Lukang Taichung blog — Explore the ancient beauty of Lukang Old Street & Molu Lane in Taichung

Enjoying the nostalgic sights of Lukang Ancient Town in Taichung would be a remarkable experience that Living Nomads suggests to you this spring. As one of the top tourist destinations for Vietnamese travellers, Taiwan possesses irresistibly fascinating culture and splendid scenery. With a larger area than Jeju, cooler weather than Thailand, and modern facilities as Singapore, a spring trip to Taiwan exploring its special cultural and natural beauty is undoubtedly one of life’s greatest pleasures. So, what’s hot in Lukang Old Street Taichung (Lukang Old Street Taiwan)? Let’s check out our Lukang Taichung blog to explore the ancient beauty of Lukang Taichung old street – THE BIZARRE “CHEST-TOUCHING” ALLEY IN TAIWAN and Molu Lane to find out the answer!

Common hot spots in Taiwan are usually the three metropolitan cities of Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. While Taipei is famed for being the most hustling and bustling, Kaohsiung is no less lively and energetic, then Taichung makes itself known with the peaceful and poetic ambiance. In this article, Living Nomads will take you on a journey to delve into the highlights of Taichung, including the little yet charming Lukang town. Let’s go!

Explore Lukang Old Street Taichung (Lugang Ancient Town) and “Chest-touching” (Molu Lane) in Taichung

The magnificent 200-year-old beauty and the lane with such an eccentric name “Chest-touching” Alley have made Lukang Town a must-visit attraction when going to Taichung. 

Exceptional beauty of Lukang Old Street Taichung (Lukang Old Street Taiwan, Lukang Taichung)

Attracting a great number of residents from the Ming Dynasty (1300s-1600s), Lukang has a profound history of over hundreds of years. The name Lukang, which means “Deer Harbor” in Chinese, first appeared because back then the natural vicinity of the harbour had many lush green pastures drawing large herds of deer. Up until now, traces of the past are still clearly imprinted on every corner of this ancient village. From significant landmarks to each and every road built of archaic red moss-covered bricks, all steadily withstand the flow of time, all created a nostalgically beautiful and poetic atmosphere for Lukang. Coming to this small ancient town especially on Tet holiday, you will surely have unforgettable memories.

The first famous site of the town is the famous age-old architecture, one of which is the house of the Ding’s Family tucked away in a dull building on one of Lukang’s busy shopping streets. Each of its reddish weathered roof tiles was stacked on top of one another in an arc. The main pillars were exquisitely carved into the body of the dragon. Here is one notable fact: this is the sole authentic house of ancient scholars left in Lukang.

The second symbol of Lukang is ancient Buddhist temples such as Longshan Temple,  Tianhou Temple, etc. Longshan Temple was built on an area of more than 10,000 square meters with the distinctive oriental architectural style like a dragon- or carp-shaped carvings and yin & yang circle.

Made up of more than 70,000 fragments of glass, the Glass Mazu Temple (also known as Tianhou Temple, Thean Hou Temple) is one of the most unique constructions in Lukang. At night-time, visitors will be overwhelmed by the majestically brilliant lights as reflected in these sparkling glass pieces. If travelling to Lukang in the spring, do not forget to pray for a lucky and peaceful year for your family at these spiritual destinations!

Lukang Folk Museum is the next destination on your must-visit list for spring travel. Built in the style of Fujian architecture in the 1970s, the mansion has an outer appearance that is familiar to the audience through movies about wars on the island. The government decided to choose this mansion as Lukang Folk Museum, not only to attract tourists but also to preserve the cultural beauty of Lukang.

See more: Lukang Old Town Day Trip.

Having such a one-of-a-kind name, “Chest-touching” Alley (Molu Lane) has always triggered the tourists’ curiosity when visiting Lukang Ancient Town. Chest-touching Alley is located between two rows of ancient houses with the width only ranging from 49 to 59cm, just enough for one person to pass. That’s why, if adding another person, surely people will be “touching the chest”. A series of check-in photos with hilarious posing styles has made quite a charm for this alley. Coming to Lukang, you cannot miss out on this “touching” opportunity!

Interesting signature specialties of Lukang Old Street Taichung

In Lukang, you can spoil yourself with plenty of scrumptious seafood delicacies. One popular dish is Lukang monkey-shrimps, a common name for fried mud shrimps with basil leaves. Despite its kinda strange taste, many people show excitement when enjoying this odd yet tasty dish for the first time.

Lukang monkey-shrimps are cooked from the mud shrimps with tough and firm meat. Mud shrimps must be fried with a moderate fire level so that they won’t get too dry and still keep the freshness and sweetness. When finished, Lukang monkey-shrimps dish has the savoury taste of crispy and chewy, golden-brown deep-fried battered shrimps as well as the strong spicy flavour of basil leaves, becoming a delicious street snack in the cold days. This is the signature dish of Taiwan as while other countries choose to stir fry, Taiwan chooses to deep fry. The reason behind this cooking style is because fried shrimps can retain more dryness and have sweeter meat.

For spring travel in Taichung, besides Lukang Town visitors still have many other appealing touristic options such as exploring Alishan, cycling around Sun Moon Lake or admiring the heavenly sunset in Gaomei Wetlands, is blessed with stunning natural scenery promising to give you thousands of memorable photos. A trip at the beginning of the new year may be more enjoyable since the weather becomes more pleasant than that at the end of the year. And if you start your trip at the end of February, you can also have a chance to observe cherry blossoms.

Some small useful tips from Living Nomads if you are planning to visit Taichung

There are many ways to reach Taichung, you can fly straight from the flight routes or choose a flight to Taipei and travel from the North to the South of Taiwan Island: 

Going to Taichung from Vietnam: There are already direct flights from Vietnam (Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City) to Taichung. Flight tickets are frequently preferential, you should schedule your trip in advance to be able to get tickets at reasonable prices! Some typical airlines: Vietnam Airlines, VietjetAir, China Airlines, EvaAir, …

Going to Taichung from another city in Taiwan: You can travel by car or HSR (High Speed Rail Subway). Transportation infrastructure in Taiwan is very developed. HSR trains can speed up to 300km/h, hence greatly shortening transfer time. How convenient!

Link to buy HSR tickets with 20% off to Taichung from: Taipei | Kaohsiung | Taoyuan | Chiayi

Have you got a Taiwan visa yet? If you have ever had a visa to developed countries like Korea, Japan,… then you are exempted from getting a  Taiwan visa. Travellers to Taiwan also don’t forget to equip yourself with a 4G sim so you can access online and upload your beautiful photos anytime and anywhere you want. So pack up and meet at this wonderful island of Taiwan!

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, to and from Taichung you can refer to

• Gaomei Wetland & Rainbow Military Community
• THSR One Way Ticket to or from Taichung
• Day tour to visit Cingjing Farm from Taichung
• [10% Off + 1 Extra Free Day] 4G SIM Card (TW Airport Pick Up) for Taiwan from Chunghwa Telecom
• 4G SIM Card (TPE Airport Pick Up) for Taiwan from Far EasTone Telecom
• 4G WiFi (TW Airport Pick Up) for Taiwan
• [Sale – Taiwan Food Promo] Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Discounted Ticket from Taipei

Are you looking for more top things to do in Taichung: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Taichung blog — The fullest Taichung travel guide for a wonderful budget trip to Taichung, Taiwan.