It was finally time to visit Hsinchu Science Park (HSP). The trip by high speed rail was even faster than I’d expected, only about 30 minutes, and we were not going at top speed yet. I’m looking forward to experiencing the full 180 mph when we go all the way from Kaohsiung back to Taipei. I’ve noticed that as we reach around the halfway point of our visit, I keep adding increasingly more things to my bucket list despite having less and less time to do them all. This is definitely a country I could see myself visiting again in the future, solo or otherwise. There is something valuable to discover in every city, as I have come to learn through our short visits to Hsinchu and Taichung.

We visited the Hsinchu Science Park Exploration Museum, sat for a presentation describing the layout and history, and went on a brief bus tour through the science park (which my aching feet sure appreciated). I was looking forward to witnessing the center of semiconductor innovation and production, but I also got to see all the other kinds of technology made from parts that come from Taiwan. There was everything ranging from E-Ink to military-grade drones to artificial joints, all of which they let us play around with. I mistook the femur for an arm bone, but hey I’m not taking Anatomy & Physiology until next semester. During the presentation we learned not only how companies like TSMC contribute to the local economy, but also what their impact is locally. 17% of Taiwan’s GDP came out of the Hsinchu area in 2024. On the other hand, a large portion of the area’s resources such as power and water also are dedicated to HSP. Considering that much of Taiwan’s energy is imported, it’s consequential that science parks take up so much energy. This has led Taiwan to increase incentives for efficient green energy use and water consumption as part of their goal to increase sustainability by 2030. TSMC is able to recycle their water three times, and HSP has moved to outsource their manufacturing more to focus on R&D. All of these developments regarding what HSP is producing, how it goes about it, and who it will partner with will happen rapidly within the next decade.

We then switched gears and went on a cultural visit to Jinshan Temple next, about 15 minutes from HSP. I wonder whether employees of HSP make the commute to the temple before or after going to work, or whether their job hours make it difficult to practice. Jinshan is guarded by twin lions, which are a symbol of the strength of Buddha’s teachings. It is laid out similar to ancient police stations, and if you look up as you enter you see a web-like celing painted in bright reds and blues. This temple is dedicated to the city god of Hsinchu, who is said to be the caretaker of the dead with a book that records all of a person’s deeds. This deity is also said to be an efficacious matchmaker, much like many other city gods. We learned a little more about city gods and their temples, called chenghuangmiao, while touring through this temple. They are unique to each city, as they are the personification of the walls that protect the city. If you break down the name chenghuangmiao, cheng means walls or gate, huang means moat, and miao means temple. This time we all also participated in the incense ritual. There were so many ashes in the burners that you could just drop your stick and it would sink in on its own; I held mine for the sake of the picture though.

In addition to our planned excursions, we made a quick stop at the Rainbow Village while waiting for our hotel check-in time. The story behind it starts with Chiang Kai-Shek and the 600,000 soldiers that came to Taiwan with him as part of the 2 million total people. These soldiers, many of whom had been conscripted off the streets, were essentially cut off from home after the Chinese Civil War ended and the Korean War began. One man in particular, Huang Yung-Fu, began to paint his home and the homes of soldiers around him to cope with this loss. He became known as Grandpa Rainbow, and more artwork was put up within the rainbow village to carry on his legacy after some of his original paintings were vandalized a few years ago. It was really cool to see his art, yet also humbling to walk through the area and recognize that it was once someone’s home.

We parted ways after we settled into the hotel (which had huge rooms and beds, by the way) to get dinner on our own. Malli and I accepted the professors’ open invite to get steak from The Red Ghost. This restaurant was established after a particular food stall became very popular at the local night market, prompting them to open a permanent location. I believe there is another location near to the Fengchia Night Market, which we visited on Day Nine. They served a traditional Taiwanese steak, sizzling on a metal plate on a large wooden block. We were also encouraged to try some corn and spicy soups and cold brew tea. I really appreciated getting to have a nice dinner with some great conversation about the trip we’ve had so far and what we can look forward to doing. Once dinner was over, we continued on with the rest of the class to visit one of the best night markets in Taichung. It was recommended to us by our Uber driver as even better than Fengchia. Hanxi Night Market was large with a variety of foods and games, yet was also very organized and easy to navigate (something I appreciate when traveling with the whole group). My main goal was to hunt down some dessert, and Malli and I ended up settling for some egg puffles before taking an Uber back to the hotel. It’s a bummer that there isn’t a more developed MRT system here: one has to take either a taxi or an Uber to quickly travel across the city.

Next up: a day packed full of cultural visits in Taichung and Lukang!