Yangmingshan
Encyclopedia
One of the eight national parks in Taiwan
, the Yangmingshan National Park is located between Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan
. The districts that house parts of the park grounds include Taipei's Beitou and Shilin Districts; and New Taipei's Wanli, Jinshan
, and Sanzhi Districts. During the Japanese occupation era of Taiwan, it was known as Datun National Park(大屯国立公園). The National Park is famous for its cherry blossoms, hot springs
, sulfur deposits, fumaroles, venomous snakes and hiking trails, including Taiwan's tallest and one over the extinct volcano Seven Star Mountain (七星山, 1,120 m).
, in reference to Datun Mountain. Officials during this period were worried about thieves stealing sulfur from the rich sulfur deposits in the area so they would regularly set fire to the mountain. Thus, only grass and not trees could be seen. The first national park was established during the Japanese occupation in 1937.
In 1950, President Chiang Kai-shek
, in order to commemorate the Ming Dynasty
scholar Wang Yangming
renamed the Grass Mountain to Yangmingshan. In 1962, the then Taiwan Provincial Bureau of Public Works began to plan the Yangmingshan National Park. The initial planning area was 28,400 hectares, including Guanyin Mountain and the Datun Volcano Group.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, the Yangmingshan National Park is located between Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. The districts that house parts of the park grounds include Taipei's Beitou and Shilin Districts; and New Taipei's Wanli, Jinshan
Jinshan District, New Taipei
Jinshan District is a rural district on the coast in northern New Taipei City in northern Republic of China . The district draws many visitors each year because of its hot springs and its proximity to Chin Pao San and the Ju Ming Museum...
, and Sanzhi Districts. During the Japanese occupation era of Taiwan, it was known as Datun National Park(大屯国立公園). The National Park is famous for its cherry blossoms, hot springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
, sulfur deposits, fumaroles, venomous snakes and hiking trails, including Taiwan's tallest and one over the extinct volcano Seven Star Mountain (七星山, 1,120 m).
History
Yangmingshan was originally called Grass Mountain (草山; Taiwanese: Chháu-soaⁿ) during the Qing DynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, in reference to Datun Mountain. Officials during this period were worried about thieves stealing sulfur from the rich sulfur deposits in the area so they would regularly set fire to the mountain. Thus, only grass and not trees could be seen. The first national park was established during the Japanese occupation in 1937.
In 1950, President Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
, in order to commemorate the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
scholar Wang Yangming
Wang Yangming
Wang Yangming was a Ming Chinese idealist Neo-Confucian philosopher, official, educationist, calligraphist and general. After Zhu Xi, he is commonly regarded as the most important Neo-Confucian thinker, with interpretations of Confucianism that denied the rationalist dualism of the orthodox...
renamed the Grass Mountain to Yangmingshan. In 1962, the then Taiwan Provincial Bureau of Public Works began to plan the Yangmingshan National Park. The initial planning area was 28,400 hectares, including Guanyin Mountain and the Datun Volcano Group.
Landscape and Geology
Different from the high mountain national parks, Yangmingshan National Park has a lower elevation. Even though mountain elevations range from only 200–1120 meters, beautiful landscapes such as ridges, valleys, lakes, waterfalls and basins are abundant. Andesite rocks make up most of the area's geology.Flora and fauna
Due to the effects of post-volcanic activity and precipitation, soil in the region is highly acidic. With the influence of the northeast monsoon and the area's microclimates, winter temperatures are much lower than the surrounding areas. The above factors cause the vegetation to differ from those in other regions at the same latitude. Some medium and high altitude plants can be found here such as Bird-lime Tree and Hairy Japanese Maple. Vegetation groups can be divided into subtropical monsoon rain forests, temperate evergreen broadleaf forests and mountain ridge grasslands. There are 1360 species of vascular bundle plants in the region. Some of the common ones are Red Nanmu, Large-leaved Machilus, Formosan Sweet Gum, Taiwan Cherry, Mori cleyera and Dark Spotted Cherry. The most famous is Taiwan Isoetes in Menghuan pond, an aquatic fern only found in Taiwan. Mt. Datun is one of the most well known places to see some of the 168 different species of butterflies in northern Taiwan. The best time to view the butterflies is from May to August. The most common ones are from the Families Papilionidae, Danainae and Nymphalidae. There are also 122 species of birds in the region.Historical and Cultural Sites
- Chinese Culture UniversityChinese Culture UniversityChinese Culture University is a private, Taiwanese university located on Yang Ming Mountain in the Shilin District of Taipei, Taiwan. CCU was established in 1962 and is one of the largest universities in Taiwan with an enrollment of about 32,000 students...
- Grass Mountain ChateauGrass Mountain ChateauThe Grass Mountain Chateau is a former residence of late President of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek . It is located in Taipei City, Taiwan, Republic of China in the Yangmingshan National Park. The residence was constructed in 1920 by the Taiwan Sugar Corporation...
- Summer residence of Chiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin.... - Yangmingshuwu - Former KuomintangKuomintangThe Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
Party Archives - Taipei European School
- Chung-Shan BuildingChung-Shan BuildingThe Chung-Shan Building is part of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall complex. Completed in 1966, the building is located in the Yangmingshan National Park in Taipei. The building is placed on the reverse of the 100 New Taiwan Dollar bill...
- Meeting place of the now defunct National Assembly of the Republic of ChinaNational Assembly of the Republic of ChinaThe National Assembly of the Republic of China refers to several parliamentary bodies that existed in the Republic of China. The National Assembly was originally founded in 1913 as the first legislature in Chinese history, but was disbanded less than a year later as President Yuan Shikai assumed... - Former Yangmingshan American Military HousingYangmingshan American Military HousingThe Yangmingshan American Military Housing is a historical site located in Yangmingshan, Taipei, Taiwan. It is located on a 13.88 hectare plot of land near the Chinese Culture University in Shanzihou with around 150 old American buildings in various states of preservation.-History:In 1950, the...
- Guangfu Building - Built in 1971 in Northern Chinese palace style architecture to commemorate the Xinhai RevolutionXinhai RevolutionThe Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
. - Yangmingshan No.1 Public Cemetery - Contains the graves of Sun Fo and Homer LeaHomer LeaHomer Lea , was an American adventurer and author. He is today best known for his involvement with Chinese reform and revolutionary movements in the early twentieth century as close advisor to Dr. Sun Yat-sen during the 1911 Chinese Republican revolution that overthrew the Manchu Dynasty...
. - Wuchih Mountain Military CemeteryWuchih Mountain Military CemeteryThe Wuzhi Mountain Military Cemetery is Taiwan's most prominent military cemetery. The cemetery is located on Wuzhi Mountain in Xizhi, New Taipei City and borders Taipei City's Neihu District and Yangmingshan National Park...
- Tomb of Yu Youren
- Home and grave of famous writer Lin YutangLin YutangLin Yutang was a Chinese writer and inventor. His informal but polished style in both Chinese and English made him one of the most influential writers of his generation, and his compilations and translations of classic Chinese texts into English were bestsellers in the West.-Youth:Lin was born in...
- Tomb of Pu RuPu RuPu Ru also known as Pu Hsin-Yu was a member of the Qing Dynasty ruling Aisin Gioro family and grandson the Daoguang Emperor. The last emperor of China, Pu Yi, was his cousin...
, painter, educator and cousin to the Qing DynastyQing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
Emperor.