---
title: Gongwan, Hsinchu meatballs
url: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/notes/gongwan-hsinchu-meatballs/
lang: en
journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/hsinchu/
---

# Gongwan, Hsinchu meatballs

A little of each town’s story　/　Hsinchu, Taiwan

Hsinchu's meatballs, made by pounding pork into a paste and boiling it. A long-established shop near the City God Temple explains that the balls were once made by beating chunks of meat with a wooden mallet, and the loud "gong, gong" of the pounding gave them their name. Machines do the pounding now, but the pounding is still said to be the key to their taste.

## This moment in the journey: Rice vermicelli and meatball soup, Hsinchu's specialties

For dinner, Hsinchu's specialties at a local eatery. I left the stalls behind, walked down an alley of closed shutters, and arrived at Rongji on Wuchang Street. Windy Hsinchu is famous for its rice vermicelli.

The noodles I lifted with my chopsticks had a firm, springy bite and were tremendously good. Gongwan tang, meatball soup, is another Hsinchu specialty: bouncy, juicy meatballs bursting with flavor. No wonder the place was full of locals. I had found a great restaurant. Under the glowing sign of a pawnshop, I walked back to the apartment.

![Meatball soup with three meatballs](https://karigurashijourney.com/img/hsinchu/s101-1200.jpg)
- Sources: https://travel.yam.com/article/97618

Read this scene in the full journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/hsinchu/