A strong continental cold air mass and abundant moisture bringing snow to mountains 3,000m and higher over the past few days are a reminder that more than 60 years ago Taiwan had an outdoor ski resort that gradually disappeared in part due to climate change.
On Oct. 24, 2021, the National Development Council posted a series of photographs on Facebook recounting the days when Taiwan had a ski resort on Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County.
More than 60 years ago, when developing a branch of the Central Cross-Island Highway, the government discovered that Hehuanshan, with an elevation of more than 3,100m, had a snow accumulation period of about two months every winter, with terrain perfectly suited for skiing, the council said.
Photo: Screen grab from the National Development Council’s Facebook
The government established the Wuling Winter Training Base (武嶺寒訓基地) on Hehuanshan, to train armed forces in skiing and survival skills, it said, adding that the decision laid the foundation for the winter tourism industry.
In 1963, with the support of the Forestry Bureau, the Chinese Taipei Ski Association was founded to promote snow activities, and Hehuanshan became a popular destination for the China Youth Corps’ winter camps, with skiing and snow-viewing camps bringing crowds to the cold mountain areas, the council said.
At the time, a 400m gondola lift was available between Hehuanshan’s East Peak (東峰) and Songsyue Lodge (松雪樓), and a ski training center was built beside the lodge to train Taiwan’s athletes for international competitions, it said.
Today, many Taiwanese still remember having enjoyed their skiing vacation at Hehuanshan or the China Youth Corps’ camps to learn skiing, it said.
However, due to climate change, snow accumulation and the snow accumulation period on Hehuanshan have been reduced, and with international travel becoming more convenient, Taiwan’s first ski resort has gradually phased out and disappeared, the council said.
A person commented on the council’s post saying that traces of the abandoned gondola lift can still be seen in the Hehuanshan mountain areas, which serves as a reminder of the former glorious days of Taiwan’s ski resort.
An apartment building in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) collapsed last night after a nearby construction project earlier in the day allegedly caused it to tilt. Shortly after work began at 9am on an ongoing excavation of a construction site on Liuzhang Street (六張街), two neighboring apartment buildings tilted and cracked, leading to exterior tiles peeling off, city officials said. The fire department then dispatched personnel to help evacuate 22 residents from nine households. After the incident, the city government first filled the building at No. 190, which appeared to be more badly affected, with water to stabilize the
Taiwan plans to cull as many as 120,000 invasive green iguanas this year to curb the species’ impact on local farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture said. Chiu Kuo-hao (邱國皓), a section chief in the ministry’s Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, on Sunday said that green iguanas have been recorded across southern Taiwan and as far north as Taichung. Although there is no reliable data on the species’ total population in the country, it has been estimated to be about 200,000, he said. Chiu said about 70,000 iguanas were culled last year, including about 45,000 in Pingtung County, 12,000 in Tainan, 9,900 in
DEEPER REVIEW: After receiving 19 hospital reports of suspected food poisoning, the Taipei Department of Health applied for an epidemiological investigation A buffet restaurant in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) is to be fined NT$3 million (US$91,233) after it remained opened despite an order to suspend operations following reports that 32 people had been treated for suspected food poisoning, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. The health department said it on Tuesday received reports from hospitals of people who had suspected food poisoning symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea, after they ate at an INPARADISE (饗饗) branch in Breeze Xinyi on Sunday and Monday. As more than six people who ate at the restaurant sought medical treatment, the department ordered the
Taiwan’s population last year shrank further and births continued to decline to a yearly low, the Ministry of the Interior announced today. The ministry published the 2024 population demographics statistics, highlighting record lows in births and bringing attention to Taiwan’s aging population. The nation’s population last year stood at 23,400,220, a decrease of 20,222 individuals compared to 2023. Last year, there were 134,856 births, representing a crude birth rate of 5.76 per 1,000 people, a slight decline from 2023’s 135,571 births and 5.81 crude birth rate. This decrease of 715 births resulted in a new record low per the ministry’s data. Since 2016, which saw
RSS