新竹县

Why this place

Hsinchu County is the rural interior behind the city — Hakka villages, tea hills and the old mountain roads. Its Beipu is the centre of Hakka culture on the island, with the island's only surviving Hakka guardian temple.

What to see

• Beipu — the Hakka old street, the Tianshui Temple and the 'lei cha' teahouses
• The Emei and Beipu tea hills, and the old camphor trails
• The Neiwan old street and the forest railway up to the mountain

What to eat

• Hakka food at its most traditional: 'lei cha', 'ban tiao' and the preserved vegetable dishes
• Beipu's 'pengfeng' tea and the local persimmons

Best time

October–April