Hengchun Shihpai Park Introduction
Shihpai Park was originally known as "Monkey Cave Mountain" during the Qing Dynasty because it was a habitat for monkeys. During the Japanese occupation, it was renamed "Hengchun Park." Since early Monkey Cave Mountain was often used by indigenous people for worshiping deities and ancestors, Han Chinese in the Qing Dynasty also referred to this place as "Xiang Mountain." Legend has it that Monkey Cave Mountain is the dragon vein where Hengchun was established, having excellent geographical feng shui. In the Qing Dynasty, the Chengxin Pavilion (later changed to the Confucius Temple) and the Tingyu Mountain House were built on the mountain peak. Many scholars and literati gathered here, and with nearby temples like Guangning Temple, Tianhou Temple, Longquan Rock, and Fude Temple, the area gradually became a cultural and religious center at that time. The most distinctive feature of Monkey Cave Mountain is the oddly shaped coral reef rocks, making it the only coral reef park in urban Taiwan, which was listed as one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Hengchun during the Qing period. At the entrance of Shihpai Park, there are four stone tablets from the Japanese colonial period, including the Loyal Spirit Monument, the Weapons Maintenance Monument, the Commemoration Monument of the Japanese Army's Capture of Hengchun City, and the Boundary Marker of Japan's Southernmost Territory in Taiwan, documenting segments of Japanese rule in Hengchun. The park also features pavilions, viewing platforms, and hiking trails, enhanced with greenery. Visitors here can not only enjoy the unique scenery of the coral reef rocks but also take in the street view of Hengchun Township, making it a natural, simple, leisurely, and relaxed recreational environment. In the "Hengchun Old Town Regeneration Project" promoted by the Pingtung County Government, Shihpai Park will be transformed into a natural performance area. This project aims to integrate Monkey Cave Mountain Park with nearby old houses, refurbishing the existing trails in the park and adding wooden platforms, entrance-themed public art, an artistic canopy performance stage, and a trapezoidal grassy slope audience area, shaping it into a cultural and artistic performance center of Hengchun Old Town.
