A must-visit on a one-day trip to Yunlin’s small towns: old streets with traditional craftsmanship of soy sauce heritage flavor

By / Scenic Spots Home compiled report
 
Yunlin, aside from more central attractions such as Beigang Mazu Temple, Huwei, and Douliu, Xiluo Town—renowned for agricultural products like soy sauce, rice, and watermelons—is also highly distinctive. Once an important hub for water and land freight transport in early Taiwan, this once bustling town actually hides many historical traces. Spending a day exploring this simple town can help you uncover a different side of Taiwanese culture.

Xiluo in Yunlin can be considered the homeland of traditional Taiwanese soy sauce. Free visits are available at the century-old soy sauce tourist factory “Marukan Soy Sauce,” established in 1909, which continues the ancient method of brewing black bean soy sauce, producing a mellow-tasting black bean dark soy sauce. While learning about the traditional craft of soy sauce, you can also DIY pot-bottom dark soy sauce, making it a great souvenir.
 
Address: No. 25, Yanping Road, Xiluo Township, Yunlin County

The town’s famous “Xiluo Bridge” is an important roadway spanning Yunlin and Changhua. When it was completed in 1952, it was the world’s second-largest bridge after the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA, and also the longest bridge in Taiwan at the time. It is a must-pass route during the annual Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage in April, and at the end of the year, when Xiluo Xinggong Taiping Mazu goes on her parade, a high-altitude fireworks show is launched from the starting point on Xiluo Bridge, attracting large crowds of tourists every year.

The popular “ruins-style” IG spot “Xiluo Grand Theater” also attracts many visitors. Built in the 1940s, it was called “Xiluo Zuo” or “Old Theater” during the Japanese colonial period. With its Baroque-style exterior, it is located in what was once the most bustling area of Xiluo. It flourished even more during the 1950s and 1960s and was known as the “Xiluo Shinjuku.”
 
Address: No. 2, Guanyin Street, Yung’an Li 7, Xiluo Township, Yunlin County

And on Xiluo’s must-visit “Yanping Old Street,” there are many Baroque-style buildings introduced during the Japanese colonial period. Most are two or three stories high, incorporating locally decorated buildings and ancestral hall signs. These historic structures include grain shops and foreign goods trading firms, each with its own story. The old street also offers plenty of local delicacies like triangular dumplings, Bowl Festival City, and Grass Seed Festival.