TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – If you want to watch sakura, but wish to get away from crowds during the Lunar New Year holiday, Zhongshe Rd. (中社路) in the mountains of Taipei’s Shilin District is the place for you.

Zhongshe Rd. is a country road tucked in the mountains and is full of rural beauty, Taipei’s Parks and Street Lights Office (PSLO) said in a press release on Jan. 24.

Due to the varying elevations at which they are located, the cherry trees along the road bloom at different times from the second half of January to the end of February, presenting very different views from other parts of the city, the agency added.

As the end of the road is the trailhead of a hiking trail, the traffic on the road is very light during ordinary days, the agency noted. It added that, as the air is also very fresh in the quiet mountains, the road is frequented by cyclists.

PSLO Horticulture Engineering Team leader Hu Hong-wei said that the agency began planting cherry trees along the undulating road in 2010.

To visit Zhongshe Road, get off at MRT Shilin Station, and transfer to a no. 255 bus or a no. 255 shuttle bus (255區間車); or get off at MRT Dazhi Station, and transfer to a BR13 bus (棕13). There are many bus stops along the road.

The green area of the trail close to Alley 35 of Mingxi St. (明溪街35巷) near the Shunaxi Community stop (雙溪社區站) offers a nice bird's eye view of northern Shilin when the weather is sunny and clear, the agency said.

The last stop, Dalunweishan (大崙尾山站), is close to the trailhead of Cuishan Trail (翠山步道), leading to the Dalunweishan (大崙尾山) and Daluntoushan (大崙頭山) hiking trails, and further to the Baishihu Suspension Bridge (白石湖吊橋) and Bishan Temple (碧山巖).

The cherry blossoms along Zhongshe Rd. are especially recommendable to cyclists and hikers who like to relax in quiet and natural environments during the Lunar New Year holiday, the PLSO noted.

(Photo courtesy of the PSLO)

(Photo courtesy of the PSLO)

(Photo courtesy of the PSLO)