Daxi walks centered on Meihe Shanzhuang
Tour Routes
Three routes starting from Meihe Shanzhuang that follow the Lin family's footsteps into Daxi—irrigation ponds, the old street, river terraces, and mountain trails.
Why start from Meihe Shanzhuang?
Touliao, where Meihe Shanzhuang stands, was one of the starting points for the settlement of Daxi's Sanceng terrace. Setting out from here, the ponds, the mausoleum, the old street, and the tunnel are no longer just sights—they are chapters of one history of Daxi's development.
Touliao Waterside Half-Day Route
Setting out from Touliao, where the Lin family cleared the land, see how irrigation ponds sustained an entire settlement.
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Meihe Shanzhuang (start)
In 1869, Lin Deng-yun built Meihe Shanzhuang at Touliao on the Sanceng terrace of Daxi. 'Sanceng' means the third river terrace of the Dahan River—the Lin family chose this site precisely for its farmland and water.
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Touliao Pond (the Land God shrine in the pond)
approx. 3 min drive, or 15 min walk
This pond irrigates the farmland of the Touliao terrace, and the shrine at its center is a rare 'Land God in the water.' Pond irrigation was the foundation on which Qing-era pioneer families built their livelihoods, and the Lin family's farmland depended on the same waterways.
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Shiyuan Road bald cypress avenue
approx. 5 min drive
Most beautiful from December to January. The Xinfu Irrigation Canal ponds along the way link together the dense irrigation network of the Daxi terrace.
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Daxi Tea Factory
approx. 10 min drive
A tea factory founded in 1926 during the Japanese colonial period (formerly the Jiaobanshan Works). From Qing-era rice and camphor to colonial-era black tea, the Sanceng terrace witnessed every turn in Daxi's industries.
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Cihu Sanceng History Traverse
A century layered upon the Sanceng terrace—from Qing-era houses and pond irrigation to modern-day parks.
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Meihe Shanzhuang (start)
The central old house of the Touliao settlement; with two courtyards and five side-wings, it ranks among the largest in Daxi.
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Daxi Mausoleum (Touliao Mausoleum)
approx. 3 min drive
The Touliao where the mausoleum stands is the very heart of the terrace the Lin family cultivated. A single road—Touliao 1st Road—links the Qing-era old house and the modern mausoleum across two eras.
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Cihu Memorial Sculpture Park
approx. 5 min drive
Cihu was originally called 'Piwei' and was once part of this pond irrigation system. Back Cihu, rich in wildlife, requires an advance online reservation.
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Old Baiji Tunnel
approx. 5 min drive
Bored through in 1944 at the end of the colonial period, it is now a pedestrian path. The old trail that preceded the tunnel was, in Qing times, a key route for Dakekan goods moving in and out of the mountains and for trade between Han settlers and the Atayal people.
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Daxi Old Street Cultural Day Route
Following the footsteps of Lin Deng-yun—from the Dakekan rent-collection office to the villa at Touliao.
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Daxi Old Street (Heping & Zhongshan Roads)
approx. 10 min drive from Meihe Shanzhuang
Dakekan was once the Tamsui River system's furthest inland river port. Here Lin Deng-yun served as steward of the Lin Ben-yuan family's Dakekan rent-collection office, handling grain-rent affairs and building the fortune with which he later raised Meihe Shanzhuang. The Baroque façade archways along Heping Road are a product of the urban renewal of the Taishō era under Japanese rule.
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Daxi Bridge
approx. 5 min walk
From the ferry landing of the wharf era to today's Baroque-revival suspension bridge—after river shipping declined, the gateway to Daxi took on a new face.
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Daxi Wood Art Ecomuseum (Building No. 1)
approx. 10 min walk
Daxi's wood craft shares one lineage with the wood carvings and painted decoration of the Lin residence. The traditional craftsmanship of Meihe Shanzhuang's restoration can be traced in full context here.
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Daxi Zhongzheng Park
approx. 3 min walk
The clifftop where the park sits looks out over the river terraces of the Dahan River—the origin of the 'Sanceng' (three-terrace) name is plain to see from here.
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Meihe Shanzhuang (end)
approx. 10 min drive
Return to Touliao at dusk to see the 'Meihe Shanzhuang' plaque on the gate tower. 'Plum blossoms as wife, cranes as sons'—Lin Deng-yun likened himself to the Song-dynasty hermit poet Lin He-jing, leaving this residence its name.
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