Chou Wan-Chen Bakery Introduction
During the prosperous mining era, the Zhou Wanzhen Bakery on Shifen Street thrived, with locals sourcing their pastries for weddings, funerals, festivals, and everyday consumption from Zhou Wanzhen. In a time when the average daily wage was only around 70 NT dollars, the bakery could make over a thousand NT dollars in sales each day. Many people also bought in bulk to resell. However, with the introduction of Western pastries to Taiwan, the traditional pastry industry faced significant challenges, and Zhou Wanzhen Bakery confronted even greater difficulties as the mining industry declined and the population in Pingxi District drastically decreased—at its peak, the population was four to five times what it is now. Consequently, after 1986, Zhou Wanzhen Bakery gradually transformed into a typical convenience store. Still, it continues to sell Pingxi Cakes (traditional mooncakes) and Golden Crisp Pastries (offerings for deities). With the development of tourism along the Pingxi branch line, Zhou Wanzhen Bakery experienced a revival, as young people visiting Pingxi to release sky lanterns also stop by to savor the traditional pastries. Currently, the bakery produces various old-fashioned pastries, including improved large cakes, golden crispy dumplings, curry cakes, mung bean cakes, and flat cakes. The aroma of freshly baked goods is the most appealing moment.
