Tropic of Cancer Marker Park Introduction
The Tropic of Cancer Marker Park is located on the Ruins of Wuhe Plateau, featuring a white sundial shape that is a must-take photo spot for travelers passing through the Wuhe Plateau. The park has an outdoor parking lot, large teapot-shaped installations, restrooms, trails, and rest areas. The trail from the parking lot to the park is designed to be an accessible path, allowing travelers of all ages to walk easily to take photos with the Tropic of Cancer marker and the teapot installation, or browse the informational signs in all four cardinal directions to learn about the 24 celestial lodges and astronomical phenomena while admiring the picturesque tea gardens and mountains surrounding the Wuhe Plateau. Along the wooden corridors on both sides of the park, there are many informational signs related to astronomical phenomena, climate, solar terms, and Earth sciences. Nearby businesses sell honey black tea and Wuhe coffee, providing travelers a place to relax and enjoy good local beverages, and also allowing them to bring back souvenirs. In the summer, this is an excellent time to observe the unique astronomical phenomena of the Tropic of Cancer and to capture the beautiful scenery of the tea gardens and the Central Mountain Range. The blue sky, bright white Tropic of Cancer, lush green tea gardens, and the distant Central Mountain Range together form the most iconic scene on the Wuhe Plateau, making it a beautiful sight for passerby to photograph. The Tropic of Cancer marks the northernmost point where the sun can be directly overhead in the Northern Hemisphere, located at 23.5 degrees North latitude. Each year, on the summer solstice, the sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer, creating the unique solar phenomenon of "no shadow" at noon. Besides this, most countries and regions along the Tropic of Cancer are deserts, making Taiwan a rare oasis along this line, with its island climate and monsoons creating this unique geographical landscape. There are three Tropic of Cancer markers set up in Taiwan, located in Shuishang Township, Chiayi; Ruins Township, Hualien; and Fengbin Township. The marker located in Ruins was established in 1933, positioned west of the Ruins train station, and later relocated to its current site due to the railway expansion of the East Line. However, the accurate location of the Tropic of Cancer crossing Provincial Highway No. 9 is actually about two kilometers south of the current Tropic of Cancer marker.
