Alang Yi Ancient Trail Introduction
The Alangyi Historic Trail stretches over 200 kilometers, connecting Nantiantou Village in Taitung County and Xuhai Village in Pingtung County. It is an ancient path built along the southeastern section of the Central Mountain Range, adjacent to the Pacific coastline, and has a history of over 100 years. The trail originally served purposes such as providing indigenous peoples a route for farming, hunting, military movement, and migration. Due to the lack of roads to this area, the scenic views and cultural history along the trail have remained beautifully preserved, showcasing stunning historic sites, beautiful marine erosion rock formations, lush tropical vegetation, and magnificent cliffs – a rare glimpse of Taiwan's pristine beauty. In terms of natural scenery, the Alangyi Historic Trail extends to Taiwan's coastal section and is still undeveloped, allowing the coastal landscape to remain relatively intact. Notably, the pebble beach along the coast features smooth, round pebbles of varying sizes strewn across the shore, resembling clusters of stone plates. The original vegetation along the coast has also been well-preserved, with many rare plant species visible here, particularly in the Xuhai Grassland along the trail, which boasts a rich diversity of plant life. The areas traversed by the trail are also home to a variety of wildlife, including wild boars, macaques, badgers, yellow-headed herons, Eurasian wrens, bamboo partridges, black-breasted bulbuls, red-bellied thrushes, little rain frogs, and Ahlstrom's tree frogs. Culturally, early residents were heavily reliant on the Alangyi Historic Trail, including the Pipulu community of the Peinan people, the Amis, the Paiwan, the Makatao Plains indigenous people, and Han Chinese from Hakka or Fujian descent. Through their migration and settlement process, they left a rich cultural heritage comprising rituals, architectural relics, wedding customs, and everyday items – all fascinating pages of history.
