Yeheng Terrace Introduction
Yeheng Terraces are located in Yeheng Village, southwest of Balingsi. The Yeheng area has long been famous for its "terraces" and "hot springs," attracting many photographers who come to capture the rare terraced landscapes of Taiwan. The best photography spot is across Yeheng, at Sanguang, where one can capture the rolling, beautifully lined terrace views, creating an unforgettable classic scene along the Northern Cross-Island Highway. Yeheng is a village of the Atayal indigenous people, situated by the Mali Kuo Wan River along the Northern Cross-Island Highway. It has the second-largest terrace in Taoyuan's Fuxing District, after Jiao Ban Mountain, and was once known as the "granary of the hinterland." Access can be gained by traveling from Balingsi via the Guanghua Road. Although Yeheng village is not a popular tourist destination, it has thus preserved the primitive simplicity of mountain villages. In this tranquil mountain village, there are terraced fields constructed during the Japanese colonial period when high mountain rice cultivation was promoted. At that time, local Atayal residents were mobilized to clear terraces from the mountain top down to the riverbed, utilizing spring water for irrigation, creating the most beautiful terrace landscapes within the village. At its peak, there were over a thousand steps of terraces, with a height difference of more than a thousand meters. This self-sufficient method not only brought stability to the residents' lives but also added charm to the village landscape. For a complete view of the well-layered terraces, one can capture beautiful scenery from the road across Yeheng heading to Sanguang, enjoying the picturesque sight where green terraces meet the distant mountains and blue sky, providing a refreshing experience. In addition to the geometrically beautiful rice field landscape, one can see low houses scattered among the terraces, with straight roads dividing the fields, occasionally intersected by passing vehicles, embodying a leisurely lifestyle that urban dwellers yearn for. In the past, Yeheng Terraces primarily cultivated rice, with the scenery changing through the seasons along with the growth of the rice plants, from the seedlings during sowing to the lush greenery at maturity, and finally to the golden grains before harvest, creating a particularly touching scene; while farmers worked hard in the fields, time seemed to slip away unnoticed until the sunset painted a rare rural scene in the city. In recent years, the Yeheng village has decided not to let Lala Mountain's fragrant peaches be the only highlight, and has begun cultivating the Mama Peach, which is in season every May. Named because the harvest coincides with Mother's Day, the fruit is grown by single and elder Atayal mothers over sixty years old, and it boasts delicate, sweet, and juicy flesh that visitors shouldn’t miss.
