The Dapo Pond () is a

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...

in Chihshang Township,

Taitung County Taitung County (; Mandarin pinyin: ''Táidōng Xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Tâi-tang-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Thòi-tûng-yen''; Paiwan: ''Valangaw'';lit:Eastern part of Taiwan) is the third largest county in Taiwan, located primarily on the island' ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

History

The pond was originally called Dabi. In early years, the fish and shrimp found in Chihshang came from Dapo area. During the

Japanese rule of Taiwan The island of Taiwan, together with the Penghu Islands, became a dependency of Japan in 1895, when the Qing dynasty ceded Fujian-Taiwan Province in the Treaty of Shimonoseki after the Japanese victory in the First Sino-Japanese War. The shor ...

, the pond had a surface area of 55 hectares and there were abundant fish and shrimp inside the water. Lotuses and water chestnuts also grew in the pond. After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

in 1945, the pond became one of the ten scenic sights of Taitung County under the title ''The Fishing Line of Chihshang''. However, after the Large Dapo Drainage Ditch water conservation facility, natural silting and other factors, the surface area of the pond gradually shrinks.

Geology

Dapo Pond is an inland freshwater swamp. It was formed as a result of fault activity in Chihshang. Its water comes from an underground stream located at the tip of the alluvial fan of Xinwulyu River. The pond river flows northward towards the lowlands, which then becomes the source of

Xiuguluan River The Xiuguluan River () is the eighth-longest river in Taiwan with a total length of . It is located in the southeastern part of the island. It flows through the Huadong Valley before emptying into the Pacific Ocean in Fengbin, Hualien. Overvie ...

. Under the planning and revitalization efforts from

Taitung County Government The Taitung County Government () is the local government of Taitung County, Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacif ...

, the pond now has a surface area of around 20 hectares with another 20 hectares on its surrounding embankments and wetlands.

Features

The area around the lake features several facilities, such as bike routes, footpath, pavilions, fishing area, bird watching area and garden.

Activities

The area was the venue for the light show of the 2017 Taiwan International Balloon Festival.

Transportation

The lake is accessible within walking distance south east of Chishang Station of Taiwan Railways.

References