Shiding Handmade Double Adventure Mini Tour: Family Fun and Heritage Flavors

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Photos and text provided by New Taipei City Government’s Department of Tourism and Travel

Organized by New Taipei City Government’s Department of Tourism and Travel, the “Shiding & Pinglin Tea Country Mini Tour” promotes small-group boutique travel experiences in the Shiding and Pinglin areas. With two main themes—“Handmade Heritage Flavors” and “Tea Culture”—two carefully curated itineraries have been designed:the “Shiding Heritage Handmade Mini Tour”andthe “Shiding & Pinglin Tea Country Mini Tour”.

The most popular of these, the “Shiding Heritage Handmade Mini Tour,” focuses onhands-on experiencesand is a favorite itinerary forfamily outings.It also includes visits to local homes. Along Shiding Old Street, which is built along the stream, you’ll findstilted houses,century-old stone dwellings, a blacksmith shop that has been passed down through three generations, and the chance to tastehand-pulled noodlesmade using traditional craftsmanship, as well asmaltose syrupboiled using age-old wood-fired methods.The Shiding Handmade Mini Tour takes you deep into the homes of locals, where fun and engaging hands-on activities, delicious heritage flavors, and unforgettable memories await you this autumn.

▲ At the Xu Family Handmade Noodles in Shiding, Master Xu personally guides you through the traditional process of making handmade noodles.

The first stop of the itinerary is a visit toXu Family Handmade Noodles in Shiding,where Master Xu personally guides participants through the traditional process of making handmade noodles. Working together with family and friends, you’ll twist thick noodles into fine, thread-like strands. Through the tactile experience, feel the extension and elasticity of each strand. You can even hold a jump rope competition—surprising new ways to enjoy noodles—and you can also package some finished noodles to take home..

▲ The Bamboo Cypress Garden Malt Extract is slowly simmered over a wood fire using traditional methods by Grandpa Zhengbang, following time-honored techniques that involve multiple elaborate steps to produce a natural and highly nutritious malt extract.

Next, head toBamboo Cypress Garden Malt Extract, made by GrandpaZhengbangusingtraditional wood-fired methodsthrough a series of complex processes to create a natural and nutrient-rich malt extract. Listening to Grandpa Zhengbang explain the traditional production process reveals a deep commitment and passion for natural eating. Watch as flames crackle on the large hearth, boiling pot after pot of malt, while the aroma wafts through the air — a memory of the most natural and sweet scents from childhood.

▲ % In addition to the activities mentioned earlier, you can also experience DIY projects or make osmanthus handmade soap. In the afternoon, walk through the osmanthus-lined paths to gather fresh osmanthus blossoms and craft your own additive-free homemade osmanthus wine to bring home.

Lunch is served atOsmanthus Farm. Starting from the lunar August, when osmanthus begins to bloom, various dishes infused withosmanthusoffer refreshing and sweet flavors. Sit amid the osmanthus farm, surrounded by its fragrant air, and savor dishes such as osmanthus-flavored pork trotters, osmanthus tofu rolls, and osmanthus candy lotus root — each bite is pure happiness.After the meal, you can also try your hand at making osmanthus wine DIY or osmanthus handmade soap. In the afternoon, stroll through the osmanthus forest path to pick fresh osmanthus and create your own natural, additive-freeosmanthus wineto take home, letting the sweet scent of osmanthus accompany you all the way back.

▲ Work together with family and friends to stretch thick noodles into fine strands as thin as silk, feeling their elasticity and delicate texture through your hands.

Finally, visitShiding Old Streetto see the unique stilted building structures that reflect the early lifestyle of Shiding residents — simple, serene, yet somewhat melancholic.

The New Taipei City Shiding-Pinglin Tea Country Mini-Tour begins registration on October 7,with departures starting October 14, every Tuesday to Friday, conducted in small-groupboutique tourformat, with each group limited tofewer than 20 people,capped at 500 participants in total.，The registration fee is NT$800 per person.。

※Registration method: Online registration,New Taipei City Tourism Network http://tour.ntpc.gov.tw