Qingjing 清境 is a picturesque village located in RenAi Township, in beautiful, mountainous Nantou County. The name Qingjing is used for both the village, and the farm, which is the main attraction here.
The private farm 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”.
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 your entire trip around Qingjing. Sure, the views of the surrounding mountains are nice, but it’s not nearly as beautiful as what you get at Mt. Hehuan. There is very little in the way of hiking here. Again, Qingjing’s big neighbor, Hehuanshan, has much more to offer to hikers and climbers.
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 to 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
Update November 2022: Ji Da Wang restaurant has moved across the street, in a smaller, more “rustic” building. Unfortunately, the beer list has been reduced dramatically, and you can now only have Taiwan beer, Heineken, and Tiger. The menu is the same, but it seems that prices have gone up since last time I visited.
Qingjing Accommodation
As I mentioned before, there are loads of B&Bs around Qingjing, from cheap and basic mountain cabins, to 5-star glamorous hotels, and everything in between. My place of choice is kind of on the budget/basic side of the spectrum. Not a place I would stay with my wife, but I’m always happy to stay here when I’m alone on a solo adventure. I’ll call it the “Teashop B&B”, as it doesn’t have an English name.
Teashop B&B – 杏香紅民宿
The Chinese name for this B&B is 杏香紅民宿, so you can try to copy/paste it on Google Map or your favorite booking website. It’s actually easy to find – it’s about 150m up the road (across) from the last 7-11.
I call it the Teashop B&B because the main business here is making and selling tea. The B&B is behind the teashop. Rooms are basic and kind of old, but always clean. It’s one of the cheapest places to stay in Qingjing, so you should not expect anything luxurious. I never paid more than 1000NT$ a night. It is more expensive if you book online. I always stay here alone, so I guess this is the single-room fare.
Beds are hard and it’s good for your back. Pillows are fine, but certainly not Hilton level. I personally like the fact that they provide a small electrical heater (which I never turn on) and have hooks on the wall (good for OCD). Each room comes with a tiny, tiny desk, next to 4 (yes, 4) electrical sockets, which is awesome if you need to recharge your computer / phone / drone / SLR / Apple watch / power bank, all at the same time.
Address: #210 Renhe Road, Ren’ai Township, Nantou County
Phone: 04 9280 1158
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.
