Chishang (池上 Chíshàng) is a rural township in Taitung County, Taiwan.

Understand

Chishang was founded by indigenous Makatao from Pingtung 160 years ago, along with the other immigrants, including Taivoan from Kaohsiung and very few Siraya from Tainan later in the 1950s. The indigenous Night Ceremony has been held in Chishang annually in November.

Get in

By rail

• 1 Chishang railway station (池上車站), No. 30, Tiehua Road. The main station for the area which lies in the middle of the town and connects the township to the TRA network on the Taitung line. (updated Dec 2020)

See

History and culture

• 1 Chishang Waterwheel (池上大水車), ☏ +886 89862041. A wooden water wheel which was constructed to help irrigate the surrounding farmland. (updated Dec 2020)

Museums

Wu Tao Chishang Lunch Box Cultural History Museum

• 2 Rice Village Museum (稻米原鄉館), ☏ +886 89863689. 09:00-17:00. The museum was established by Wan'an Community Development Association in 1994 by transforming an unused fertilizer warehouse. The museum regularly holds various activities such as guided tours of rice farming and travel as well as painting activities. (updated Dec 2020)
• 3 Wu Tao Chishang Lunch Box Cultural History Museum (悟饕池上飯包文化故事館), No. 259, Zhongxiao Road, ☏ +886 89862326. 08:00-20:00. A museum about lunch boxes which also serves as a restaurant. (updated Dec 2020)
• 4 Taitung County Hakka Museum (台東縣客家文化園區), ☏ +886 89865038. 08:30-18:00. A small museum showcasing the history and culture of the Hakka people in the area. (updated Dec 2020)

Temples

• 5 Yuqing Temple (玉清宮), No. 20, Wenhua Road, ☏ +886 89862164. (updated Dec 2020)

Do

Parks and nature

Dapo Pond

• 1 Dapo Pond (大坡池). The area around the lake features several facilities, such as bike routes, footpath, pavilions, fishing area, bird watching area and garden. (updated Dec 2020)
• 2 Great View Pavilion (大觀亭). A wooden pavilion which offers clear views of the fields in the surrounding area. (updated Dec 2020)

Cycling

• 3 Mr Brown Road (池上伯朗大道). A long and picturesque road that cuts through the rice fields. The name itself comes from a brand of coffee sold in Taiwan. (updated Dec 2020)

Eat

Chishang is known for its boxed lunches (飯包), originally made to be sold to railway passengers. There are numerous shops in town selling this, but the aforementioned Wu Tao Chishang Lunch Box Cultural History Museum (listed under "See") is the most famous purveyor for tourists. That said, the preferred shop among local residents is 米之鄉池上便當, located about 10-15 min walk from the train station. The boxed lunches use the locally-grown rice, which was originally brought to Taiwan by the Japanese under colonial rule, and quickly caught on with the local population.

Sleep

• 1 Papago International Resort (日暉國際渡假村), No. 107, Xinxing Road, ☏ +886 89861111. A resort complex on the outskirts of the more urban area of the township which lies near the river. (updated Dec 2020)