Tayal

Baling Bridge
遠眺巴陵橋一景

The predecessor of the Northern Cross-island Highway was Jiaobanshan Sanxing Guard Road during the Japanese colonial period. In October of the third year of Taisho (1914), the Japanese built the Balong Suspension Bridge at 47 kilometers away from today's Northern Cross-island Highway. Fuba Cross-ridge Historic Trail connects with Jiaobanshan Sanxing Road here. During the construction of the Northern Cross-island Highway in the 1960s, the Balong Bridge was demolished and rebuilt as "Baling Bridge".

Gigantic Fallen Tree
拉拉山神木區到檜山駐在所之間,可見巨大倒木隧道

There are many sacred trees along the way from the sacred tree area of ​​Lalashan to the Guishan Police Post, and there are also many huge fallen trees. Since large fallen trees are not easy to be removed, it is often seen that the giant trees lying on the road are sawn open to form a passage. The huge fallen log in this image is located near 15K of the trail.

Trail near the County Boundary
縣界附近的古道狀況

The Fuba Cross-ridge Historic Trail is also a trail for climbing Lalashan and Guishan. If you have spare energy, you can make a detour and climb to the top of these mountains along the way. The climbing entrance of Lalashan is located near the county boundary, and takes around 1 hour one way. The climbing entrance of Guishan is located at the Guishan Police Post, and the climbing time is about 25 minutes.

Lalashan Police Post Entrance
拉拉山駐在所入口景館

The Lalashan Police Post was established in the 11th year of Taisho (1922) and abolished in June of the 35th year of the Republic of China (1946). The site is located at 11.5K of Fuba Cross-ridge Historic Trail, about 2 hours' walk from the Sacred Trees area of ​​Lalashan. The site is a wide three-story platform. On the platform, there are abandoned hunting huts, some broken bowls and glass bottles left over from the Japanese occupation period. Many stacked stone walls can also be found around. There is a slope at the entrance of the site, which is overgrown with weeds. The image is a view taken from the historic trail to the entrance slope.

 

Sacred Tree
福巴越嶺古道上聳立參天神木

There are many sacred trees scattered along the trail between Lalashan and Guishan Police Post, as well as the Lalashan sacred trees at the Baling Mountaineering Entrance. 

The altitude of this area is between 1,300 and 1,700 meters, and the climate is suitable for the growth of cypress forests. The sacred tree in the image is located between the Guishan Police Post and the Lalashan Police Post.

Sbunaw
空拍雪霧鬧

Xuewunao (Sbunaw) is located in the northeast of Gaoyi village, Fuxing District, Taoyuan City, on the south bank of the confluence of Dahan River and Xuewunao River, between 500 and 600 meters above sea level, facing Ronghua. The steep and bronze-colored mountain wall is the famous Ronghua Cliff. The transliterations include Zuo Xibuluo, Sewuhao, Xibuqiao, Shi Fulao, etc. In Atayal language, the name has the meaning of a tree that has fruits, bunaw means tree fruit, and Si means to have. Therefore, there was a fruit that monkeys liked in the past, and it was named after it. Another saying is that Sbunaw refers to groundnuts. The residents originally lived in Wudaonengan who moved here in the 7th year of Qianlong (1742). At the end of the Japanese occupation, about twenty households were led by Umin-Pitai and moved to Shangwulai. After the liberation, there were eight households who moved from Haga Bay under the leadership of Tali-Hayan.

Ehen
空拍爺亨

Ehen is located in Sanguang village, Fuxing District, Taoyuan City. Also known as Yiheng, Yeshen, Ehong, etc. In Atayal, Ehen means the sun can only be seen at noon. It is named because it is located in a branch valley of the Malikuowan River, with the Yufeng Mountain Range (also known as Malikuowan Mountains) behind itwith dense forest and lots of rain and fog. There is another saying, which refers to the meaning of Yeheng's platform by the river. Most of the residents moved from Wudaonengan to the area of Sule. The village is located on a semi-circular river step on the left bank of the lower reaches of Malikuowan River, a tributary of Dahan River. The altitude is between 640 and 740 meters. Residents use mountain spring water to irrigate, creating the most tidy terraced landscape in the Fuxing District. Therefore, Yeheng was once known as the "back valley warehouse".

Baling No. 2 Tunnel
巴陵二號隧道入口

After entering the tunnel, on the right there is the Balong Tunnel, which was left fom the Japanese occupation period, that leads to the remains of the Balong Suspension Bridge. The Baling No. 2 Tunnel is connected to the Baling Bridge. In October 1914, the Japanese built the "Balong Suspension Bridge" here. In the 1960s, with the construction of the Northern Cross-island Highway, the suspension bridge was demolished and rebuilt into Balin Bridge. Later, due to the increasing traffic and that the road of Baling Bridge was not wide enough, which proned to traffic jams, a new Baling Bridge was built in 2005. The old Baling Bridge was turned into a pedestrian-only scenic bridge. The Baling No. 1 and No. 2 Tunnel that connect at both ends of the bridge are planned as Atayal Humanities Exhibition Hall, displaying Atayal paintings, traditional costumes and agricultural products.

Simulation Diagram of the Balong Suspension Bridge
巴壟鐵線橋模擬圖

This is a simulation diagram of the Balong Suspesion Bridge, which is located at the southern end of the bridge. It is accessible through the Baling Scenic Bridge that is located at 47 kilometers away from the Northern Cross-island Highway. The predecessor of the Cross-island Highway was the Jiaobanshan Sanxing Historic Trail during the Japanese occupation. In October of Taisho 3rd year (1914) the Japanese built the Balong Suspension Bridge. When the Northern Cross-island Highway was built in the 1960s, the Bridge was demolished and rebuilt into the Baling Bridge. Although the suspension bridge no longer exists, the Taoyuan City Government has reproduced a small section of the suspension bridge at the southern end of the bridge, and set up a simulation diagram there, allowing tourists to see the full image of the bridge at that time.

Baling Bridge
巴陵大橋

The Baling Bridge, which spans across the Dahan River, was completed in 2005 and is an important landmark in the Baling area. In the 3rd year of Taisho (1914), the Japanese built the Baling Suspension Bridge here. When the Northern Cross-island Highway was built in the 1960s, the suspension bridge was demolished and rebuilt into the Baling Bridge. Since the Cross-island Highway leads to Jiaobanshan, Lalashan, Qilan, Mingchi and other important tourist and recreational areas, the traffic volume surges every holiday. The original Baling Bridge width is only 4.6 meters, the width of the road is insufficient, and it is easy to cause traffic jams. The new Baling Bridge was built to solve the problem of traffic congestion. After the new Baling Bridge was opened in 2005, the old Baling Bridge was changed to a pedestrian-only landscape bridge.