A-Liang Yi Ancient Trail Introduction
The Alangyi Ancient Trail is over 200 kilometers long, connecting Nantian Village in Taitung County's Daren Township and Xuhai Village in Pingtung County's Mudan Township. It is an ancient path built along the southeastern section of the Central Mountain Range, adjacent to the Pacific coastline, with a history of more than 100 years. The trail's early function was to provide the indigenous peoples access for land reclamation, hunting, military movements, and migration. Since there are no roads leading to this area, the landscapes and cultural history along this ancient trail have remarkably preserved their original beauty. The beautiful cultural heritage, coastal rock formations, tropical vegetation, and cliffs represent a rare glimpse of pristine scenery in Taiwan. In terms of natural scenery, the Alangyi Ancient Trail extends to the coastal area of Taiwan, which remains undeveloped, allowing the coastal landscape to remain largely intact. Notably, the pebble beach along the coast features smooth stones of varying sizes scattered like plates on the shore; the original vegetation along the coastline has also been well-preserved, where many rare plant species can be seen, especially in the Xuhai Grassland along the trail, where the plant diversity is exceptionally rich. The fauna along the trail is equally abundant, with wild boars, macaques, badgers, Eastern Cattle Egrets, black-faced spoonbills, bamboo partridges, black-naped monarchs, red-bellied thrushes, little puddle frogs, and Aei's treefrogs all found here. Culturally and historically, the early residents deeply relied on the Alangyi Ancient Trail. These residents included the Peinan people from the Zhiben group, the Amis, the Paiwan, the Makatao plain indigenous people, and Han people from Hakka and Fujian origins. Throughout the processes of migration and settlement, they left behind valuable cultural legacies such as rituals, architectural remains, marriage customs, and daily utensils, all of which are captivating chapters in their history.
