Alang Yi Ancient Trail Introduction
The Alangyi Historic Trail is over 200 kilometers long, connecting Nantian Village in Daren Township, Taitung County, and Xuhai Village in Mudan Township, Pingtung County. It is an ancient path built along the southeastern section of the Central Mountain Range, adjacent to the Pacific coastline, with a history of over 100 years. The early function of the trail was to provide indigenous peoples with a route for cultivation, hunting, military movements, and migration. Due to the absence of roads leading to this area, the scenic landscapes and cultural history along this ancient path have remained intact, showcasing beautiful cultural relics, stunning sea-eroded reefs, vibrant tropical vegetation, and magnificent cliffs. This represents a rare glimpse of Taiwan's pristine beauty. In terms of natural scenery, the Alangyi Historic Trail extends to the coastal section of Taiwan and remains undeveloped, resulting in a relatively complete coastal landscape. The shoreline features long pebble beaches, where round cobblestones of various sizes are scattered like plates. The original coastal vegetation has also been well preserved, and many rare plant species can be seen here, particularly on the Xuhai Grassland along the ancient path, which boasts a rich variety of plant life. The areas traversed by the trail are also home to an array of wildlife, including wild boars, macaques, ferrets, herons, whistling thrushes, bamboo partridges, black-naped orioles, red-bellied thrushes, little rain frogs, and Aiff's tree frogs. In terms of cultural history, early residents were deeply reliant on the Alangyi Historic Trail, including the Puyuma people from Jhiben, the Amis, the Paiwan, the Makatao plain indigenous people, as well as Han Chinese from the Hakka and Min communities. Throughout the process of migration and settlement, they left behind valuable cultural heritage such as rituals, architectural remains, marriage customs, and household items, all of which are fascinating chapters of history.
