By KHT Staff
PINGTUNG — Jhutian Township (竹田鄉) in Pingtung County (屏東縣) offers a relaxed half-day route for visitors looking for Hakka food, historic architecture, and slow travel without packing too much into one itinerary.
United Daily News reported that the route centers on the area around Jhutian Station (竹田車站), one of Pingtung’s few well-preserved wooden train stations from the Japanese colonial period. The station was built in 1919, when it was known as Tonbutsu Station (頓物驛), and has since been registered as a historic building.
A suggested first stop is the Yu Ding Shing Soy Sauce Jhutian showroom (豆油伯屏東竹田展示館), where visitors can sample soy sauce products and try soft-serve ice cream in rotating flavors. One recent option was black soy milk ice cream, which could be paired with the company’s soy sauce or chili sauce for a more unusual local twist.
Near the station, visitors can also stop at a 53-year-old Hakka-style savory tangyuan shop (竹田鹹湯圓), known for dishes such as savory glutinous rice balls, “big pot” vegetables, and sesame sauce noodles. The tangyuan are filled with pork and flavored with fried shallots.
For a slower afternoon stop, the route recommends Fongmingyuan Musashi Coffee (豐明園武藏咖啡), a restored old house near Jhutian Station. The building was once the home of former councilor Tseng Chin-hua (曾勤華) and was restored beginning in 2015, with the cafe preserving the structure’s old-house character while adding nostalgic Taiwanese decor.
Another nearby stop is the Jhutian Township Farmers’ Association (竹田鄉農會), where visitors can find a local honey-lemon Kuai Kuai (乖乖) snack sold through a vending machine.
The route ends with the Old Master Q mural village in Meilun Village (美崙村), about 10 minutes by car from Jhutian Station. The murals were painted by Joseph Wong Chak (王澤), the second-generation creator of the classic comic character Old Master Q (老夫子), whose wife is from Meilun. Several homes in the village feature colorful hand-painted scenes, making it a popular photo stop.
