December 2025
We spent a night in Jiaoxi, just north of Silks Place Yilan in Yilan CIty, because J wanted to try soaking in a hotspring tub. After leaving our luggages at Just Sleep Jiaoxi (review here), we took a cab straight to King Car Biotechnology Aquaculture Science Center for one of the kids’ most anticipated activities — shark feeding.
The facility was spacious and almost devoid of crowds. We got the admission tickets easily, and added on animal feeding for sharks, jellyfishes and garden eels. We started with the exhibits first, and to be honest, they were rather underwhelming. It just felt like we were walking past one rectangular fish tank after another.
We then proceeded into the shark facility to feed sharks. It didn’t feel very ethical, watching these sharks swim around in empty tanks. But we just let the kids throw the shark feed — traysof dead fishes, prawns and octopus — in.
There was an option to climb up a structure that extended across the tank, but we didn’t do it because YB was too young and could have fallen in.
We were done in less than 10 minutes, and the entire outing lasted just beyond an hour. Still, because we pretty much had the place to ourselves, the kids had a nice time. There was also a cafe with a tiny playground for the kids to work off their energy while we rested.
Delicious roast chicken
For lunch, we took another taxi to the outskirts of Jiaoxi for the region’s famous Wen Yao Chicken (甕窯雞), a classic Taiwanese jar-roasted chicken dish that’s become something of a local legend. The setting was simple and unfussy, very much a place that lets the food speak for itself. Our taxi driver told us that there are usually long queues, but we arrived after lunchtime on a weekday afternoon and could get a table immediately.
The staff took our order at the counter and patiently recommended various dishes, even offering to tweak certain soups and stir-fry vegetable dishes to suit strict vegetarian needs (no onion, no garlic).
At its heart is a whole free-range chicken roasted in a thick clay jar over longan wood, which gives the meat a tender, juicy texture and richly smoky flavour with wonderfully crispy skin. The bird arrives uncut, and you’re encouraged to tear it apart by hand with provided gloves — a fun, communal way to eat that’s part of the experience itself. The flavours are simple but deeply satisfying, enhanced with herbs, cumin and wood smoke rather than heavy sauces.
Portions were huge, and we left with happy tummies!
Together, shark feeding and Wen Yao Chicken made for a well-balanced Yilan afternoon, and by the time we were done with lunch, it was time to check in at Just Sleep Jiaoxi and enjoy the hotsprings!
This Little Season 