Checheng (車程) is a small former logging town in Taiwan’s central Nantou County, just a short hop from the major tourist hub of Sun Moon Lake.
Built around the terminal station of the historic Jiji Railway Line, the town has reinvented itself as a low-key, wood-themed visitor stop – quite literally one that leans into its “roots”.
This isn’t a must-see destination for most travelers to Taiwan, and it’s not trying to be.
Checheng is better suited to railway fans, history buffs, families with young kids, or travelers who enjoy slowing things down and getting slightly off the main Sun Moon Lake circuit.
I stopped in Checheng briefly while driving from Sun Moon Lake to Sun Link Sea, partly out of curiosity and partly to try one of the town’s signature railway bento boxes, which are served, rather fittingly, in a wooden bucket that I got to take home.
When I visited, the town was especially quiet, as the Jiji Line is partially closed (expected reopening: summer 2026). While Checheng didn’t exactly knock my socks off, it was still an interesting and pleasant detour.
In this guide, I’ll lay out what there actually is to see and do in Checheng to help you decide whether it’s worth taking a ride on the Jiji Line (once fully running) or carving out a half day from your Sun Moon Lake itinerary.
Welcome to Checheng and the Jiji Line!
During the Japanese colonial period, authorities constructed the Jiji Line (集集線) to support hydroelectric power and forestry operations in Central Taiwan.
Make sure you pronounce Jiji (集集) correctly, with two second tones (jí jí). If you pronounced it with two first tones, it means “wiener”).
Opened in 1922, the Jiji Line runs from Ershui Station (二水站, which is also on the West Coast Line) in Changhua County to the terminal Checheng Station (車埕站).
Checheng sits next to Mingtan Reservoir (明潭水庫) and its associated power facilities.
For decades, Checheng served as a logging and transportation hub – Checheng literally means “vehicle yard”) – with trains transporting supplies, timber, and workers in and out.
By the 1970s, Taiwan’s logging industry had declined. Beginning in the 1990s, however, both the railway line and Checheng itself gradually transitioned into tourist attractions, drawing on Checheng’s identity as the Jiji Line’s terminal station (終點站).
Checheng’s original wooden railway station, timber storage pond, and several preserved industrial features remain on site, tangible reminders of the town’s working past.
The original Checheng wood mill, now the Checheng Logging Exhibition Hall (see image below), is the centerpiece of the village today.
On September 21, 1999, Jiji township was near the epicenter of the devastating 921 Earthquake, with 2415 casualties across Taiwan.
The Jiji Line was damaged in the earthquake, but back in service again by the early 2000s.
More recently, severe landslide damage in August 2021 proved far more disruptive, forcing the closure of the eastern portion of the line beyond Jiji, including Shuili and Checheng stations, for several years.
With full rail service to Checheng expected to finally resume in summer of 2026, the town will likely see renewed interest from domestic travelers and railway enthusiasts at that time.
Getting to Checheng
There are three main ways you will most likely get to Checheng: by bus from Sun Moon Lake, by riding the Jiji Line from Changhua (plus temporary shuttle from Jiji Station to Checheng), or by car.
From Sun Moon Lake
Nantou Bus 6671 departs six times per day from Sun Moon Lake bus stop (here) in Shuishe (the main tourist village at Sun Moon Lake). Just swipe EasyCard to ride it.
The ride only takes 30 minutes and arrives here at Checheng’s main bus stop in front of Checheng Train Station. The bus goes back to Sun Moon Lake from the same bus stop.
Here’s a table of the bus times as I write this, but double check the above 6671 link to make sure they haven’t changed.
| Departing Sun Moon Lake | Departing Checheng |
| 8:10 | 8:50 |
| 9:30 | 10:10 |
| 10:50 | 11:30 |
| 12:50 | 13:30 |
| 16:05 | 16:55 |
| 17:35 | 18:15 |
Riding the Jiji Line
The Jiji Line is run by Taiwan Railways and is a Local type train, which means there are no seat reservations and you can buy tickets in cash at the station or swipe EasyCard to ride it.
Search the train times here on the Taiwan Railways website.
The Jiji Line historically started from Ershui Station (二水站) in Changhua county, which is between Changhua and Chiayi stations on the West Coast Line. Only “Fast Local” trains stop at Ershui, so the same thing goes – pay in cash at station or swipe EasyCard.
The Fast Local to Ershui takes about one hour from Taichung, 30 minutes from Changhua, or 45 minutes from Chiayi. Make sure to swipe again when exiting at your destination. See my Taiwan trains guide for more info.
In 2017, they extended the Jiji Line to Tianzhong station, one stop before Ershui, so that visitors can now access the Jiji line by High Speed Rail as well.
To do so, ride the HSR to Changhua Station (see my HSR booking guide). From there, take the free shuttle (every 30 minutes) or a taxi (5 minutes) to Tianzhong Station (田中車站), where you can board the Jiji Line.
From Tianzhong, it takes 45 minutes (TWD 56, only two per day) to Jiji Station. From Ershui, it takes 30 minutes (TWD 43, 11 per day) to Jiji Station.
Currently, due to the landslide damage in 2021, the Jiji Line is only running from Tianzhong or Ershui stations to Jiji station.
To continue on to Shuili and Checheng, there’s a shuttle bus from Jiji Station as well as some local buses (15-20 minutes). Inquire at the station about the shuttle or use GoogleMaps for other bus options.
When the Jiji Line fully reopens in summer of 2026, you’ll be able to ride the Jiji Line from Tianzhong or Ershui all the way to Checheng.
The Jiji Line runs parallel to, and just north of, the much more famous and popular Alishan Forest Railway.
Visiting Checheng by Car
If you’re visiting the area by car like I did (see my guide to renting a car in Taiwan), you can easily visit Checheng as a small detour from Sun Moon Lake, Shuiyuan Rainbow Suspension Bridge, Xitou Monster Village, or Sun Link Sea.
It could also be a small detour for anyone driving between Sun Moon Lake and Alishan.
For me, I visited Checheng for a late lunch after spending the morning hiking at Sun Link Sea and making my way back to Sun Moon Lake.
There are multiple parking lots in Checheng. I parked in this one, which was closest to the main spots in town. Like many parking lots in Taiwan, you just drive in (if there are available spaces, the digital sign will say if it’s full) and park.
When leaving, go to the machine, enter your license plate number, and pay. When you drive out, the camera will see your license plate and the stick will go up so you can exit.
On busy weekends, that parking lot usually fills up, in which case there are large overflow parking lots a little further away, here and here, which also have payment machines.
Finally, there’s a parking lot here in the town, where a lady boss collects payments directly.
Things to See and Do in Checheng
I’ll present the following attractions roughly in the order that you might encounter them if coming from the bus stop or train station.
Checheng Railway Sightseeing School
The whole visitors’ arrival area at the entrance to the village has been dubbed the Checheng Railway Sightseeing School (車埕鐵道觀光小學堂, here).
It is named after the Japanese-era elementary school (林班道鐵路小學, here) which still stands off to the side. Renamed LOHAS Warehouse (樂活倉庫), the school is now a small tourist attraction (closed Tuesdays), with some displays in the classrooms and a Louisa Coffee Shop on the side.
Besides the school, there are also some cute train statues, Checheng signs, and the Checheng Visitors’ Center (here).
Old Train Car at Town Entrance
The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the village entrance area was the old locomotive and train car on display here.
The Taiwan Railways R100 diesel-electric locomotive was introduced to Taiwan’s West Coast Line in 1970 but moved over to the East Coast Line when the former went fully electric, and ultimately to this final resting spot greeting visitors to Checheng.
The coolest thing is that you can climb up into the old train car!
Checheng Railway Station
The lane next to Checheng Visitor’s Center brought me right onto the Checheng Station platform, where you would arrive by train.
Physically crossing the tracks, I could see several more old train cars parked at the end of some other sets of tracks.
Then I entered what looked to me like the original (1922) wooden Checheng Station (車埕站, here) building.
But it turns out this is actually a well-executed replica, carefully rebuilt in the original style after the station was destroyed in the 921 Earthquake.
Besides a really cute, original looking manned ticket window, the station now also has a small souvenir shop.
If cool Japanese-era train stations are your thing, there are loads of them across Taiwan. Some especially worth visiting include Xinbeitou Historic Station in Taipei, the original Taichung Railway Station, and Takao Railway Museum in Kaohsiung.
Experience Factory
Next to Checheng Station, there’s an old railway supply storage warehouse that has been repurposed as a DIY Experience Factory (林班道體驗工廠, here).
Just watch for the stacks of colorfully painted sea cans at its entrance.
You can bring the kids here to do a variety of wood-focused DIY crafts and activities. You may find it totally empty of people (like when I visited) or jam packed with a school group – either is possible.
Checheng Logging Exhibition Hall
The old wood mill at the center of Checheng has been repurposed as the Checheng Logging Exhibition Hall (車埕木業展示館, here).
The facility is beautifully renovated and stands as the centerpiece of Checheng today – this is the one spot in town you shouldn’t miss.
Coming from the above attractions, I accessed the facility from a long, covered building at its southern end, which covers a few more antique trains cars.
These included a 1940 Japanese military train car, complete with pole for attaching horses, and a 1958 flat car for transporting lumber.
Next I reached a large open yard adjacent to the complex with a children’s train ride (TWD 50 per ride).
I then entered the large, two-storey complex via the Wood Museum, which has several wood sculptures and wooden items on display and for sale.
The atmospheric main room of the former mill has some old logging equipment and models of Checheng village on display.
The sides and second floor are lined with little kiosks selling crafts and cafés with drinks and snacks.
If you’re interesting in wooden works, I also recommend visiting the Sanyi Wood Sculpture Museum in Miaoli county.
Checheng Timber Storage Pond
Exiting the front side of the Checheng Logging Exhibition Hall and going up a small hill brought me to the Timber Storage Pond (貯木池, here), a human-made pond where logs were once floated in preparation for shipping.
At the side of the pond are some timber hoisting towers (集材架), perhaps the most iconic structures associated with Checheng.
On the shore of the pond, Steam Teahouse (隱茶, here) offers patio seating with views of the pond. If you’re in no rush, this would be a gorgeous spot to chill out for a while.
Wooden Bentos at Cedar Tea House
One of my main reasons for coming to Checheng was to try one of their famous railway bentos that come in a wooden bucket.
This is 100% a tourist experience (aimed mainly at locals), and these are not real railway bentos. They are made in Cedar tea House, a modern restaurant facing the logging pond, and are an homage to the town’s logging past.
For TWD 520, the set meals here come with the wooden bucket bento, with a choice of smoked chicken drumstick, grilled mackerel, dongpo pork, or pumpkin and mushroom.
My set also came with two sides, a soup, and a dessert. You get to keep the bucket as a souvenir. If you don’t care about the bucket, the same sets without bucket start from TWD 360.
Really, the bucket set totally defeats the purpose of a bento box, which is supposed to come in a paper box so you can take it away and eat it on the train. But this has become one of the staple things to do in town, and I’m a sucker for such experiences.
The Grove Shopping
Next to the Logging Exhibition Hall, The Grove (林班道, here) is a modern commercial complex housing several shops and a room with toddler rides and gashapon machines.
I paid a visit to The Grove to get lavender soft serve ice cream at the Lavender Cottage Shop (薰衣草森林Select車埕店, here). The shop’s products are made from lavender grown at Lavender Cottage in Taichung.
Checheng Chateau Liquors
Booze lovers like me can make a little detour to Checheng Chateau Liquors (車埕酒莊, here) at the southeast side of the pond to sample and purchase locally produced plum wines.
During my visit, the shop owner was more than happy to let me sample some brown sugar plum wine (黑糖梅酒), honey plum wine (蜂蜜梅酒), and some extremely potent (59%) distilled plum liquor.
I also saw fruit flavored plum wines, aged plum wines, and Indigenous millet wine on the shelves. Some bottles had Jiji Line imagery on them, while they also had snacks in train-shaped boxes.
Chechengding
You’ve heard of Ximending in Taipei, right? Well now there’s Chechengding (車埕町, here).
I found this to be a pretty tacky attempt at a Japanese-themed tourist square up a road to the west of the pond. The “ding” comes from Japanese language and colonial times, referring to a commercial district.
In Chechengding, there are some Japanese-style decorations, a small Shinto shrine, and a few food stalls, including a Matcha Prince (茶茶小王子) kiosk, a popular Taiwanese matcha ice cream chain.
Checheng Old Street
I’m finishing this article by coming full circle back to Checheng Station via Checheng Old Street (車埕老街, here).
While I’ve used “Checheng Old Street” in the title of my article, because that’s how many people refer to the whole town, the actual Checheng Old Street is in fact quite small and inconspicuously tucked away in the residential area of the village.
When I visited, there were only a handful of shops on the old street and precisely zero visitors besides me. But this may change once things pick up after the Jiji Line fully reopens.
A few of these shops sell wooden products like spoons, chopsticks, and slices of real Taiwanese cypress (檜木 or hinoki), which smells really nice.
There’s also a shop with traditional iced drinks like winter melon tea (冬瓜茶), the perfect way to end your visit on a hot day!
Vegetarians and vegans can try this vegan Japanese restaurant near Checheng Old Street.
From there, it’s just a few steps back to Checheng Station and Checheng Bus Stop for going back to Changhua or Sun Moon Lake!