Hsinchu County eyes railway tourism development with new hiking trail plan

Hukou has rich railway cultural resources. The Democratic Progressive Party Hsinchu County Councilor Cai Yu-hsiung proposed that the county government study and plan a hiking trail at the Fengshan Creek bridge abutment ruins, shaping it into a new Hsinchu railway tourism destination. (Photo by reporter Liao Xue-ru)

With the promotion of local figures, the Hsinchu County Government's Cultural Affairs Bureau intends to move towards registering the Japanese-style dormitories of the Hukou Railway Station as a "settlement architectural group" cultural asset. As the Hukou railway line approaches its centennial anniversary, Democratic Progressive Party Hsinchu County Councilor Cai Yu-hsiung proposed that the county government study and plan a hiking trail at the Fengshan Creek bridge abutment ruins, integrating it with natural ecology and cycling paths to shape it into a new Hsinchu railway tourism destination.

Cultural and historical worker Guo Tai-gui said that Hukou Township in Hsinchu County preserves the complete longitudinal railway, which has a history of 133 years. In the late Qing Dynasty, Liu Ming-chuan built the railway from Keelung to Hsinchu in 1893, leaving behind roadbed ruins in today's Hukou Old Street. After the Hukou Station moved to Xin Hukou, remnants of the Fengshan bridge abutment, railway roadbed, bridge defense unit barracks, blockhouses, guard posts, an ancient land god temple, and a ferry terminal were left behind.

Currently, the County Government's Cultural Affairs Bureau has designated the Japanese-style dormitories of the Taiwan Railways Hukou Station as a provisional historical site, working towards the preservation of a "settlement architectural group" cultural asset. In the future, it may be planned as the Hsinchu County Railway Culture Museum. Additionally, Hakka Affairs Council consultant Deng Yi-zhong and others have proposed registering the 1902 Fengshan Creek red brick bridge abutment ruins and the 1929 double-track cement brick bridge abutment ruins as historical buildings.

Coupled with the development of the Fengshan Creek bridge abutment ruins hiking loop trail, integrating with the "Fengshan Panlong" ecology, and planning in the future with the concept of a "Greater Hsinchu version of the Longteng Broken Bridge," it is hoped that Hsinchu County's railway tourism will be developed one day.

Cai Yu-hsiung proposed that the county government study and plan a hiking trail at the Fengshan Creek bridge abutment ruins. She said that the Fengshan bridge abutment ruins bear witness to the difficult civil engineering techniques of the time in crossing the creek and are of great significance. With consideration for safety, it is recommended that this area first undergo hiking trail planning, and in conjunction with the Fengshan Creek bicycle path system, connect Zhubei, Hukou, and Xinpu townships to promote Hsinchu County's low-carbon tourism and shape a characteristic tourist attraction.

Cultural and historical worker Guo Tai-gui said that Hukou Township in Hsinchu County preserves the complete railway, which has a history of 133 years. (Photo by reporter Liao Xue-ru)

After Hukou Station moved to Xin Hukou, the Fengshan bridge abutment and railway roadbed ruins were left behind. (Photo by reporter Liao Xue-ru)

Hukou has rich railway cultural resources. Democratic Progressive Party Hsinchu County Councilor Cai Yu-hsiung proposed that the county government study and plan a hiking trail at the Fengshan Creek bridge abutment ruins, shaping it into a new Hsinchu railway tourism destination. (Photo by reporter Liao Xue-ru)

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