Wuling (, el 3275 m), formerly known as , is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

located in

Ren'ai, Nantou Ren'ai Township () is a mountain indigenous township in Nantou County, Taiwan. It has a population total of 15,850 and an area of 1,273.5312 km2, making it the second largest township by area in the county after Xinyi Township. The population ...

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 ...

, transversing the

Central Mountain Range The Central Mountain Range is the principal mountain range on the island of Taiwan. It runs from the north of the island to the south. Due to this separation, connecting between the west and east is not very convenient. The tallest peak of th ...

near the peak of

Hehuanshan Mount Hehuan (; also called Joy Mountain) is a mountain in Central Taiwan. The peak lies on the borders of Nantou and Hualien counties and is located within Taroko National Park. Hehuanshan is a popular destination in central Taiwan. The 3,42 ...

within

Taroko National Park Taroko National Park () is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and was named after the Taroko Gorge, the landmark gorge of the park carved by the Liwu River. The park spans Taichung Municipality, Nantou County, and Hualien County and is lo ...

. It is the highest paved road in elevation in Taiwan.

History

Originally, a trail was built by the

Atayal people The Atayal (), also known as the Tayal and the Tayan, are a Taiwanese indigenous people. The Atayal people number around 90,000, approximately 15.9% of Taiwan's total indigenous population, making them the third-largest indigenous group. The pre ...

at the same location. During the

Japanese occupation 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 sh ...

, the

Governor-General of Taiwan The governor-general of Taiwan ( ja, 臺灣總督, Taiwan Sōtoku) was the head of the Government-General of Taiwan in the Japanese era (including Formosa and the Pescadores) when they were part of the Empire of Japan, from 1895 to 1945. The Jap ...

Sakuma Samata General Count was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and 5th Governor-General of Taiwan from 11 April 1906 to May 1915. Biography Sakuma was born in Abu District, Nagato Province (present day Hagi, Yamaguchi), as the younger son of O ...

, ordered the construction of a road through the same trail as part of the

Five years plan to governing aborigines Five-year plan for governing aborigines, or the Five Year Plan to Subdue the Savages, was a program aimed to use military force to suppress the aborigine populations in Taiwan during the early years of the Japanese Occupation. It was enacted by ...

to better transport supplies in the

Truku War The Truku War (), is series of events happened between May and August 1914, involving the Truku indigenous group uprising against colonial Japanese forces in Japanese Taiwan. The conflict's main scope was to dominate the area around the area t ...

. The pass was named "Sakuma Pass" in the general's honor. After the change of governance to the Kuomintang, the Nationalist government continued to work on the highway.

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

visited the highway, renaming the site as "Wuling". Since the

Central Cross-Island Highway The Central Cross-Island Highway () or Provincial Highway 8 is one of three highway systems that connect the west coast with the east of Taiwan. Construction The construction of the Central Cross-Island Highway began on July 7, 1956 and wa ...

is closed due to typhoon damage, Wuling became the only route in the area transversing the Central Mountain Range.

Recreation

Wuling is a popular destination for

road cycling Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling in which cyclists ride on paved roadways. It includes Recreational cycling, recreational, Road bicycle racing, racing, Bicycle commuting, commuting, and utility cycling. As users of the road, ...

. The three possible routes include: * From the east (85 km, 3,215 m elevation): Beginning in

Taroko Gorge Taroko National Park () is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and was named after the Taroko Gorge, the landmark gorge of the park carved by the Liwu River. The park spans Taichung Municipality, Nantou County, and Hualien County and is lo ...

, the route follows Highway 8 to

Dayuling Dayuling (, el. 2565 m), formerly Hehuan Pass (), is a mountain pass in Taiwan transversing the Central Mountain Range between Hehuanshan and Mt. Bilu (畢祿山), within Taroko National Park. Administratively, it is located in Xiulin, Hua ...

, where the route turns south to the peak. Regarded as the toughest route of the three. * From the west (53 km, 2,800 m elevation): Beginning in

Puli, Nantou Puli Township () is an urban township in Nantou County, Taiwan. The township is located within the Puli Basin. It is the geographic center of Taiwan. Name In the 19th century the city was known as Posia () or Po-li-sia (). The Atayal name o ...

, the route follows Highway 14 and 14A through

Qingjing Farm The Qingjing Farm (), also known as Cingjing Farm, is a tourist attraction farm in Ren'ai Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. History The farm was established on 20 February 1961 as the settling place for the demobilized soldiers and their depend ...

. * From the north (62 km, 2,300 m elevation): Beginning in

Wuling Farm Wuling Farm () is a tourist attraction farm in Heping District, Taichung, Taiwan. History The farm was originally established in 1963 to provide employment for retired servicemen. At the beginning of the reclamation phase, the first director o ...

, the route follows Highway 7A to Lishan, where it takes Provincial Highway 8 to Dayuling, then 14A to the peak. Many races are held to ride to Wuling, most notably the

Taiwan KOM Challenge The Taiwan KOM Challenge is a one-day road cycling race held annually in Taiwan. Created in 2012, the event is recognized as one of the most difficult cycling races in the world due having nearly 3500m of climbing over a 105 kilometer course. Vinc ...

, a non- UCI sanctioned race beginning in

Qixingtan Beach The Qixingtan Beach or Chihsingtan Beach () is a beach in Xincheng Township, Hualien County, Taiwan facing the Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic ...

and takes the eastern route. The 107 km race is regarded as an intense climb within the cycling community, with

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

winner

Vincenzo Nibali ), The Nibbler , birth_date = , birth_place = Messina, Sicily, Italy , height = , weight = , currentteam = , discipline = Road , role = Rider , ridertype = Climber , proyears1 = 2005 , proteam1 = , proyears2 = 2006–2012 , protea ...

commenting: "I've never ridden such a long and hard climb before in my entire life." Wuling is also a popular

stargazing Amateur astronomy is a hobby where participants enjoy observing or imaging celestial objects in the sky using the unaided eye, binoculars, or telescopes. Even though scientific research may not be their primary goal, some amateur astronomers m ...

and

bird-watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

location. Common birds include the Taiwan rosefinch, white-whiskered laughingthrush, and

collared bush robin The collared bush robin or Johnstone's robin (''Tarsiger johnstoniae'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to Taiwan, living in montane and subalpine forests. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) h ...

Gallery

References

{{reflist Mountain passes of Taiwan Landforms of Nantou County