on wide-tire bikes (such as steel-frame road bikes or gravel bikes). Riding into the farm roads, the ridgeline of Dawu Mountain stretches in the distance, while close by are the stubble left after the rice harvest. In the early morning mist, rural southern Taiwan is as quiet as an ink-wash painting.

The farm roads in the Qishan-Meinong area are mostly straight, making navigation easy and reducing the chance of getting lost—a great choice for cyclists trying farm roads for the first time.

Practical Tips

Food Recommendations

• Qishan Old Street: Banana popsicles, duck noodle soup, banana cake.
• Meinong City Center: Ban tiao (flat Hakka rice noodles), pork knuckle rice, grass jelly.
• Convenience stores are available throughout the route, so supplies are never a concern.

Transportation

• Take bus route 8025 from HSR Zuoying Station or TRA Kaohsiung Station to Qishan, about one hour one way; suitable for traveling with a bike.
• For the return trip, you can take a bus from Meinong back to downtown Kaohsiung, allowing flexible route planning.

Best Season

• Rideable year-round, but the climate is most comfortable from October to April.
• Around the Lunar New Year, Meinong hosts a chrysanthemum festival, with golden chrysanthemums planted across the fields—a stunning sight.

Conclusion

The cycling route between Qishan and Meinong has no difficult climbs—only the sound of wind passing your ears as you pedal, and the scent of soil and rice drifting in from the fields on both sides. This is a “healing” route, suitable for anyone who needs to temporarily free their soul from the fast pace of the city. Bring your camera and pack the cloud shadows of Dawu Mountain, the red brick tiles of Hakka courtyard houses, and the reflections on Meinong Lake into your memory drive, one by one.

Related Reading

• Kaohsiung Cycling Routes: The Southern Taiwan Charm of Qishan, Meinong, and Maolin
• Kaohsiung Qishan Meinong Riding Route: A Guide to a Flat Long Ride Through Southern Taiwan’s Hakka Scenery
• Qishan Banana Road in Kaohsiung: Rural Cycling in the Hometown of Taiwanese Bananas
• Kaohsiung Qishan to Jiasian: An Easy Ride and Supply Guide Along the Laonong River Valley