The peach, plum, and cherry blossoms are in full bloom at Caopingtou Hilltop—pink and white flowers against a sea of green, creating an absolutely stunning view no matter how you capture it.

Text and photos byDouglas Fang

Visit date: 2017.2.2

This was my first visit to Caopingtou, located in Xinyi Township, Nantou. When I first heard about this spot last year, the cherry blossoms had already faded. Even then, I resolved that in the new year, I would definitely come to Caopingtou in person. On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, I set off from Douliu at 7 AM and arrived at the Yushan Sightseeing Tea Plantation in Caopingtou in roughly 90 minutes. The drive wasn’t too difficult, and the scenery along the way was quite pleasant. My goal in coming to Caopingtou was to witness the once-a-year gathering of cherry, peach, and plum blossoms—all three flowers intertwined with the tea fields.

During the flowering season, traffic control is implemented on weekends at Caopingtou. Vehicles must be parked near the Ming Tunnel on Provincial Highway 21, and visitors take shuttle buses up the mountain. On the day of my visit, which was the first weekday after the holiday, I drove directly to the 110k marker on Provincial Highway 21, turned right at the archway, and arrived at Caopingtou. Within the Yushan Sightseeing Tea Plantation area, there are many tea processing facilities, and the shop owners are happy to let visitors park their cars inside.

Please try not to park along the roadside—for one, it obstructs traffic, and secondly, there’s a risk of collisions between pedestrians and vehicles. On the day I visited, with no traffic control in place, the roadside was packed with cars by noon, making passing very difficult. I also got stuck in traffic for a while when leaving. If you can’t find a parking spot, it’s best to park outside the archway and walk up.

Caopingtou sits at an altitude of around 1,300 meters, and the total area of its tea fields spans approximately 50 hectares. The area is known for its oolong tea. What makes Caopingtou most famous is its expansive, gently undulating tea fields paired with magenta cherry blossoms, pale plum blossoms, and soft pink peach blossoms—creating a visual of “a touch of pink and white amid endless green.” With the brilliant blue sky and mountain backdrops, every angle makes for a breathtaking photo.

At Caopingtou, every small path you turn down reveals a new surprise—different perspectives, different scenes.

When I arrived early in the morning during the flowering season, the place was quite peaceful, with not too many people around. I strolled leisurely and took my time photographing, and the time flew by. At Caopingtou, if you take your time walking and snapping photos, you could easily spend an hour and a half to two hours here—but this varies from person to person. Along the way, there are vendors selling vegetables and snacks, and some tea processing facilities also offer bottled iced teas, so you can take care of meals and refreshments right here.

One thing you absolutely can’t miss at Caopingtou is this pond, covered with fallen cherry blossom petals. Every angle is great for photos, but unfortunately, there were no rapeseed flowers this year at the back, so I couldn’t capture the golden yellow of the flowers complementing the magenta-pink of the cherry blossoms.

Aside from the cherry, plum, and peach blossoms and the tea fields, the mountain views at Caopingtou are also quite beautiful and majestic. I’ll definitely come back to admire the cherry blossoms here in the future. The area is fairly large, with a good variety of flowers, and it’s really relaxing to stroll around slowly. It’s an absolutely recommended cherry blossom spot. Now, you can use the photos I’ve taken to imagine and experience the beauty of Caopingtou—and jot it down so you can come explore it for yourself when you get the chance.

Caopingtou / Yushan Sightseeing Tea Plantation
Address: No. 108, Taiping Lane, Tongfu Village, Xinyi Township, Nantou County (Provincial Highway 21, 110k marker)
Transportation:
Southern route:
1. National Freeway 1 → Changhua System Interchange → National Freeway 3 → Mianjian Interchange (Provincial Highway 3) → Jiji (Provincial Highway 16) → Shuili (Provincial Highway 21) → Xinyi (Provincial Highway 21) → Caopingtou
2. National Freeway 3 → Mianjian Interchange (Provincial Highway 3) → Jiji (Provincial Highway 16) → Shuili (Provincial Highway 21) → Xinyi (Provincial Highway 21) → Caopingtou
Northern route:
1. National Freeway 3 → Zhushan Interchange (Provincial Highway 3) → Jiji (Provincial Highway 16) → Shuili (Provincial Highway 21) → Xinyi (Provincial Highway 21) → Caopingtou
2. National Freeway 3 → Mianjian Interchange (Provincial Highway 3) → Jiji (Provincial Highway 16) → Shuili (Provincial Highway 21) → Xinyi (Provincial Highway 21) → Caopingtou

Douglas Fang
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