Tainan Travel

Guanziling Scenic Area is located in the eastern side of Baihe District and is a famous tourist attraction in Tainan, surrounded by Pillow Mountain, Tiger Mountain, Dajian Mountain, Jigong Mountain and other peaks, set in a tranquil valley surrounded by mountains. Other attractions of the scenic area include the Fire and Water Spring, Huoshan Biyun Temple, Dongshan Coffee, Hot Spring Old Street, Xianyun Bridge, Huo Wangye Temple, Lingding Park, Baoquan Bridge, and the old and new Haohan Trail, all of which are must-see attractions when visiting Guanziling.

Guanziling Hot Spring Park

Guanziling Hot Spring has been famous since the Japanese era and is one of the four most renowned hot springs in Taiwan, along with Yangmingshan, Beitou and Sichong River. It is a weak alkaline carbonated spring with a temperature of about 75 degrees Celsius. The water is grayish-black in color and contains salts and sulfur, as well as mud. Therefore, it can be bathed but not drunk. After soaking, the whole body is soothed and the skin is smooth and clean. According to historical records, Guanziling Hot Spring is a natural mud spring, and is known as "the best spiritual spring in the world" and has the effect of nourishing beauty and strengthening the body.

Baoquan Bridge is a must-cross suspension bridge to visit the source of the hot springs in Guanziling, and it takes only 10 minutes to go around. The source of the mud hot spring is equipped with a protective fence, so please do not enter for your own safety.

Nowadays, a wooden boardwalk has been set up in the hot spring park that leads to the Haohan Trail and to the Xianyun Bridge in front of the Jin Leh Resort . At night, bright lights along the trees and streams illuminate the wooden paths, which add allure to the nighttime scenery and make the hot spring village feel more romantic and a great pleasure to enjoy a leisurely stroll after a relaxing bath.

Guanziling Old StreetCross the Xianyun Bridge and head into the only street in Guanziling a hundred years ago. Guanziling was already equipped with electric lights in 1920 and was as busy and prosperous as Jiufen. The picture of a kimono-clad lady on the hot spring road in front of Tinshuiyan evokes the glamorous look of the old street. If you want to take a stroll through the old town, you may want to rent a Japanese yukata at the visitor center and take a picture with the beautiful serene scenery.
Guanziling Huo Wangye (Lord of Fire) Temple

In 1902, the Japanese developed the Guanziling Hot Springs and put up a temple dedicated to Acalanātha above the head of the hot springs to pray for peace, but later the Japanese took away the stone monument of the deity, and the people raised money to build the temple and recreated the statue of the deity, which is now known as the Huo Wangye Temple. Every year, operators of the hot spring resorts in Guanziling will ask the owner of the furnace to perform a ritual to ensure that the hot springs will continue to flow, so the "Lord of Fire" can be said to be the guardian of the hot springs in Guanziling. Visitors may want to participate in the Fire Lord Festival and experience the fun of riding a mountain cart through the streets, or join the annual Fire Lord Lantern Festival parade at the Guanziling Hot Springs Food Festival.

Lingding Park

Located above the Guanziling Hot Springs area, it is said that this was the first miniature golf course in Taiwan set up by the Japanese in 1932, and is played in a fun way: hitting a ball through a small earthen cave, a small narrow bridge, and a pond island. There are still some remnants of that time in Lingding Park today. The park now brims with flowers and trees, including several tall and huge longan trees, elaborate flower terraces, and a walking path filled with osmanthus trees, offering pleasant surroundings. The most prominent building in the park is the "Dacheng Hall", and on the first floor is the Tourist Information Center (Lingding Information Station) of the Siraya National Scenic Area Administration. The Lingding Park can be connected to both the old and new Haohan Trails.

New and Old Haohan Trail

The Old Hao Han Trail is located at the stairs of the hill below the old Guanziling Elementary School. According to legend, it was built by the Japanese for soldiers to exercise and rehabilitate themselves after being treated for injuries. Because of the steep and numerous steps, climbing up is very hard, so climbing to the summit is considered being a “strong man” (Hao Han in Chinese), hence the name “Hao Han Trail”.

After planning by the city government, the New Hao Han Trail starts from the hot spring entrance, making it a must-see trail for tourists visiting Guanziling. In order for visitors to experience the hot spring village atmosphere, the new trail still has many steps, but compared to the old trail, it provides a more comfortable and safe space for people to stroll and enjoy the scenery of Guanziling.

Guanziling Xianyun Bridge

Located at the entrance to the hot spring old street, it was a wooden bridge over the Yuzitou River a century ago. It was an important bridge in the early days of Guanziling, and was a necessary route for the literati to go up to the mountain to take a dip in the hot spring, and thus many beautiful poems were written here.