These days we have higher expectations of our leisure time than ever before. Not long ago it was enough for most of us to go to a scenic spot and have our pictures taken beside a sacred tree, or to leave our names to posterity on some interesting rock formation.
Today, people don't just want to feel something from a trip, they hope to learn something too. Last August the Yangmingshan National Park, learning from its equivalents in North America, launched an educational bus tour which met with great enthusiasm from visitors to the park. People who couldn't get tickets for the tours jammed the switchboard urging park authorities to add more buses. Some even took to tagging along behind the bus in their own vehicles, inevitably causing a traffic jam.
The story may sound funny, but at least they had a worthy intention. In fact, it is only with a bit of knowledge that we can understand how to truly appreciate and protect natural scenery, and learn of the valuable differences between cultures and peoples.
This issue's cover story brings readers an "in-depth travel" feature, from a ceremony for a good harvest held by indigenous tribes people at Tatachia Recreation Area, the gate to Yushan National Park,to the path on the sea at Yuanpei, a world rarity, in each case with expert guides leading the way for our reporters. We hope readers can both feel and learn something from this special feature.