Hualien
Hualien County is approximately 4628 sq. km and has a population of about 350,000. Four hundred years ago, the Portuguese sailors went past the East Coast of Taiwan, fascinated by its beauty, and called it 'FORMOSA.' It was called 'chi-lai' in the ancient period.
Hualien County, facing the immense Pacific Ocean in the east and leaning against the grand Central Mountain Range in the west, is famous for its beautiful scenery. The natural resources in Taroko National Park, East Coast National Scenic Area, East Rift Valley Scenic Area and Yushan National Park make Hualien the most beautiful county in Taiwan.
The Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
The Village is located in Yuchih County in central Taiwan's Nantou County. It was established in 1986 and covers a total area of 62 hectares. The area is a short distance North East of Sun Moon Lake.
The Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village was established to preserve the culture, traditions and history of Taiwan's native aborigines. Groups and individuals from each of the island's 12 aboriginal tribes (Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Kavalan, Paiwan, Pinuyumayan or Punuyumayan, Rukai, Saisiyat, Thao, Truku, Tsou, and Yami) gather here regularly. They demonstrate their unique creative skills by using traditional tools to make exquisite handicrafts and items of daily necessity. Wearing authentic clothing and adornments, they also perform traditional songs and dances to the sounds of ancient musical instruments.
Chiufen
Chiufen Village was once a centre for gold mining in Taiwan. The gold is gone, but these quaint old villages, built of closely packed houses clinging to steep mountainsides, continue to offer enchanting scenery and fascinating glimpses into the lifestyles of the past.
Taroko National Park
Taroko National Park is situated in Hualien, a county in the north-eastern part of Taiwan. It was founded on November 28, 1986. Taroko National Park's 92,000 hectares includes the Taroko Gorge, which is extremely popular among the visitors to the park. The Taroko Gorge brings scenic beauties in the form of gushing mountain streams, the Eternal Spring, Tunnel of Nine Turns and more.
Eternal Spring Shrine, Taroko Gorge
Taroko Gorge is one of Taiwan's top tourist destination offering hiking trails with breathtaking views, hot springs, shrines and temples. The region is also the ancestral home of the Atayal tribe.
The Liwu River flows through the canyons of the gorge, which is made of marble on its way to the sea. The Gorge is home to numerous numbers of rare plant and animal species including the endangered Formosan black bear and wild pigs.
Swallow Grotto
The marble on both sides of the Swallow Grotto is pitted with holes that provide nesting spots for the grotto's namesake birds. Flocks of both house swifts and Pacific swallows can often be sighted shuttling through the air here in spring and summer, their calls filling the gorge. Opposite the Swallow Grotto is the site of a former village of the Atayal aboriginals. The Taroko National Park Administration is building a scenic trail here for visitors.
Tunnel of Nine Turns
The Tunnel of Nine Turns is an area of great beauty. After the Jhueilu Cliff, Taroko Gorge winds along a serpentine like path which is closely followed by the highway which curves through tunnels above. This area is as much a scenic attraction as it is an engineering marvel.
The Lungshan Temple
The Lungshan Temple is devoted to worshiping Guanyin, Goddess of Mercy, and other divine spirits.
The temple's architecture is a three-section design in shape. There is a front hall, a rear hall and dragons protecting the entrance to the middle hall. The layout is square and serene.
The Lungshan Temple was built in the Ching Dynasty. It was restored several times after a series of natural disasters and human damages. The temple's doors, beams and poles are beautifully decorated. There are a pair of delicate bronze dragon poles in the front hall, and another four pairs of dragon poles in the middle hall. There are also exquisite wood sculptures.
Tienhsiang
Several hotels, restaurants and other visitor services are clustered in Tiansiang. There are also a number of scenic sites here, such as Siangde Temple, Tianfong Pagoda, a suspension bridge, Wen Tian-hsiang Memorial Park, Plum Garden, and Tiansiang Church. The local plum trees, extending from highway, parking lot and memorial park all the way to Siangde Temple, come into dramatic bloom every winter, turning the entire area into a sea of white flowers.
The Su-Hua Highway
The Su-Hua Highway, is more than one hundred years old and the oldest road in the park. The path that runs along the spectacular and magnificent Cingshui Cliff from Heren to Taroko was built during the Ching Dynasty (1644-1911). It was later rebuilt and enlarged by the Japanese and became a highway. In 1932 the tunnel was completed and the road was formally opened. It was called the Beach Highway then, but it is now called the Su-Hua Highway
Taitung
Is situated looking out over the ocean and with mountains behind. It's a long and narrow county. It's separated from Hualien by Hsiukuluan River in the north and with Pingtung in the south by Tawu Mountain. Off the eastern coast of Taitung in the Pacific Ocean lie its two islands, namely Lan Yu (Orchid Island) and Lu Tao (Green Island). With the unique geographical environment, Taitung is one of the most beautiful counties in Taiwan.
Lukang
Lukang is situated on the west-central coast of Taiwan, at the edge of the coastal plain. Although once a harbour, severe silting of the sea and the Lukang River have left it some distance from the shore. The climate is temperate to tropical; summers are hot with occasional thunderstorms, the spring and fall have moderate temperatures, and winters are cool. From September to the following March strong north easterly monsoons blow in large amounts of sand and dust, forming what is known locally as the September winds.
