Nangang Mountain Range - Gengliao Ancient Trail Introduction
The Gengliao Ancient Trail is one of the five ancient paths from Nangang to Shenkeng and Shiding that have been preserved most intact and are still in use today. This ancient trail is not only a convenient route to reach Shanzhuku and Tuku Mountain, but also an old path for visiting ancient house ruins. Currently, granite steps have been laid along the trail; however, the narrow starting and ending conditions still showcase the ruggedness of the past. Some unpaved gravel sections are adorned with small white flowers of Daylilies, highlighting the simplicity and ancient charm of the pathway. The latter part of the Gengliao Ancient Trail connects with the Laoliao Ancient Trail, which is also in an area that once had numerous tea houses. Historically, this path was used for transporting and processing camphor, known as the Laoliao Ancient Trail. About 110 years ago, the Laoliao Ancient Trail became a frequently used road for tea merchants and villagers, later adopting the phonetic name Gengliao. The renaming to Gengliao Ancient Trail comes from its use as a patrol route for watchmen during the Qing Dynasty. Once a prosperous route for early settlers, it has now faded into a hiking path for nature seekers. Chun-Hsuan Farm, originally the Nangang First Citizen Farm, has transformed into a multifunctional agricultural park that combines education and leisure. The park features over a thousand Chinese toon trees, daylilies, and osmanthus trees, as well as treehouses and viewing platforms for visitors to enjoy the scenery. Wanggaoliao, situated at the highest point of Tuku Mountain, offers a view of the Greater Taipei area and has unique military fortress functions. Legend has it that there was a lookout tower here during the Qing Dynasty, manned by armed patrols. The current constructed viewing platform provides even better and wider vistas, truly living up to its name, Wanggaoliao. Along the Gengliao Ancient Trail, one can frequently see the scenery of the number five National Freeway. Additionally, there are several century-old buildings nearby, including the Pan Clan Ancestral House, which is 160 years old. This historic relic of early development features remaining gun holes from the time of defense. The descendants of the Pan Clan have inhabited this ancient house for eight generations, serving as a testament to this history. Exploring the ancient fun in the mountains, among the five ancient paths from Nangang to Shenkeng and Shiding, the Gengliao Ancient Trail is the only one that remains most intact and still in use. It is not only a necessary route to Shanzhuku or Tuku Mountain, but also contains many "ancient treasures." Even though granite steps have been laid along the path, the initial narrow stone steps only allow one person to pass, offering a genuine ancient flavor. Upon climbing to the mountainside, behind a pavilion, there is the 70-year-old stone house, Huang Wang's Former Residence, which still retains ancient tea-making machines. The early uphill section implies that one might mistakenly enter a "wrong path," followed immediately by stepping onto a gravel path that crunches underfoot, adorned with small flowers like Daylilies on both sides. The short 300-meter distance is easy to walk but is profoundly nostalgic. The starting point of the Gengliao Trail leads to the only remaining century-old house in Nangang, which still features gun holes and is inhabited, known as the Pan Clan's Gun Hole House. The descendants of the Pan Clan who have lived there number eight generations, giving it an estimated age of at least 160 years, akin to the enduring Gengliao Ancient Trail. On the way to Laoliao Ancient Trail, one can see the remnants of lime kilns, historical sites developed by early settlers; the ruins of Wei Jing-Shi's former residence, though in ruins, still hint at the past prosperity of the tea mountains. Along the trail, the Tu-Jiao Houses, Cheng Clan Cemetery, and the "mini" land god temple, only 30 centimeters high, all validate the hundred-year history of the ancient trail. The exploration of tea culture reflects that tea mountain development can be traced back to over 200 years ago during the Qing Dynasty, when this area was an important region for the early export of camphor and tea. The tea-making methods developed by Wang Shui-Jin and Wei Jing-Shi, namely "Wenshan Baozhong Tea" and "Nangang Baozhong Tea," together marked the golden age of Nangang tea, gaining fame even internationally, with some old tea shops in Thailand still attracting customers under the Nangang name. 110 years ago, the Laoliao Ancient Trail was a bustling path for tea merchants and villagers, which was historically an ancient path for collecting camphor and processing camphor, hence its original name Laoliao Ancient Trail. The name "Gengliao" was later phonetically adopted; during the Qing Dynasty, it was adapted as a patrol route for watchmen and during the Japanese occupation turned into a transportation route for tea merchants between Shenkeng and Nangang. Today, it has shed its former glory and has become a hiking path for nature enthusiasts. After approximately five to six minutes walking along the narrow stone steps at the entrance of the trail to the Gengliao Printing Pavilion, if you look right, you can see the North-Yi Expressway carved through the mountain foot, traveling beneath Tuku Mountain, Shanzhuku and the Gengliao Ancient Trail towards Shiding and Pinglin. It is interesting to stop here, enjoying today's traffic while appreciating the historical communication route. On a clear day, on the way to Shanzhuku, you can stand on the steps and look back to see sights like the Grand Hotel, Songshan Airport, Dazhi, and the Neihu incinerator, capturing the beauty of the Taipei Basin. The higher you climb, the richer the scenery becomes, with complete mountain landscapes and plant ecologies close at hand. Just before reaching the summit, there is a rare forest of pencil cedar trees, presenting a tropical rainforest appearance, while the sound of the mountain stream washes away the fatigue from the steep climbs.
