Central Cross-Island Highway Yilan Branch Line Wuling Lishan Section｜The Snow Mountain Wuling Road, Past and Present (2)

【Central Cross-Island Highway Yilan Branch Line Wuling Lishan Section】

【The Snow Mountain Wuling Road, Past and Present (2)】

Magnificent mountain views at Wuling Lishan section of the Central Cross-Island Highway Yilan Branch!

When I was a student, I had to take the highway bureau from Lishan to Wuling Farm. I remember that the mountain road was winding, but all I saw were mountains, with mist floating in the sky from time to time, and I had to meet large trucks carrying fruits from time to time.
I haven’t been here for several years, and this section of Wuling Lishan always makes me nostalgic.

From Wuling to Lishan, take the Central Cross-Island Route 7A and then connect to Route 8
and follow the upper reaches of Zhuoshui Creek slowly;
pass Huanshan and Songmao Tribe to Lishan, where you can see orchards everywhere and the entrance to the Baiyue hiking trail.

Lishan Village in Heping District, Taichung City is a settlement where many ethnic groups live together, including aborigines, Hakkas, Minnan people, veterans, and military families. Among them, Lishan Village and Pingdeng Village in Heping District are collectively known as the “Greater Lishan Area”, which is a living circle composed of four tribes: Lishan, Songmao, Jiayang, and Huanshan.

Lishan Tribe

Lishan is an important transfer station from the west to the east, and is also the earliest developed and most lively scenic spot on the Central Cross-Island Highway.
Originally they lived on the plateau on the left bank of the Dajia River.
In 1965 they moved to the slope slightly west and below the Lishan gas station. However, after the Restoration, the government built the Central Cross-Island Highway, which passed over the community site. The roadbed sank, and the clan members thought they could not stay there for long. In 1963 they dispersed to various places in Lishan in batches.

Songmao Tribe

Together with the Lishan, Jiayang and Songmao tribes, they are collectively called Slamaw.
Origin of the Atayal people: all came from Binsibugan (now on the mountain opposite the Ruiyan tribe in Ren’ai Township, Nantou).

The ancestor Klamang (Gola, Maneng) migrated with his descendants from the scattered areas of Pins’gayan (Bins, Gayan) to Lamang tribe (now the upper right stream of the middle reaches of Hehuan River), then migrated to Cinqlangan tribe (now the left stream of the lower reaches of Nanhu River), Sirasic tribe (now Wuling Farm), Soruw (now Daxueshan 13, 14 forest blocks), T’waqa (now Dajia 1516 forest blocks), Sinat tribe (now 13 kilometers behind Taiwan Qijia Line), Qalan yatux tribe (now the middle and lower part of Songmao Industrial Road). After about ten migrations, in 1962, the tribal elders discussed and unanimously decided to move to a place close to the highway for convenient transportation. Today, they live in Tabuk [Songmao].

Jiayang Tribe

The Jiayang Alluvial Fan in the territory is a product of the Ice Age and has important geological significance.
The Jiayang tribe was formerly known as Kayo. During the Japanese occupation, the Atayal people of Lishan were the most tenacious tribe in resisting the Japanese. But later the Japanese adopted the method of using aboriginals to control aboriginals, inciting the aboriginals of Nantou to attack the Atayal people of Lishan, causing the original large tribe to be forced to split into several small tribes due to fleeing. The Japanese later invited Atayal warriors to Jiayang Alluvial Fan to negotiate peace, but after the banquet, they massacred the Atayal people in an attempt to take over Lishan. However, this did not work, and the Atayal people could not forgive the Japanese for their deception. After a long period of resistance and struggle, and for the safety of the entire tribe, the Atayal people became the last naturalized Aboriginal tribe in 1915 (the 15th year of the Republic of China).
Since the massacre, the Jiayang Alluvial Fan has become the Devil’s Island among the Atayal people.

Mountain Tribe

During the Japanese colonial era, Huanshan was also called “Xinshe” and pronounced “Sqoyaw” in Atayal language. Under the protection of the mountains, the valley tribe has become an otherworldly tribe, like a pearl held in the palm of a hand. In order to make everyone remember the place name in Atayal language, the locals specially gave the tribe a beautiful new name “Poetry Ballad” with the pronunciation of Sqoyaw.
The Atayal Hunter Trail requires passing through the Huanshan Suspension Bridge (Sijie Lanxi Suspension Bridge, which is the old entrance to the Snow Mountain. It is 12.5 kilometers from here to the Snow Mountain). It is the starting point of the Snow Mountain and Zhijiayang Mountain (Zhijiayang Mountain) hiking trails, and is also the fish protection area of ​​the Huanshan tribe. The fish protection trail starts from the back of Huanshan Elementary School to the Huanshan Suspension Bridge. The trail is about 2 kilometers long, and you can enjoy the natural ecology of the high mountain valley along the way.

This area is the border of Shei-Pa and Taroko National Parks;
Looking from the highway, you can see the Four Beauties of Wuling, Xueshan, Jiayang Mountain, Dajian Mountain…
Enjoy the pleasure of being surrounded by mountains! Happy to see the medium and high altitude mountains so close!