A-Lang Yi Ancient Trail Introduction
The Alangyi Historic 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 trail built along the southeastern section of the Central Mountain Range, adjacent to the Pacific coastline, boasting a history of over a century. The trail was initially used by indigenous peoples for farming, hunting, military movements, and migration. Due to the absence of roads to this area, the scenic views and cultural history along the trail remain beautifully preserved, showcasing stunning cultural monuments, beautiful coastal erosion rocks, vibrant tropical vegetation, and magnificent cliffs—representing a rare glimpse of Taiwan's pristine beauty. In terms of natural landscapes, the Alangyi Historic Trail extends to Taiwan's coastal area, which has not yet been developed, allowing the coastal scenery to remain largely intact. The pebble beach along the coast features smooth, round pebbles of varying sizes scattered across the shore, resembling piles of stone plates. The original coastal vegetation is also well preserved, where many rare plant species can be found, particularly the rich plant landscape at the Xuhai Grassland along the trail. The variety of animals is equally impressive, with wild boars, macaques, badgers, yellow-headed herons, black-naped orioles, bamboo partridges, black-capped kingfishers, red-bellied thrushes, little rainy frogs, and A. annamensis frogs being observed in this area. Regarding cultural history, early inhabitants heavily relied on the Alangyi Historic Trail. These residents included the Pingpu group of the Bunun people, the Amis, the Paiwan, the Makatao Plains Indigenous people, Hakka, and Minnan Han Chinese. Throughout their processes of migration and settlement, they left behind valuable cultural heritage, including rituals, architectural remains, marriage customs, and daily life items, all of which present a fascinating chapter in history.
