Shih Tou Mountain Old Trail Introduction
Lion's Head Mountain is located at the border of Nantou County's Nanjuang Township and Hsinchu County's Emei Township. The entire mountain is covered with layers of lush greenery, featuring unique rock formations that are aesthetically pleasing and spiritually uplifting. There are currently eleven temples within the mountain, most of which are built into natural caves, nestled among green mountains and trees, presenting a serene and ethereal ambiance. It is renowned across Taiwan as a sacred site for promoting Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Lion's Head Mountain is characterized by towering ancient trees that provide ample shade, with temples scattered throughout, creating a tranquil atmosphere. On weekends, one can steal a moment to rest or enjoy a short vacation here, engaging in religious practices and meditation, where the morning bells and evening drums help to clear away worldly concerns, making it a solemn and peaceful tourist destination. Lion's Head Mountain is one of the twelve scenic spots in Taiwan, situated between the borders of Nanjuang and Emei Township. The southern part of the watershed belongs to Nantou County's Nanjuang Township, while the northern part is under Hsinchu County's Emei Township. To the south, steep cliffs face the Xiangbi Mountain across the Sanwan Creek; to the north, hills undulate between Liu Liao in Tengping Village, resembling a crouching lion. During the Qing Dynasty's Daoguang era, Tamsui District's official Li Shenye named it "Lion's Head Mountain" due to its shape. With an elevation of 496 meters, Lion's Head Mountain is a standard ridge resembling a pig's back, often shrouded in mist, with clouds rolling over the hills and valleys like a coiled dragon. Bamboo groves and various trees grow among the rocks, and the stone steps wind through the dense forest, rarely allowing sunlight through, even cool in summer. The ridges and cliffs rise sharp and high, at several tens of feet. The Lion's Head Mountain trail starts from the Wangyue Pavilion, which serves as the boundary marker between the bamboo and苗 counties, dividing it into the front mountain of Nanjuang and the rear mountain of Emei. The front mountain section has well-preserved stone step pathways with over a thousand steps, while the rear mountain section is entirely converted to concrete paths, leaving only small segments of stone steps in front of the temples. The front mountain has a steep topography that makes it more challenging to traverse, while the rear mountain has gentler slopes. Before 1965, visitors to Lion's Head Mountain had to ascend an old trail that hadn’t yet been developed into a circumferential mountain road, reaching sites like Raoyi Temple, Lingta, and Qunhua Hall. This stone slab hiking path has remained popular among nature enthusiasts and fitness seekers for decades, with dancing bamboo and murmuring streams surrounded by towering rocks. A normal walking pace allows one to reach Qunhua Hall in about twenty minutes. Today, most visitors park in the square below Qunhua Hall and start their journey through Xiangjiao Pavilion, entering Futian Temple before reaching Qunhua Hall. Turning left at Daode Men leads to Shali Cave and Kaishan Temple, with round trips taking about ten minutes. If one continues straight uphill past the great rock wall, it takes about twenty minutes to reach Wangyue Pavilion, which is 600 meters away. Apart from a few sections needing repair, the stone staircase meditation path on the front mountain is quite complete and easy to navigate. Starting from Wangyue Pavilion, the gentle slope descends for about three kilometers to the Shiwai hiking entrance, following an entirely concrete agricultural road. Along the way, there are various temples: Shiyan Cave, Haihui Temple, Lingxia Cave, Vajra Temple, and Wanfo Temple, leading to the Fan Yin Temple (Shuilian Cave) via the Shiwai hiking entrance. Among them, Yuanguang Temple has been established for 107 years, making it the earliest Buddhist temple in the Lion's Head Mountain area, followed by Qunhua Hall at 101 years, both of significant historical importance.
