Lugang 鹿港小鎮

This morning, we leave Taichung City for a day trip to Lugang 鹿港 and Changhua 彰化. From our hostel on Wenxin Rd, we took bus no. 73 to Chaoma 朝马 stop and transferred to the bus bound for Lugang. It is an express bus service with limited stops, hence there's no bus number. We had to strain our neck and eyes to spot and flag down the bus with 《鹿港》indicated at the front of the bus.

Taking the city buses in Taiwan is confusing and at times frustrating. In comparison to my experiences in Japan and Seoul, where I neither speak nor read their language but yet am able to navigate with ease, Taiwan's public bus system seriously needs some re-organisation. I'll share more about the 'confusion' in a separate post.

We finally arrived in Lugang after more than an hour's journey. With the help of a few locals on the bus, we alighted at the stop nearest to Lugang Old Street 鹿港老街. This old street, like most others in Taiwan and some parts of Asia, is an attempt to showcase the heritage of the place through selling traditional crafts and snacks amidst well-preserved century-old buildings. But more often than not, the swarms of visitors (particularly on a weekend) as well as the distracting array of shops that line the street, tend to thwart one's appreciation of the old street.

you can't miss the entrance to the old street

one of the many old buildings at the old street

'old time' malt candies with a modern twist

a walk back in time

After faithfully completing the entire length of Lugang Old Street, we decided to see the historical Longshan Temple 龙山寺 of Lugang. Walking away from the boisterous old street, we sought reprieve by wandering through some tranquil alleys. With most of the tourists congregating at the old street, Nine-Turns Lane was very peaceful. This was easily my favourite part of Lugang. It is a narrow and winding alley where you'll find some of the oldest houses in Taiwan, which are still occupied.

Nine-Turns Lane

clean and well-maintained pavements along nine-turns lane

main door of a house along nine-turns lane

Longshan Temple 龙山寺 is one of the oldest Buddhist Temples in Taiwan and boasts exquisite woodcarvings. Compared to its namesake in Taipei, this temple is less crowded and very quiet. It has a vast courtyard outside the main hall where we sat and rest our tired feet. At the second hall, there were devotees dressed in black robes reciting the scriptures.

entrance to the main hall

offerings at the altar in the main hall

a stall in the main hall that sells prayer items

devotees chanting scriptures

A short walk from Longshan Temple was the Lugang Tourist Information Centre. The volunteers there were very friendly and a few could speak English too. We asked for directions to Wang-Gong, in the outskirts of Lugang, which is known for oyster farming and good food (oyster-related naturally). By then, about three or four volunteers had gathered around us (yes, there weren't many tourists at the centre), and they all advised against going there, citing a long journey with very little to see. They were quite insistent and for a moment I even felt an untold animosity between Lugang and Wang-Gong. We dropped the idea and headed straight for Changhua 彰化. 

signboard says 鹿港車站 but it's really the tourist information centre

no train service in Lugang, unless you're Doraemon