Yangmingshan National Park is located in northern Taipei City, and easily accessible from downtown.
Spanning 114SQ. KM the area is home to numerous parks, hiking trails, interesting plants and wildlife,
and the internationally famous hot springs.
Designated as Category II by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a national park for
protection of nature and wildlife and ranging in elevation from 200 metres to 1,200 metres, there are
many different subtropical and warm temperate climate zones that can be found within the park.
The lasting Japanese influence on the area can be found in the area’s countless hot springs around
Beitou and Xingyi Road, as well as many private hot springs only available by reservation. The Japanese
also planted black pines, acacia trees, and the Formosan sweet gum to beautify the mountain. To this
day, the area is very popular with Japanese tourists.
As the area is rich in sulphur, mining operations previously operated in the area. All mining operations
have been shut down due to environmental effects, and visitors can check out the decommissioned
mines such as the one at Liuhuanggu (硫磺谷).
With its growth as a centre for sulphur mining in northern Taiwan, many Han Chinese such as the Hoklo
from Fujian and the Hakka began moving to the area to cultivate tea plantations and other agricultural
products, and today, wide-scale agriculture has been replaced by more boutique-style agriculture with a
tourism focus, such as the Calla lilies at Zhuzihu (竹子湖).
Each season brings a different type of beauty to the area. February and March are the flowering season,
and rhododendrons and cherry blossoms cover the mountain slopes to welcome the spring. Summer
brings winds from the southwest with occasional showers and thunder in the afternoon, creating
amazing weather effects in the mountains. By October, the mountains are covered with silver grass and
the golden red colour of maple leaves. Rainbows can be seen after misty autumn rains. Winter time has
unique scenery as well since monsoons bring a cold drizzle that create seas of clouds that look like a
fantasy world, with the possibility of snow falling on cold days.
Different tour options are available to Yangminshan park
History
During the Qing Dynasty, the park was known as Caoshan (‘Grass Mountain’), as there were no trees for
miles. Apparently, this was due to the local officials’ fear of thieves stealing sulfur, which led to the
burning of the mountain and the absence of trees. In 1937, it was named Daiton National Park by the
Japanese Governor-General of Taiwan Seizo Kobayashi, and in 1950, Taiwan’s leader and Generalissimo,
Chiang Kai-shek renamed the park Yangmingshan in memory of the Ming Dynasty scholar Wang
Yangming. In 1962, planning finally got underway to create the park as we see it today.