Yingge

Yingge (鶯歌區) is in New Taipei in Taiwan. Meaning "parrot song", the name of the town is derived from the parrot shaped rock outcropping slightly north of the town.

Pottery enthusiasts will love Yingge. The town lies roughly an hour south of Taipei by train, and is famous for its high concentration of potters. Some potteries offer lessons in basic pot making.

Plan to spend a full day in Yingge to get the full experience.

Get in

By train

Take a south bound train from Taipei Main Station, a journey of about 35 minutes. Trains run approx every 20 minutes (most are local trains). The high-speed rail line does not serve Yingge. Tickets can easily be purchased the day of travel from the automated machines at Taipei main station.

By car

From Formosa Highway (Highway #3), take the exit to "ShanHsia/Yingge". Yingge is the other side of Shanying Bridge and the Ceramic Museum is located on the left.

Get around

Almost all attractions are located within a 10-minute walk of the train station. It is an easy walk, though there is also the option of a bus as the Taoyuan buses make a stop at the Yingge Ceramic Museum.

See
Yingge Old Street
  • Old Street is a continuous row of pottery and craft shops interspersed with tea houses and cafes. Prices on the ceramics vary widely (US$3 for a set of 5 dinner plates to US$30 a teacup) and is strongly dependent on whether they are for the fine arts or mass markets. When buying mass market ceramics, its advisable to check their surfaces for glazing imperfections.
Yingge Ceramics Museum
  • Ten minutes from Yingge Railway Station is the excellent Yingge Ceramics Museum. The Museum is dedicated to preserving the history of ceramics in Taiwan, which it does through very imaginative and beautiful displays. The museum has a good gift shop and cafe. Address: 200 Wen-hwa Road. Tel:8677 2727. Open: Tu-F 09:30-17:00, Sa-Su 09:30-18:00. The museum is closed on Mondays and national holidays. Admission is free.
  • Yingge Rock (Parrot rock) trail is a short trail (~20 minutes). The trail is located about 10 minutes away from train station by walking. The trail has three entrances. The main trail lifts up to the level of Yingge Stone, from which people can overlook the centre of Yingge area, Dahan creek and parts of Sansia.

Do
  • Experience the DIY (do it yourself) pottery making. Go to the Old Street and find some shops who offer the pottery making class/experience. Make and then design your own pottery. Most of them have the service of shipping the finished product. You can not get the finished product right away since it requires few days of drying and firings.

Buy
  • Ceramics of all kind are available for sale. Tea pots, tea sets, dinner plates, bowls, pots for plants etc. Prices vary with quality.

Eat
  • Grandma's Sushi (阿婆壽司), is a famous sushi booth in the centre of Yingge. It is located in front of the OK Mart, 10 minutes away from train station on foot. Although it looks like just a small booth, there is a big basement seating area. Usually, people order to go, although some dine in the basement. A box of sushi costs NT$25. Other than sushi, they also have miso soup (NT$10), steamed egg (NT$10) and some other typical Taiwanese dishes.

Drink

Sleep

Go next
  • The Yingge station is fairly straightforward. Trains heading back to Taipei all leave from the same platform (platform 2) and depart every 25 min or so.

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