Qingjing Farm with Kids and Grandparents: Mountain Views Without Overpacking the Day

Qingjing Farm (清境農場), also written Cingjing Farm, sits in Ren'ai Township, Nantou County, about eight kilometers north of Wushe on Provincial Highway 14A. Taiwan's Tourism Administration lists it at No. 170, Renhe Road (longitude 121.16282, latitude 24.058510) and gives the phone number +886-49-2802748. The farm's official site says it was founded on 20 February 1961 at about 1,750 meters, with May-to-September average temperatures around 15°C to 23°C—cooler than the western plains even in summer. The Tourism Administration notes that this stretch is on the way to Hehuanshan. This guide covers Qingjing Farm with kids and grandparents at a multi-gen pace: one grassland visit, a gentler elevated walkway if energy allows, layers for the high country, and permission not to stack Hehuanshan or Sun Moon Lake onto the same tired day.

Who this Qingjing trip fits

This plan works for school-age kids and grandparents who want open mountain views and a farm-animal morning without treating Qingjing as a checklist mountain. The official site describes wider Qingjing as high-mountain countryside of meadows and short trails, and nicknames it a "peach-blossom land above the mist" (霧上桃源). Green Green Grassland (青青草原) is the most popular stop: sheep on the slopes, a sheep-shearing show on selected days, and a daily horse show in the Guanshan Pastoral Area (觀山牧區). That is a different day from Alishan, which is about a forest railway and cypress boardwalks rather than an open meadow.

It does not fit every group. The climb from Puli through Wushe follows winding mountain roads. The farm's own visitor notice says the grounds sit above about 1,750 meters, mornings and evenings can feel much cooler than midday, and anyone who feels dizzy or nauseous should not enter—and should head back down if those feelings continue. That is their posted safety note, not medical advice from us. If someone cannot sit a long, curving ride, choose a flatter day instead.

If you are basing yourselves in Taichung or Puli before the climb, Mellow Away's multi-gen hotel directory helps shortlist elevators and a calm breakfast near the High Speed Rail station or the Puli transfer.

Getting there: Taichung or Puli, then up Highway 14A

There is no High Speed Rail station at Qingjing. Reach Taichung or Puli first, then continue on Nantou Bus / the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Qingjing Line.

The farm's official traffic page and FAQ point visitors to Nantou Bus from Taichung Railway Station or from High Speed Rail Taichung (Wuri) Station, Exit 5, Platform 3. Some coaches continue toward Qingjing stops; others run to Puli first. The farm FAQ describes the High Speed Rail Taichung to Qingjing ride as about two hours. From Puli Bus Station, Nantou Bus lists Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Qingjing services 6658 (Puli–Cuifeng), 6659 (Puli–Songgang), and 6664 (Puli–Qingjing Farm), typically from about 06:00 to 16:00 on the farm traffic page. Confirm today's first and last buses on the Nantou Bus site before you lock a return.

Nantou Bus also runs marked seamless transfers from Taichung through Puli and on to Qingjing, so you do not have to change coaches on those specific trips. As of 5 November 2026, Nantou Bus says departures that used to leave from the old Gancheng station now leave from Taichung Transit Center. If you are going to Green Green Grassland or a sheep show, get off at the Qingqingcaoyuan (青青草原) stop—the Tourism Administration listing places that stop about 136 meters from the farm entry. Qingjing has several ridge stops; ask the driver if you are staying farther north toward Songgang or Cuifeng.

From Taipei, the farm traffic page describes Kuo-Kuang Bus from Taipei Bus Station to Puli, then a Nantou Bus toward Songgang or Cuifeng—about 260 kilometers and around five hours in total. That is a long seated day for grandparents before anyone walks the grassland, so an overnight in Taichung or Puli is usually kinder than a round-trip from Taipei.

Driving follows the farm's published route: National Freeway 3 to the Wufeng System, National Freeway 6 to the Puli exit (about 37 kilometers), Provincial Highway 14 about 21 kilometers to Wushe, then Highway 14A for about eight kilometers. The grassland lot often fills on holidays; the farm suggests parking at the visitor leisure center or Small Swiss Garden and taking a Nantou Bus onward.

Rough planning notes:

• Motion on the climb: many curves between Puli, Wushe, and Qingjing—sit toward the front if you can, keep snacks light, and pack what your family already uses for winding roads (comfort logistics only)

• Accessible buses: Nantou Bus says some Qingjing Line runs use accessible coaches and asks riders to reserve by noon three days ahead at 049-2984031 ext. 18; confirm today's process

• Recheck times on the Nantou Bus and farm pages the morning you travel rather than trusting a remembered last bus

Day trip versus one night on the ridge

A day trip from Taichung works if you start early and keep the plan to Green Green Grassland plus, at most, one extra gentle walk. Leave a wide margin for the last comfortable bus downhill and a proper meal in Puli or Taichung.

An overnight near Qingjing lets you skip the same-day descent and arrive when the grassland opens at 08:00. The farm operates a guest house in the area; many families also stay along Highway 14A. You do not need a sunrise alarm. Qingjing's appeal is the daytime meadow and the view, not a pre-dawn checklist.

Do not add Hehuanshan the same day. Nantou Bus lists a 6658A service onward toward Wuling and Hehuanshan from the guest-house area, but that road climbs higher and colder after you have already done the Puli–Qingjing curves. Do not stack a full Sun Moon Lake loop onto the same afternoon either. Those are excellent central-Taiwan days—just not extras to bolt onto Qingjing.

Green Green Grassland at a family pace

Green Green Grassland is the stop most families come for. The official ticket page says it opens daily from 08:00 to 17:00. Admission prices in effect since 1 January 2025 are NT$270 for a full ticket; NT$210 for a concession ticket (including students aged 13 or older with a valid student ID); NT$130 for a half ticket (seniors aged 65 or older, and children aged 6 to 12 who are under 150 cm); and an NT$20 insurance-and-administration fee for children under 6 who are under 115 cm, and for a visitor with a disability plus one companion. Bring matching ID for a reduced ticket, and confirm today's table on the farm's official page. Tickets are for the day of purchase.

Show times from the same official page:

• Sheep show: Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, and school-vacation days except Wednesdays, at 09:30 and 14:30

• Horse show: daily at 10:45 and 15:45 at the Guanshan Pastoral Area horse-show ground

You do not need both shows and every slope to have "done" Qingjing. On a limited-energy day, watch one show, walk a short path, sit with the view, and leave. The farm asks visitors to stay on trails: grass slopes can be steep and slippery, grass-sliding is prohibited, and children should not run on the slopes alone. Do not approach, ride, tease, or startle the horses and sheep. If you feed them, use only the feed the farm sells. Outside food, picnics, and pets other than guide dogs are not allowed inside the grounds.

The farm's facility map lists toilets at the Green Green Grassland service center, the sheep-castle area, the south commercial area, and the Guanshan ticket booth, among other stops. Use those, and a bench in the shade, before anyone starts a longer walk.

The high walkway versus the 487 steps

The farm's official introduction lists a 487-Steps Trail—also called the "attaining eminence step by step" trail (步步高升)—among the paths that connect Green Green Grassland toward the guest house. Treat those steps as optional. Many grandparents and some children will be happier skipping them entirely.

A separate, gentler choice is the Chingjing High-altitude Scenic Trail (清境高空觀景步道), run by the Nantou County Scenic Area Administration rather than as part of the grassland ticket. The administration describes an elevated steel-and-wood walkway along Highway 14A, about 1,600 meters long, built so people can look at the meadows and the Central Mountain Range without walking in the roadway. Hours are listed as 08:00 to 16:30 daily, with shorter sections after 15:30; clearing begins around 16:40 and the area closes at 17:00. Separate tickets, as posted there, are NT$50 full fare, NT$30 for children aged 6 to under 12, NT$10 for visitors aged 65 or older, and free for children under 6 and for a visitor with a disability plus one companion. The same page says wheelchairs and strollers are allowed. Entrances are at the butterfly-garden / visitor-center side and at the south commercial area opposite Green Green Grassland. Taiwan's Tourism Administration also notes that the trail's accessible design is meant to let strollers and wheelchairs move freely.

That walkway is the better add-on if anyone still has energy after the grassland. Do not also try to complete the longer loop the administration mentions—about 3,500 meters once farm stair sections are included—unless the whole group truly wants it. Small Swiss Garden (小瑞士花園), listed on the farm's official English page, is a European-style flower garden with benches and an alpine pool (Siyuan Pool). Treat it as a seated photo stop if you have leftover time, and confirm today's hours and any separate admission on the farm site.

Layers, weather, and what not to stack

At about 1,750 meters, Qingjing is a layer destination. The farm tells visitors to bring warm clothing because the difference between morning, midday, and evening can be large, and fog can close in quickly on Highway 14A. May through September may average 15°C to 23°C on the official site, and that is still jacket weather for some children and elders after a show in the shade.

Keep the day smaller than the map suggests:

• Do not stack Hehuanshan or Wuling on the same day as a full grassland visit

• Do not stack Sun Moon Lake after the climb unless you are splitting the days

• Do not treat Alishan and Qingjing as interchangeable—or as a same-trip double mountain

• Do not force the 487 steps, the full walkway, both animal shows, and Small Swiss Garden into one afternoon

A sample gentle day: an early start from Taichung, a Nantou Bus toward Qingjing, alight at Qingqingcaoyuan, enter Green Green Grassland when it opens or in time for one posted show, walk a short path and sit with the view, add the elevated scenic trail only if legs and weather still feel easy, then descend toward Puli or Taichung on a bus you have already checked and eat a proper meal once you are off the mountain.

Confirm opening hours, ticket prices, and show times on the farm's official site, and trail hours on the Nantou Scenic Area Administration page, before you go. Qingjing rewards the family that protects the afternoon as much as the morning view.