Taipei - Taiwan - page 201

Yangming Shuwu HISTORIC BUILDING
(Yángmíng Shūwū, Yangming Villa; admission NT$50) The last and largest retreat built for Chi-
ang Kai-shek. Entrance is on a Chinese language tour only at 9am and 1.30pm. Ask at
the visitor centre for directions.
Chungshan Hall HISTORIC BUILDING
(Zhōngshān Lóu) Built in 1965 to commemorate the centennial birthday of Sun Yat-
sen, it's just a minute's walk back down the road from the main bus station. Entrance is
on a Chinese language tour only at 8.30am, 10am, 1.30pm and 3pm.
Activities
Hiking & Walking
The park has a wide network of trails, most staired and well marked with English sig-
nage. The park website lists them all and includes times, distances and maps. Richard
Saunders' Yangmingshan, The Guide also outlines hikes both short and long in loving
detail.
In addition to the hikes below, consider tackling volcanic Mt Datun in the west side of
the park: it's an all-day event if you go from Beitou. Or try the 1.8km trail up from Erzip-
ing Visitor Centre. It's wheelchair accessible.
Flatter walking paths run parallel to the main loop road around the park, as well as
along the Balaka Rd towards Erziping Visitor Centre. It would take you all day to com-
plete these but you can catch a shuttle bus from various points when you get tired.
Qixingshan (Mt Qixing) to Xiaoyoukeng HIKING
(Qīxīng shān-Xiǎo Yóu Kēng) This route takes you to the top of Yangmingshan's tallest peak
(1120m) and ends at one of the park's most iconic landscapes: the smoky, sulphurous fu-
maroles of Xiaoyoukeng. You can begin the hike directly from the park headquarters.
The trail is about 4.9km one way and takes about three to four hours.
To begin head out from the park headquarters on a side road to the Mt Qixing Hiking
Trail (Miaopu Entrance). It's 2.5km to the summit from here, and about 1.6km to Qixing
Park , which on a clear day affords great views of the peak and also over Taipei. If you
are feeling less than eager to tackle the summit once you arrive here, you can take a
1.7km side route down to Lengshui-keng, the free public hot-spring area.
Assuming you reach the summit, continue on north to Xiaoyoukeng . This is a be-
witching landscape of smoky pits, emerald hills, suplhur crystals and bubbling hot-spring