David on Formosa

This afternoon I went out to Sanxia to visit the Taipei County Hakka Museum (台北縣客家文化園區). The museum opened a year ago. Although it is built in concrete it incorporates some interesting architecture. One end of the building is built in the style of a round house. These round houses are found in some of the Hakka regions in Fujian and Guangdong Provinces in China. They are often called tulou (土樓), meaning earth buildings. 

I visited some of these buildings while I was in China a few years ago. They really are amazing and even though the modern concrete and brick building at the museum in Sanxia can't really compare to them it was nice to see. Visiting the tulou and Hakka regions of Fujian was one of the main highlights of my travels in China. You can read some more about these places in China here. 

The museum was quite small and detailed the history of the Hakka in the north of Taiwan. Many Hakka arrived in Taiwan at Danshui and settled at various locations in Taipei County. They later became absorbed into the more dominant Hoklo speaking groups but retained some of their Hakka customs. They were then known as fulaoke (福佬客), a combination of Hoklo and Hakka. 

The museum was thoughtfully designed with all signs in Chinese and English. Although the museum was small it was part of a larger complex. There are regular performances and cultural and educational activities held there. 

The museum also had a restaurant and it was a chance for me to sample Hakka lei cha (擂茶) for the first time. This tea is very different to the traditional style Chinese tea. The preparation requires some special equipment and hard work. I have created a photo set at flickr showing the steps involved. 

In summary a mixture of nuts and tea powder is placed into a grinding dish. It is then ground with a stick until it becomes oily. This takes about ten minutes. Some powder is then added and mixed in and then hot water is added. Finally some puffed rice is added and the lei cha is ready to drink.  

After visiting the museum I went to take a few photos of the Minquan Old Street and Zushi Temple. Last time I visited it was a dull grey day and not very good for taking photographs. This time I was able to get some nice shots in the late afternoon light. The Minquan Old Street is still undergoing renovations. I am not sure when they will be finished.

Although Sanxia, with all its new modern apartment buildings, may not appear to offer much, it is rich in attractions and I highly recommend as it an excellent day trip from Taipei.