Riding a bicycle along the road past the waves of rice is a pleasant way to reach Jingliao Elementary School(菁寮國小), which is located not far from Jingliao Catholic Church. The school is a must-visit place for tourists to Houbi District. It is renowned for its mahogany forest, like something out of a fairy tale. There is a Japanese Colonial Time flag-raising platform in the forest;all the children’s play facilities are also there, an enviable fact.
When you make a turn on Provincial Highway 1 into Jingliao (菁寮), the first thing that catches your eye is the unusually shaped Jingliao Holy Cross Church (菁寮天主堂), designed in 1950s by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Gottfried Bohm. The church’s silver exterior against the background of the green fields in Jingliao creates an especially striking contrast. The inside of the church may currently only by viewed by advance booking, and tourists may not take photographs of the interior. Please respect religious etiquette and do not make excessive noise in the church.
