Zhulian Temple to Changhe Temple, Hsinchu: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from Zhulian Temple to Changhe Temple in Hsinchu: 5 stops, about 4.2 km, about 55 minutes of walking plus about 29 minutes of listening. Start at Zhulian Temple, the Guanyin temple whose prayers for rain in the drought of 1887 earned a plaque from the Guangxu Emperor. Walk to Hsinchu Zoo, founded in 1936 and Taiwan’s oldest zoo on its original site, and round the lake of the Japanese-era Hsinchu Park. Visit the family home of the watercolourist Lee Tze-fan, now his museum, and end at Changhe Temple, the merchants’ Mazu temple of 1742.
- Stops:
- 5
- Distance:
- about 4.2 km
- Walking:
- about 55 min
- Listening:
- about 29 min
Two ways to do this walk
Hsinchu with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsZhulian Temple to Changhe Temple, Hsinchu: how long does the walk take?
About 84 minutes in all: about 55 minutes on foot over about 4.2 km, plus about 29 minutes of audio at the 5 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Zhulian Temple to Changhe Temple, Hsinchu: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Zhulian Temple, Hsinchu Zoo, Hsinchu Park, Lee Tze-fan Memorial Art Gallery, and Changhe Temple. The longest stretch between two stops is about 1.5 km, about 20 min on foot.
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
To get to the first stop, or if you’re far from the route, Google Maps has walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
A Guanyin temple in the East District, honoured by the Guangxu Emperor with a plaque after the drought of 1887, its cut-porcelain decoration largely from a residents’ renovation of 1951.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Hsinchu Zoo · about 1.5 km, about 20 min on foot
Stop 2
Taiwan’s oldest zoo still on its original site, founded in 1936 inside Hsinchu Park and rebuilt around open habitats in place of cages, with its elephant gate of 1949 restored.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Hsinchu Park · about 0.4 km, about 5 min on foot
Stop 3
A Japanese-era park around Li Lake, first planned as a children’s swimming pool, with the restored Lakeside Ryotei of 1931 on its far bank and the city’s glass museum close by.
about 4 min of audio
Next stop: Lee Tze-fan Memorial Art Gallery · about 1.4 km, about 18 min on foot
Stop 4
The family home of the Hsinchu watercolourist Lee Tze-fan on Linsen Road, opened as his museum in 1994, with his studio kept as he worked in it, his diaries and his washed-sheet technique.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Changhe Temple · about 1.0 km, about 13 min on foot
Stop 5
The Outer Mazu Temple of 1742, founded by the shipping merchants’ guild outside the old north gate, with a soft-bodied Mazu from Meizhou and the twin Shuixian Temple beside it.
about 7 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Planning a trip to Hsinchu?
Get your plan
Mappu sketches your days free in the chat, no account needed. Then take the full plan with you:
- Weekend trip, €9.99: Your day-by-day plan plus 2 live walks
- Save your trip’s free guides on your phone in the Mappu app: they play with no signal
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
Route checked by Mappu on November 2, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.