Take a trip to Nantou's Treasure Island Era Village – savor time and journey through olden days

▲ I really love this sulky kid~~~

Photos & Text byMIKA’s Food Adventure Journal

Nantou’s Caotun Treasure Island Era Village has been dedicated to creating shared, cherished memories for Taiwanese people. It offers you a journey back in time, taking you back to the old streets and nostalgia of my parents’ generation. It’s a perfect place to bring the elderly along.

Elders will have endless topics to chat about and countless old stories to share, all while wearing knowing smiles full of resonance, happily grinning from start to finish!! Young visitors, on the other hand, will find it refreshing, as if stepping onto the set of a retro TV drama, where actors casually stroll by as if oblivious to your presence, adding to the incredibly realistic vibe. It’s a really fun place.

Treasure Island Era Village covers a vast area, with a nearby Caoxiedun Night Market, and the parking lot is huge too!!


There’s even a child deity (San Taizi) greeting you at the entrance – such a grand welcome!!


There’s also a lively drum performance to welcome you upon entry.


Though we weren’t overly curious at first, we soon found ourselves immersed in the old-time atmosphere, and it was quite an amusing experience.

Did the street lighting back then really have to be this dramatic?


The area is divided into sections such as Hakka Village, Indigenous Peoples’ Area, Military Dependents’ Village, and Temple Street Snacks...


This should be the Hakka section – that tricycle boy is doing a great job, acting as authentic scenery.


Actors in period costumes often casually walk past you here, making the experience even more immersive.

It really feels like a giant film set – all these are constructed backdrops, and we’re just the day’s extras.


The scenes are actually quite well done, except for the wires that keep giving it away...


Even the barbershop is authentically recreated. Look at the sofa in the bottom right – the color is super retro!! My uneducated friend (Ah Mu) said it’s exactly the same as back in the day... This really takes me back to Ah Mu’s era~~~


The “Bao Ma Zai” blends right into the crowd and strikes playful poses when he sees the camera – so lively...


The shops inside are worth browsing, and their interiors are super retro too.


For example, this soap shop is thoroughly retro, and they actually sell vintage-style natural soaps~


No worries about going hungry here – there are plenty of snack stalls...

Selling buns is only truly satisfying when done this way!!


Old movie posters used to be painted.

Black Swan is truly an old brand – timeless and classic.


Vintage lanterns paired with painted movie posters create a strong old-world charm.


Modern people really stand out here, looking quite out of place XDD


There’s also a canteen area, basically a food street!! Though the options aren’t many, the prices are pretty reasonable.


We chose to eat at this place called Huangpin Overlord Pig’s Trotter... The flavor here is quite unique – everything is on the sweeter side. It’s not bad, but we’re not used to it. Probably from the south~~


Looking at old movie posters is really quite fun~


This must be the Veteran Village area.


Eating here feels like blending in with the set.


How about an Indigenous sausage?


They even moved the Jiufen Railway Station here—wow!!




This train even whistles and puffs smoke—it’s pretty realistic!!


Step into the time tunnel—what do you see~~~

"Increase production for the nation"—actually, that's still a slogan today's government should strive for.


Whether it's street food stalls or restaurants here, everything is done in a retro style. That feeling shows real care.

They've also specially incorporated the old tea-serving culture and classic carnival games often seen at night markets today.


A traditional three-section compound hosting a banquet—but this restaurant is the real deal!!


And there's even a stove café~~~

My uncle said old hotels really looked like this—it has a rather ambiguous vibe.


Brothels used to look like this too, with women standing outside to solicit customers.


An open-air theater—we now call them mosquito cinemas.


A small grocery store built from a grain silo, selling local specialties and such.


Got a stomach growl? Here they have drinks, tofu pudding, and more...


Taiwan Lottery’s Big Lotto—they actually sell lottery tickets here!!


It’s just a grocery store.


If you just walk around and window-shop at Baodao Times Village, that’s really too boring~~ There are also fantastic performances here, with timings shown in the picture.


I found that Baodao Times Village is really committed to promoting Taiwan’s unique folk performance troupes. At 11 a.m., there's a performance by the Electric-Temple-Three-Princes featuring "Beep Beep Beep" and the Horse Riding Dance, which makes kids cheer with joy.


The Electric-Temple-Three-Princes perform "Beep Beep Beep" to a Jay Chou song.

The Electric-Temple-Three-Princes perform the Horse Riding Dance.


The 1 p.m. show is even more exciting, featuring the God of Land, generals, lion dance troupes, and more. Personally, I think the most impressive is the Thunder War Drum performance—the sound of the drums is absolutely thunderous~~~


Lion dance performance.

Thunder War Drum performance.


Right at the exit, there’s a Formosa Market—you can check that out too~~~


There’s a massage master here who only comes on Saturdays. After his massage, he’ll tell you where your body has issues and what needs work. The sore spots will feel much better afterward—he’s got 18 years of experience, after all!! But he’s only here on Saturdays, so you’ll have to be lucky to meet him XD.


The scenery here leans more toward a Japanese style.

Maybe it’s depicting Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period~~~


Baodao Times Village recreates Taiwan’s early glory days to let people relive the beauty of the past, introduce younger generations to the times their elders lived in, and together savor the taste of bygone eras. It gives the elderly a place to reminisce about old memories and stories. Though those times may never return, having a place for nostalgia is a kind of happiness too.

This place is perfect for bringing elders and foreign friends to visit, allowing them to experience Taiwan’s lively and fascinating folk performance culture as well as see the living environment of early Taiwanese people. It’s a really interesting spot, especially the folk performances — they feel incredibly warm and familiar ^^


【Baodao Times Village】

Address:No. 1039, Zhongzheng Road, Caotun Township, Nantou County, 542
Contact Number:(049) 2305000
Admission:Weekday ticket: NT$150 / Holiday ticket: NT$250 (NT$100 can be used as store credit)

Traveling out is to return to where you came from more profoundly

MIKA’s Travel & Food Diary