aeeble

The “Sanduanqi Ancient Trail” is located at the border of Xinpǔ and Qiōnglín Townships in Hsinchu County. It was a path walked by farmers from the village of Xiàshān in Qiōnglín Township as they transported their citrus and other crops to Xinpǔ for sale. It was formed during the Daoguang years of the Qing dynasty. As highway and industrial roads have opened up, the old trail’s function of transportation has long since declined, and it now merely serves as a simple country road in the mountains. However, along the way one can still observe the many citrus groves on the mountainsides, as well as the rustic stone-paved steps and old camphor trees standing alongside the ancient stone pavilions and the earth god. All these quietly tell the stories of times past. In Hakka, “qi” refers to “mountain slope, incline.” “San Duan Qi” refers to the fact that along this ancient trail there are three sections of stone steps (stone qis). To travel from San Duanqi in Xinpǔ to Qiōnglín Township, one must traverse Shí tou kēng mountain, passing in succession through the three sections of stone qis, hence the name.