Taiping Mountain: Off the Beaten Track

Taiping Mountain in northeastern Taiwan is one of the three biggest logging stations on the island, but for tourists, it is more known for its luxuriant and primitive forests and unusual transportation, which will soon earn it the status of a forestry recreation area. Rising to 1,950 meters above sea level, Taiping mountain is located in Ilan County and comes under the administration of the Taiwan Forestry Bureau. To reach the area from Taipei, one must catch a bus or train to Lotung and then take a bus to Tuchang at the base of the mountain. In the past, it was necessary to wait for logs to be sent down to act as ballast for the ascent by cable car. Now, the 40-year-old system is power-operated. In between three separate cable car rides, there is a section of narrow gauge railway along which diminutive yellow "pengpeng" trains run--so called because of the way they sway from side to side on their journey through the mountains.

From the top of Taipingshan, there is an unparalleled vista of forest and mountain scenery. On the way up, the traveler passes first through an area of camphor and maple trees at the 200 to 500 meter level. From 500 to 1,800 meters is the temperate zone, with coniferous and broad-leafed trees such as fir, juniper and maple, while the area above 1,800 meters is known for its lush growth of coniferous trees, including cypress and juniper, whose wood is commercially valuable.

Among the many attractions at Taipingshan is the Jentse spa, where a hostel is under construction to hold between two and three hundred tourists who want to take advantage of the hot spring waters which abound in the area. Nearby, a geothermal gradient well is being drilled by the Industrial and Technical Research Institute (ITRI). Another attraction is the Lantai floral nursery, famed for its wide variety of orchids. Enthusiasts are welcome to take wild varieties which can be found on the mountain back to the city to plant in courtyards and window boxes. In the early spring, cherry blossoms turn the slopes of the mountain into a blaze of color. At the end of the railway and cable run is a small town with a hostel and simple restaurant, where one can enjoy starry nights and the sun rising in the morning. In the afternoon, it usually clouds over.

Above the village is a small forestry park, which with its tall cypresses, quaint paths and lingering mists resembles a fantasy land. At the top of the park a temple has been built in memory of the Ming Dynasty patriot, Koxinga. The lookout tower at Tulishan provides a view of the lofty Nanhutashan, snow-capped during the winter season, the forests at the foot of the mountain, and beyond that the Lanyang Plain and the Pacific Ocean.

There are between two and three hundred workers at the Taipingshan lumber mill, organized into 10-man units to fell trees and collect the lumber. After the trees are reduced to logs of convenient size, they are transported to the rail head or the newly built road which runs to the top of the mountain, for transfer to Lotung. To prevent cracking and damage from pests, the timber is kept in special logging ponds. The use of modern equipment and scientific techniques has made the operation more efficient than before.

The exploitation of Taipingshan can be traced back to the time of the Japanese occupation. With annual production up to 80,000 square meters a year, the period from 1937 to 1960 was the prime era for the lumbering industry on the mountain. Though the production volume has been reduced since then, the Forestry Bureau has been actively reforesting the area with cypress, fir, camphor and pine trees, up to an area of 1,000 hectares, so as to boost production again some time in the future. Recently, the Forestry Bureau has been cooperating with the Tourism Bureau to develop Taipingshan into a forestry recreation park. Using the new road, it takes only two hours to get to the top. The cable car and "pengpeng" railway will be renovated as a further tourist attraction in the development plan, which is scheduled to be finished before the end of 1981. By that time, Taipingshan will have been converted into one of Taiwan's major tourist resorts.

Down from Taipingshan, I rove across vales and hills To look for a legendary lake in a tranquil world. When all at once, List! A voice is near: "May there be a Mirror for Narcissus to appreciate his beauty." Then, lo! There appears Lake Tsuifeng set on high amid towering peaks. Lightly I walk toward the shore, hesitating to waken the slumbering world. A mysterious gossamer drapes the lake surface like an unremembered pastoral lyric. As I draw nearer, the newborn sun is creeping up. The lake bears her bosom unto the fields and to the sky. Then the beauteous evening came, calm and free, the broad sun is sinking down in its tranquility. These waters, stilled by breezeless air to smoothest polish, yield a vivid repetition of the stars. Never saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!