An Atayal hunting trail on Taichung’s Wujiajianan Mountain (武加加難山) is to reopen in December after renovations are completed, the city’s Tourism and Travel Bureau said on Wednesday.
The bureau reported on the project’s progress during an inspection by Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), who also visited healthcare workers in the Lishan (梨山) area to thank them for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Using NT$59 million (US$1.91 million) in funding from the central government, the bureau is updating and expanding the 2.5km trail, which has historically been used for hunting by residents of the Atayal village of Sqoyaw (Huanshan, 環山).
Photo: Chang Hsuan-che, Taipei Times
Work is expected to finish by the end of the year, it said.
The ancient hunting trail is being renovated with a focus on sustainability and reducing the use of artificial construction materials, the bureau said.
In addition to rest areas, informational placards are to be posted telling the oral histories of Sqoyaw residents, it said.
The stories would describe traditional hunting practices, and introduce locations such as an archery practice area and village remains, it said.
The trail is to serve as a destination for tourists and a resource for residents to pass on their culture, the bureau said.
Liao Wei-chih (廖偉志), director of the bureau’s engineering division, said that the trail follows the original Atayal hunting path in a loop encircling Wujiajianan Mountain.
The trail section with the Sijielan River (司界蘭溪) suspension bridge might also be extended to connect to Sqoyaw village, making the hiking network in the Lishan area more complete, he added.
The renovation is part of wider efforts by the bureau to develop tourism opportunities in the Lishan area of the Central Mountain Range.
Plans also include a New Year’s Eve promotion, subsidies for tour groups and improvements to lodging, the bureau said.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
MORE NEEDED: Recall drives against legislators in Miaoli’s two districts and Hsinchu’s second district were still a few thousand signatures short of the second-stage threshold Campaigners aiming to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they expect success in 30 out of 35 districts where drives have passed the second-stage threshold, which would mark a record number of recall votes held at once. Hsinchu County recall campaigners yesterday announced that they reached the second-stage threshold in the recall effort against Legislator Lin Szu-ming (林思銘). A total of 26,414 signatures have been gathered over the past two months, surpassing the 10 percent threshold of 23,287 in Hsinchu County’s second electoral district, chief campaigner Hsieh Ting-ting (謝婷婷) said. “Our target is to gather an additional 1,500 signatures to reach