Daxi is a small town in the hills of Taoyuan, on the Dahan river, and it marks the start of one of Taiwan's most popular mountain roads. The old street, with arched facades in baroque style built during the Japanese colonial period, runs down toward the river, lined with shops selling dried tofu, a local speciality that Taiwanese people travel for. The tofu is dense, savoury and a little chewy, and you can buy it in many flavours. In the evening the street fills with families and the smell of grilled food.
The town has an unusual historical landmark. Chiang Kai-shek, who led the Nationalists to Taiwan after 1949, was kept in a temporary mausoleum at Daxi after his death in 1975, and the compound, with its gardens and quiet pavilions, is now a place of memory, with statues of the leader that have been gathered here from around the island. It is a strange and stirring place, and a short walk from the old street.
The reason riders come is Provincial Highway 7, the Northern Cross-Island Highway. From Daxi it climbs west to east through the mountains of northern Taiwan, passing Shimen reservoir, the Baling Bridge, and mountain villages with tea and persimmon orchards, before dropping to the Lanyang plain at Yilan. It is a well-known biker's road, with many bends, tunnels, forests of cedar and cypress, and views of cloud wrapping the ridges. The tarmac is generally good but landslides and typhoons can close sections, so check road conditions before you set out. Mist and rain are common, and the temperature drops sharply with altitude.
Daxi is a town of eighty thousand and has plenty of fuel stations and convenience stores. Remember that Taiwan is busy with scooters, that traffic rules are loosely observed, and that heavy bikes are common on weekends on the mountain highways. Spring and autumn offer the clearest views.