Xiluo Yanping Old Street is a historic district in Xiluo Township, Yunlin County, preserving 142 surviving shophouses with Japanese colonial-era Baroque-style facades, most built between the 1920s and 1940s. Soy sauce tourism factories, rice shops, and snack stalls line the street, which is within walking distance of Xiluo Bridge — a truss bridge that opened to traffic in 1953 and was once the longest of its kind in the Far East.
Xiluo's Yanping Road old street preserves 142 surviving shophouses from the Japanese colonial era, most with Baroque-style facades built between the 1920s and 1940s. The nearby Xiluo Bridge was completed on December 25, 1952 and opened to traffic on January 28, 1953; spanning 1,939 meters, it is a Warren truss steel bridge — not a suspension bridge — and was once the world's second-longest bridge after San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, earning it the nickname 'the Far East's first great bridge.'
Highlights of Xiluo Yanping Old Street
Xiluo is an important township on the south bank of the Zhuoshui River. During the Japanese colonial period, urban realignment gave Yanping Road a uniform row of qian-zi-jiao (arcade) shophouses. The surviving shopfront facades are primarily Baroque-style decorations built between the 1920s and 1940s; the gable-end ornaments blend Western classical column motifs with local Taiwanese patterns, and the decorative designs on each building's facade differ, forming an architectural museum route along which you can study the variations from building to building.
Xiluo is known for its soy sauce and rice food industries. Along Yanping Road there are soy sauce tourism factories and exhibition halls where you can learn about the traditional methods and modern production lines of black soybean-fermented soy sauce. The street still has local businesses in active operation, including traditional rice shops, general stores, traditional Chinese pastry shops, and various snack stalls. This commercial activity keeps the old street lively and everyday, rather than being replaced by purely tourism-oriented commerce.
How to Make the Most of Your Visit
Practical Information
Getting There and Time
- Xiluo has no train station; the nearest station is Dounan. From Dounan, take a bus to Xiluo, about 30 minutes; by car, exit at the Xiluo interchange on National Highway 1, about a 10-minute drive.
- The old street is open all day; individual store hours vary, and some traditional snack vendors are closed on Mondays. Check differences between weekdays and weekends on your own.
- Soy sauce tourism factory opening hours differ by establishment; confirm before setting out, as some require advance booking for guided tours.
Nearby Connections
- Can be paired with Dounan Wanxing Temple and its old street to plan a half-day comparison route of two Japanese colonial-era shophouse old streets in Yunlin.
- Erlun Township's rural cycling route is about a 20-minute drive from Xiluo; you can extend the trip to experience the rural scale of the Zhuoshui River plain.
Sources: Xiluo Township Office and Cultural Heritage Bureau, Ministry of Culture shophouse survey data. Photos pending replacement with Dio's own shots.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Japanese colonial-era shophouses survive on Xiluo Yanping Old Street?
About 142 shophouses from the Japanese colonial era survive along the street.
Is Xiluo Bridge a suspension bridge?
No, Xiluo Bridge is a Warren truss steel bridge, not a suspension bridge.
When did Xiluo Bridge open to traffic?
It was completed in December 1952 and officially opened to traffic on January 28, 1953.
What industries is the old street known for?
Xiluo is known for its soy sauce and rice food industries, with soy sauce tourism factories, traditional rice shops, and local snacks along Yanping Road.
Sources
- 西螺大橋 — 維基百科：完工/通車日期、橋型（華倫式桁架橋）、長度數據
- 西螺大橋通車70年：曾是亞洲最長橋樑 — 關鍵評論網報導：西螺大橋歷史地位
- 【歷史街區】愛上西螺｜青年返鄉為老街注入文化新活力 — 公視我們的島：延平老街現存142棟日治街屋數據