Xiluo Day Trip | 西螺一日遊

I visited this historic town of Xiluo 西螺, located in Yunlin 雲林, for a one-day trip in March 2022. Have to admit, it was more tiring than I thought it would be, but it was completely worth it. I visited a number of sites in Xiluo, so let's read on to find out more:

The most famous thing about the town is the Xiluo Bridge 西螺大橋, which crosses over the Zhuoshui River 濁水溪. This bridge was opened up in the 1950s and was once the second-longest bridge in the world! Nowadays, it is more of a tourist site where people visit to snap photos of a bright-red metal bridge. Another interesting thing is that the bridge crosses over the Zhuoshui River, which is right in the middle of Taiwan, essentially dividing Taiwan into north and south.  

Xiluo is also the birthplace of traditional Taiwanese soy sauce. I made sure to visit Wuan Chuang Soy Sauce Factory 丸莊醬油觀光工廠 to learn more about the history of soy sauce! 

As I was making my way to the museum, there were cute soy sauce bottle decorations hanging just outside the store, so that no one misses it. 

This factory has more than 100 years of experience with manufacturing and selling soy sauce. 

In 2008, the company opened up its factories to tourists so that more people could learn about Taiwanese soy sauce. They also hold workshops to teach tourists how soy sauce is made. You'll also have the chance to create your very own soy sauce and take it home. How fun is that? Right outside the factory, you'll see soy sauce being traditionally brewed in jars. There was also a strong aroma of soy in the air. 

The Wuan Chuang Soy Sauce Factory is actually located right on Xiluo Yanping Old Street 西螺延平老街 which is a gorgeous old street filled with well-kept architecture dating back to the 20th Century. Unlike many famous old streets in Taiwan which are overrun with tourists and boisterous vendors, Xiluo's Yanping Old Street is extremely quiet, with front doors of many stores being shut completely. I really liked the lanterns hanging outside the doors and I really liked the architecture. It's definitely worth a visit. 

On the old street, you'll also find East Market 東市場. It is one of the oldest marketplaces in Xiluo. This used to be a traditional market which was completed in the 1960s. The government decided to preserve the market as a historic site in 2010. It has now been invigorated with new life, as a cultural and creative marketplace, with cute decorations all over the place. Interestingly, there were more people taking photographs inside this marketplace than on Yanping Old Street. 

Right as you exit the East market, I walked straight and made sure to pay a visit to Xiluo Theater 西螺戲院. This used to be a grand movie theater that was built in the 1940s. It was shut down in the 1980s after old-school theaters declined. It was finally designated as a national heritage site in the 2000s. I really like the gorgeous baroque-style facade of the building. Its green exterior is also very visually striking. 

When I was visited, in March 2022, there was a sign warning people not to trespass, while the same sign reiterated that the building was in the process of being restored. I hope that it can be turned into a museum or a cultural center so that more people can learn about the glory days of Taiwanese theaters. 

I also made sure to take a few photos of the streets and architecture of Xiluo. It was really quiet. I didn't see any other tourists, mostly there were just locals minding their own business and going about their daily lives. 

I visited two famous temples of Xiluo: Xiluo Fusing Temple 福興宮 and Xiluo Guang Fu Temple 廣福宮 老大媽廟.  The sea of lanterns and the color scheme of both temples really stuck out to me. Just so gorgeous.

The Xiluo Fusing Temple is one of the main attractions of Xiluo. This is a famous temple dedicated to the Goddess Matsu, the protector of the sea. 

Right as you enter the temple, you'll notice that it is filled with lanterns. This is a historic temple, with more than 300 years of history! 

This temple is also very popular as the annual Dajia Matsu pilgrimage 大甲媽祖遶境進香, which starts from Jenn Lann Temple 大甲鎮瀾宮 in Dajia, Taichung 台中大甲 and makes their way to Fengtian Temple 奉天宮 in Xingang, Chiayi 嘉義新港, also makes a stop at Xiluo Fusing Temple. The festival lasts for 9 days and attracts throngs of people every year! It is said that food, and a place to stay is provided FOR FREE for whoever travels along with Matsu during that time.

Then from there, I walked over to the the Xiluo Guang Fu Temple. I was immediately attracted to this temple due to its use of bright colors. This is also a very old temple, with more than 300 years of history and also worships Goddess Mazu. 

The temple roof is green, while the temple door is elaborate and uses the color purple! 

Even inside the temple, there are colorful holy pillars. The interesting thing about this temple is that every year, for the past 8 years, this temple has been taking their Goddess Mazu onto the freeway and onto freeway rest stations to pray and ensure that there are fewer highway accidents and incidents in the coming year. There are intriguing photos online of the Goddess Mazu making her way through Taiwanese freeways!

Lastly, I visited the Chenwen Academy (Civil Shrine Temple) 振文書院. This was a traditional school for scholars. This was built roughly 200 years ago, during the Qing Dynasty. During that time, there were 4 such academies of Yunlin. This is the only surviving academy from that time period.  As a result, it has been restored as a national monument. It is also a relaxing place, with a quiet park across the street.

How to get there: You can catch the Kuo-Kuang Freeway Bus to Xiluo Bus Station 西螺轉運站 and walk around Xiluo to reach all the places mentioned above. All the places (except Xiluo Bridge) are within a 10 min. walking distances from the bus station.

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