Huwei and Beigang: Glove Puppets, a Working Sugar Mill and a Mazu Temple — A Two-Day Stamp Route in Yunlin
Yunlin · 8 places The home of glove puppetry and a sugar mill that still runs, then Beigang's Chaotian Temple and old street.
For a lot of people, Yunlin is somewhere you pass through. On the high-speed train heading south, Yunlin is the stop everyone sleeps past.
This time, get off. There's a sugar mill chimney that still smokes, an old government hall full of glove puppets, a factory that folds towels into cakes and a Mazu temple whose incense has been burning for centuries. Eight places, eight stamps, and by the end Yunlin won't feel like a pass-through at all.
The route at a glance
| Place | Category | Area |
|---|---|---|
| THSR Yunlin Station | Railway station | Huwei |
| Huwei Sugar Factory | Factory tour | Huwei |
| Yunlin Hand Puppet Museum | Museums & arts | Huwei |
| Yunlin Story House | Historic site | Huwei |
| Shing Long Towel Tourism Factory | Factory tour | Huwei |
| Beigang Chaotian Temple | Temple | Beigang |
| Beigang Old Street | Historic site | Beigang |
| Chenglong Wetlands | Parks & nature | Kouhu |
Your first stamp, right off the train
THSR Yunlin Station only opened in late 2015, making it the youngest stop on the route. Before you rush off, check in inside the station and your first stamp goes straight into your stamp book.
Shuttle buses outside run to Huwei, Douliu and Beigang. The next two days start here.
Huwei Sugar Factory: the chimney still smokes
Most of Taiwan's old sugar mills have closed and become parks and museums. Huwei is different: it still makes sugar.
Come in winter and, with luck, you'll see a narrow-gauge cane train hauling carriages full of sugarcane into the mill, with a faint smell of sugar in the air. Any other time of year, the ice shop is open every day. An ice pop in front of the old mill buildings is the classic way to start in Huwei.
Yunlin Hand Puppet Museum: puppets in an old government hall
Yunlin is the home of Taiwanese glove puppetry, and many people in Taiwan grew up watching its puppet heroes on TV.
The museum building is a work of art in itself: the Huwei district office, completed in 1931 in the Imperial Crown style, with an Eastern roof on Western walls. Inside, puppets and finely carved stages fill the old rooms, and it's easy to imagine someone backstage about to start the narration.
Yunlin Story House: stories in a cypress residence
A short walk along Linsen Road from the puppet museum is the Yunlin Story House. This 1920s residence for Huwei's district chief was built from cypress, and its wood scent, sliding doors and garden still feel as they once did.
There are often storytelling sessions and workshops at weekends, which makes it a good stop with kids. The puppet museum and the Story House are so close that you can collect both stamps in one go.
Shing Long Towel Tourism Factory: towels you'll want to eat
Huwei is one of Taiwan's main towel-making towns, and Shing Long's signature is towels folded into cakes so convincing that you might reach for a fork.
You can watch the looms at work and try making towel shapes yourself. A towel cake makes a better souvenir story than another box of pastries.
Beigang Chaotian Temple: Mazu among the firecrackers
On day two, head west to Beigang. Chaotian Temple is one of the major centers of Mazu worship in Taiwan. During the pilgrimage season in the third lunar month, the crowds and firecrackers in front of the temple barely stop.
Even outside the festival season, the temple is busy with worshippers. Look up at the carvings on the roof and beams, stand in the incense smoke for a while, then check in. This is a stamp that feels earned.
Beigang Old Street: pastries, sesame oil and incense
Zhongshan Road runs south from the temple entrance and makes up Beigang Old Street. Pastry shops, sesame oil makers and incense shops follow one after another, many run by the same families for generations.
Snack as you walk, then pick up some pastries and a bottle of sesame oil to take the taste of Beigang home.
Chenglong Wetlands: the last stop is for the sunset
The final stop is by the coast in Kouhu. Chenglong Wetlands formed after the land subsided, turning farmland into open water. Environmental artworks now stand in the water.
Come in the late afternoon. The sun sets over the water, the artworks turn into silhouettes and water birds fly overhead. Check in here for your eighth stamp and the route is complete.
A two-day plan
Day 1: Huwei
- Arrive at THSR Yunlin Station in the morning and take the shuttle bus to Huwei
- Have an ice pop and look around the old buildings at Huwei Sugar Factory
- Visit the Yunlin Hand Puppet Museum and the Yunlin Story House in the afternoon
- Finish at Shing Long Towel Tourism Factory in the late afternoon
Day 2: Beigang and Kouhu
- Visit Beigang Chaotian Temple in the morning
- Snack your way along Beigang Old Street at lunchtime
- Drive to Chenglong Wetlands for the sunset
Before you go
- Opening hours, closing days and ticket prices can change, so check each place's official website before you set off.
- Chenglong Wetlands is some distance from Beigang and hard to reach by public transport, so driving or riding a scooter is best.
- Beigang gets very crowded during the pilgrimage season. If you'd rather take your time, avoid the third lunar month.
Collecting this route with ExploreStamp
Open ExploreStamp, find "Huwei Puppetry and Beigang's Matsu Temple" among the themed routes and tap "Check in" at each place you reach. The app confirms you're within range, adds the place's stamp to your stamp book and records the date of your first visit. Collect all eight, and the next time your train passes through Yunlin, you can say: "I've been there."
See the other routes under Explore.
Cover photo: Charles Chen / Unsplash