Xiaoliuqiu has coral reefs and sea turtles. Kenting has white sand and surf bars. But in the first half of 2026, Pingtung County's most-visited destination had none of the above: just a cluster of weathered timber buildings, hand-painted murals, and some very good coffee.
The Numbers That Will Surprise You
Taiwan's Tourism Administration released its first-half 2026 visitor rankings for Pingtung County, and Shengli Xingcun Creative Living Park, a labyrinth of Japanese colonial-era military quarters and postwar Nationalist housing converted into an indie-boutique village, claimed the top spot by a landslide. The site logged 9.04 million visits between January and June, nearly three times the tally of runner-up Checheng Fuan Temple and more than enough to relegate Xiaoliuqiu, the beloved island of snorkeling, stand-up paddleboarding, and scooter circumnavigation, to eighth place on the list.
Yes, eighth. The island with the coral reefs.
What Makes Shengli Xingcun Worth the Trip
The village sits in the heart of Pingtung City and does something beach towns simply can't: it slows you down without boring you. Low-slung timber-frame buildings that once housed Japanese air force officers now shelter ceramics studios, zine shops, specialty coffee roasters, and a bookstore dedicated entirely to southern Taiwan literature. Painted manhole covers and vintage military signage turn an ordinary afternoon stroll into a walking scavenger hunt, with every alley holding something unexpected.
Google reviewers have caught on. With more than 10,000 ratings averaging 4.5 stars, the crowd verdict is consistent: "The area is spread out and great for a slow browse. Walking through it feels relaxing and suits the whole family." That blend of scale, variety, and ease is hard to engineer and harder to fake.
The site also carries two distinct layers of history, which is part of the appeal. The older tier dates to Japan's colonial occupation, when the compound served as officers' quarters for the military air corps. The newer layer arrived after 1949, when Nationalist forces repurposed the buildings as military family housing. Both eras coexist visibly, which is why repeat visitors keep finding something they missed.
Two More Stops Worth Building a Trip Around
Second place went to Checheng Fuan Temple in Checheng Township with 3.16 million visits. Built during the reign of Kangxi Emperor, it is more than 300 years old and the largest Earth God temple in Taiwan, making it an easy detour on the drive toward Kenting. The temple's automated joss paper incinerator, dubbed the "deity's money counter" on social media, has become a spectacle all its own for a very online generation of visitors. Stick around for the street food afterward: mung bean soup, red-yolk salted duck eggs, and locally grown onion snacks make this one of the most satisfying roadside stops in the south.
Pingtung County Civic Park completed the top three at 1.85 million visits. Converted from a former sugar refinery and pulp factory, the 20-hectare park preserves industrial bones, including original floor tiles and rusting smokestacks, alongside open meadows, a waterfront cycling loop, and a well-equipped children's playground. It is the kind of place that earns genuine repeat visits rather than just tourist checkboxes.
The Full Pingtung Top 10 for Trip Planning
For those planning a wider sweep of the county, the complete first-half 2026 rankings run as follows: Shengli Xingcun Creative Living Park, Checheng Fuan Temple, Pingtung County Civic Park, Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area, Sandimen, Pingtung Wangchuan Cultural Museum, Pinping 1936 Cultural Base, Xiaoliuqiu, Chaozhou Railway Park, and Liudui Hakka Cultural Park.
Xiaoliuqiu is still very much worth the trip. The 30-minute ferry from Donggang Harbor (NT$450 each way) drops you on an island where the snorkeling is genuinely excellent and you can circle the whole place by scooter in under an hour. It just has some stiff competition this year.
How to Get There
Pingtung City is 30 minutes by train from Kaohsiung. Shengli Xingcun is a short taxi or scooter ride from Pingtung Station; most shops open around 11 a.m., and a proper visit takes at least two hours, more if you plan to eat and browse. For Checheng Fuan Temple, add roughly an hour's drive south. If you want to tack on Xiaoliuqiu, head to Donggang Harbor from there and catch the next ferry out.
In Full
Taiwan's #1 Travel Spot Has No Beach and 9 Million Visitors Love It
Original Article In Chinese
（Related：
Connecting the Tech Corridor: How HSR Pingtung Links Science Parks and Urban Renewal
｜
Latest
）
