Tuku (土庫鎮) is a township of 29,000 people (2018) in Yunlin County, Taiwan.
Understand
[edit]The township's main agricultural products are garlic, peanuts, and rice. It produces about 80% of Taiwan's garlic. Tuku Town is also famous for its honey industry.
The population of Tuku Town is mainly concentrated in the two settlements: Tuku and Maguang.
Get in
[edit]Get around
[edit]
Map of Tuku
The town center is small enough to be navigated by bicycle. However, visitors should beware since there are few footpaths and you are usually forced to ride on the road.
See
[edit]Culture and history
[edit]- 1 Tuku Story House (土庫故事屋), No. 59, Chenggong Road, ☏ +88657505005. W-Su 10:00-18:00. An old timber house which serves as a kind of community and heritage center. This building is a Japanese-style wooden dormitory building.
- 2 Former Tuku Township Office (原土庫庄役場), No. 252, Zhongshan Road, ☏ +88656629172. Tu-Su 10:00-17:00. An old building built in Japanese style which previously housed the government offices for the area.
- The wooden building of Tuku No. 1 Market (in front of Tuku Shuntian Palace Temple). The building retains the characteristics of the cypress structure in the early post-war period. It is used as the venue for the regular cultural and creative market "Rolling Trousers Market.
- 3 Yunlin County Private Yongnian High School, No. 13, Jianguo Road. Established in the 51st year of the Republic of China, the campus architectural style is Western classical architecture. The Wenyin Building was established in 1961. The roof is French dormer windows, the outer wall is hollow brick, and the pillars are Roman columns. Father You Xuande was a representative of the National Assembly, so Huang Jilu, the Minister of Education at one time, inscribed the8 characters "Yongnian Middle School" and "Wenyin Building" on the building, and Jiang Fucong, the first director, inscribed the four characters "Fraternity and Sacrifice".
Temples
[edit]- 4 Shuntian Temple (順天宮). It is the central temple of the Tuku settlement, dedicated to Mazu. It is a county-designated historic site. "Mazu Yingwaixiang" and so on reflect the people's trust in the temple's efficacy. In addition to ancient wood carvings, stone carvings, Jiaozhi pottery, etc., the temple also houses many cultural relics from the Tuku area during the Japanese occupation period, such as the Japanese-style shrines used for celebrations at that time.
- 5 Nantian Temple (南天宮), ☏ +88656653535. A moderate-sized temple complex with an ornate green roof.
- 6 Tiansheng Temple (天聖府).
Do
[edit]Buy
[edit]- 1 Tuku First Market (舊土庫第一市場), No. 62, Datong Road. An historic wooden market building where you can still pick up some local crafts.
- Tuku Morning/Evening Market: The public market in Tuku Town on Renmei Street (but the morning market is still dominated by temporary stalls on both sides of Zhongzheng Road and Zhongshan Road)
- Maguang Morning Market: At the intersection of Maguang Road and Zhongxiao Street, there are temporary stalls in the Maguang Public Market and Lianglu Road.
- Ma Kuang Miaokou Market (Morning): Located in the square in front of Ma Kuang Shun’an Temple, it is a small market with various breakfast stalls.
- Ma Kuang Twilight Market: Temporary vendors on Ma Kuang Heping Street and along the street.
- Ma Kuang Miaokou Market (evening): Located in the square in front of Ma Guang Shun'an Temple, it is a small market with mainly snack stalls (different from the stalls in the morning). Because it is close to the Ma Kuang Dusk Market, it has actually been integrated with it.
- Tuku Night Market: Open every Monday, a public open space on Changrong Street, Tuku Town.
- Maguang Night Market: Open every Wednesday, at the intersection of Maguang and Renai in Tuku Town, diagonally opposite Maguang Elementary School.
Eat
[edit]- 1 Zhang Jia Beef Noodle Restaurant (張家牛肉麵), No. 177, Maguang Road, ☏ +88656651836. 11:00-21:00. Typical Taiwan-style beef noodles.
Markets
[edit]- 2 Ma Guang Huanghun Market (馬光黃昏市場), No. 17, Heping Street, ☏ +886935593382. Tu-Su 14:00-20:00. A covered market with stalls selling fresh produce as well as a number of cooked food vendors.
- 3 Maguang Night Market (馬光夜市). W 17:00-23:00.
- 4 Tuku Night Market (土庫夜市), No. 49, Zhangrong Street. M 17:00-23:00.
Vegetarian
[edit]- 5 Tuku Vegetarian (土庫素食店), No. 96, Zhongzheng Road, ☏ +88656622266. Tu-Sa 06:00-13:30.
Drink
[edit]- 1 Homeland BBQ Bar (故鄉燒烤啤酒吧), ☏ +886909105690. 19:00-02:00. Also sells a range of seafood dishes.