Longtan is a municipal district in the south of Taoyuan City. The main dialect spoken here is Hakka. It is named after Longtan Lake in the center of the district. In 2005, Longtan won first place as the most distinctive township in Taiwan in an online vote organized by CommonWealth Magazine. In the same online contest, Longtan was voted the second most famous township in Taiwan. It also won third place for being a smiley town, and for making people feel most happy. In addition, it’s also one of Taiwan’s top ten ideal places to retire. In 2014, Taoyuan County was upgraded to a municipality directly under the Central Government, and Longtan Township was reorganized into Longtan District, and the villages in the district were changed to boroughs.
Taoyuan Longtan has experienced the rise and fall of Taiwan's tea production. In its heyday, there were hundreds of tea factories here, but with the drop in Taiwan’s price advantage in the tea industry, many large factories have closed and sold their land. Today, there are only a handful of tea factories left, and they have been transformed into a fine tea industry. At present, the leisure and cultural tourism industry, which combines creative and traditional Hakka culture, as well as the development of a new style of rich, diverse and sustainable community industry, is the direction of Longtan’s development.
Longtan Lake | 龍潭大池
Longtan Lake, also known as Longtan Tourist Pond, is the most famous landmark in Taoyuan’s Longtan district. Originally an irrigation pond, a Buddhist temple was later built on the small island in the middle of the lake, making the overall landscape very elegant. With the backdrop of the Longtan Bridge, the lake has become an important recreational area for tourists. Every year, during the Dragon Boat Festival, dragon boat races are held here, often attracting a large number of tourists. In addition to providing people a great place for strolling and leisure activities, the lakeside park beside Longtan Lake also has a dragon-shaped slide made of cement, stone and tile. The special dragon body shape is quite eye-catching, and park is a place many parents take their children to on weekends.
Fuyuan Tea Factory | 福源茶廠
Founded in 1903, Fuyuan Tea Factory is located in Longtan’s Rugu Mountain in Taoyuan. It is now operated by the fifth generation of owners and has a history of 100 years. In the beginning, it only acquired tea from farmers, which was processed in Taipei’s Dadaocheng district and then exported to all parts of the world. In 1949, the founder established a factory to transform the processing of tea for exports into a mechanized mass production. Even today, you can still see the non-stop operation of the European tea making machines. Over the years, Fuyuan Tea Factory has won numerous awards. Its main production and hot-selling tea products are "No. 18 Black Tea" made from Taiwanese tea, as well as the rubbed cut tea (CTC) that are not seen anywhere else. Of course, it also makes the famous Taoyuan Longtan tea, Oriental Beauty Tea (aka Peng Feng Tea) and sour citrus tea. The tea factory provides DIY activities, such as picking tea leaves, rubbing tea leaves in a cloth, rubbing black tea, and grinding tea powder, for tourists to experience the tea making process. Coupled with the detailed tour in the tea factory, visitors can learn about Longtan's local tea culture.
Sankeng Old Street | 三坑老街
Sankeng Old Street, also known as Sankengzi Old Street, is located in Longtan District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan. It is an early development area for Longtan District and is known as Longtan First Street. The word “keng” or "pit" in the Hakka dialect means a stream or a canal, and the Sankeng area was once a prosperous pier on the river. Later, due to the reconstruction of Taoyuan Dam, the water level of the Dahan River plummeted and the commercial function of Sankeng gradually declined. Nonetheless, Sankeng Old Street today still preserves traditional Hakka culture. It not only has local Hakka snacks, but also rural scenery suitable for enjoying while cycling. The distinct old street attracts many visitors, as well as movie and TV drama film crews who shoot scenes here.
Daping Red Bridge | 大平紅橋
Daping Red Bridge, once voted as one of the top 100 national historic buildings, is located in Sankeng Village, Longtan District. Because the whole bridge is constructed of red bricks, it is called Hong Qiao or Red Bridge. The bridge was built in 1923 by the villagers of Taiping and Sankeng. It was built using the same clear water bricks as the Taoyuan Fortress. The bridge is about ten meters long and spans the Tiekeng River. In the past, it was the main contact point for the Daping villagers and the outside world. There are five bridge arches in total, which are elegant in shape and still intact. Recently, it has become a popular scenic attraction due to netizens posting pictures of it on social networking sites. At present, the areas near Daping Red Bridge have been turned into a water activities park, which has become a good place for local residents and tourists to relax.