Yeheng Terraces Introduction
Yeheng Terraces are located in Yeheng Village, southwest of Bali. The Yeheng area is known for its "terraces" and "hot springs," and many photographers come here to capture Taiwan's rare terrace landscapes. The best photography spot is from the opposite bank of Yeheng, at Sang Guang, where one can capture the rolling, beautifully lined terrace views, making it an unforgettable classic scene along the Northern Cross-Island Highway. Yeheng is a village of the Atayal indigenous people, situated beside the Mali Kuowan River on the Northern Cross-Island Highway, and boasts the second largest plateau in Taoyuan’s Fuxing District, second only to Jiao Ban Mountain, once known as the "granary of the back mountains." You can access it via the Guanghua Road from the lower Bali. Although Yeheng is not a popular tourist spot, it has thus retained the original simplicity of the mountain villages. In this tranquil mountain village, there are terraces built during the Japanese colonial period for highland rice cultivation. At that time, rice farming was promoted, mobilizing local Atayal residents to carve terraces from the mountaintop down to the riverbed, and introducing mountain spring water for irrigation, creating the most beautiful terrace views in the village. At its peak, there were over a thousand terraces with an elevation drop exceeding one thousand meters. This self-sufficient approach not only brought stable living conditions to the residents but also enriched the village's landscape. If you want to see the full, layered view of the terraces, you can capture beautiful scenes from the road towards Sang Guang on the opposite bank of Yeheng, admiring the green terraces intertwined with distant mountains and blue skies, leaving one feeling refreshed and at peace. In addition to the geometrically beautiful rice field views, you can see low houses scattered among the terraces, with straight roads dividing the fields, and occasional vehicles passing through, making the leisurely pace of life in the countryside a longing for urban dwellers. Historically, Yeheng Terraces were planted with rice, and the scenery changes throughout the year with the rice's growth, from the seedlings at planting time to the lush green fields at maturity, and finally to the golden grains just before harvest, particularly captivating; farmers laboring in the fields make one unconsciously lose track of time until sunset, composing a rare rural scene rarely seen in cities. In recent years, the Yeheng community has begun to cultivate the Mama peach, which is in season every May, not letting the peaches from Lala Mountain overshadow them. Named as such because the growing farmers are often single parents or Atayal mothers over sixty, this peach variety is known for its delicate, sweet, and juicy flesh, making it a must-try for visiting tourists.
