Qingjing Farm (清境農場) is a picturesque village located in RenAi Township, in beautiful, mountainous Nantou County. The private farm itself (Evergreen Grasslands) is extremely popular with Asian tourists and Taiwanese, who enjoy watching the “sheep show” where the animals get trimmed, but most foreigners and expats don’t quite understand the point of paying to see this, and prefer to skip this “attraction”.
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Why go to Qingjing Farm?
Qingjing is a nice place to use as a basecamp to visit Hehuanshan, which is about 45 minutes away by car, deeper in the Central Mountain Range. The area is packed with very good Mínsù (民宿 – B&B, guesthouses), and there are quite a few excellent restaurants and cafes too.
There is also a Starbucks, which is, I believe, the highest in Taiwan. So the two main reasons why you should save Qingjing on your map are good lodging and lots of options for food (compared to villages further up the road).
I don’t personally recommend that you plan an entire day around Cingjing Farm. Sure, the views of the surrounding mountains are nice, but it’s not nearly as beautiful as Mt. Hehuan. There is also very little in the way of hiking here. Again, Qingjing’s big neighbor, Hehuanshan, has much more to offer to hikers.
Another reason why Qingjing is not as recommended as Hehuanshan is the fact that it’s really too busy at most times, even on weekdays. The whole area is popular with older Taiwanese tourists who come with tour groups on big buses that clog the main road.
These local tourists come to snap pictures, buy tea, fruit, cabbage, or walk along the elevated “hiking path” which is made of white metal and traverses the whole length of the village. It’s actually a cool thing to do, but again, there are way too many people on that “trail” most of the time.
If you’ll be driving further into the Central Mountain Range to destinations such as Lishan, Hehuanshan, Taroko Gorge, Tianxiang, or even Hualien, make sure that you buy all you need (food, water, snacks) here at the “last 7”.
Evergreen Grasslands 青青草原
The main attraction at Cingjing, and probably one of the busiest sights in all of Nantou County, Evergreen Grasslands has rolling green meadows, farm animals, walking paths that offer splendid views, sheep, and even cowboys! As I mentioned earlier in this article, it’s really busy on weekends, Disneyland kind of crowd!
Address: No. 170號, Renhe Road, Ren’ai Township, Nantou County
8am to 5pm, 200NT$ per person
Eating / Drinking in Qingjing Farm
Ji Da Wang (清境雞大王 – Chicken King) is the place you want to go for a real feast! This restaurant is extremely popular with both locals and tourists. The chicken baked in claypot is seriously delicious, and so are all the other dishes I’ve tried over the years. One really special feature of this restaurant is the extensive beer menu. They have Taiwanese draft beer, IPA from the States, strong brews from Belgium, and even a few German bottles. It’s a really nice spot to have a few pints at night.
Address: No. 224附3, Renhe Road, Ren’ai Township
Business Hours: 11am to 11pm
The last gas station at Cingjing
Don’t miss this one! I repeat: DON’T MISS IT!
The last thing you want is to be stuck in the cold, high mountains on your road trip with an empty tank. The next gas station is past Dayuling, and it closes around 8pm, sometimes earlier. Then after that, the next gas station is all the way on the other side of the island, passed Taroko Gorge, in Xiulin Township.
Cingjing Map
