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The Balian River Recreational Trail lies along the pristine Balian River, which runs the length of Sanzhi District and is the area’s main waterway. Legend says that eight families once came here to farm, building their homes beside the valley and forming the settlement known as “Baxian Village.” To meet daily needs, numerous irrigation channels—large and small—were dug, giving villagers water for washing clothes, irrigating fields, generating power, husking rice, and making tea. Stretching roughly 1.79 km, the trail follows both banks of the Balian River below the Putou Bridge. Here the river broadens and flows gently; after restoration, the riverside was turned into the Balian River Recreational Trail. It has become both a local riverside park for escaping summer heat and a well-known tourist spot in New Taipei City. Currently closed to fishing to protect the fish, the crystal-clear stream lets you watch fish darting through the water. Old waterwheels clack softly, their trickling song accompanying you past “beauty-leg” water-bamboo fields. Walk the trail, feel the fresh country breeze, and let the hush of nature wash away city dust—pure serenity.