Xiangshan ( zh, t=象山), known in English as Elephant Mountain
or Mount Elephant,
is a mountain in
Xinyi District, Taipei
Xinyi District or Sinyi District is considered the financial district of Taipei, Taiwan. The district is also one of the shopping areas in Taipei, anchored by a number of department stores and malls.
Xinyi District includes Taipei 101, Taipei ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. It is close to the
Taipei Metro
Taipei Metro (also known as Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and branded as Metro Taipei) is a rapid transit system operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation serving the capital Taipei and New Taipei City in Taiwan.
It was the first rapi ...
Xiangshan Station. It is high and has a hiking trail to the peak, covering a distance of about .
Taipei 101
The Taipei 101 (; stylized in all caps), formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a 508 m (1,667 ft), 101-story skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan. It is owned by Taipei Financial Center Corporation. It was Council on Tall Buildings ...
can be seen from the trail.
The Six Giant Rocks on the peak are a tourist attraction in Xiangshan,
and there are platforms for photographers.
Name
"Xiangshan" means "Elephant Mountain" in Chinese. Xiangshan's name comes from its
elephant
Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...
-like shape.
Geology
Xiangshan is one of the Four Beast Mountains (四獸山),
which also include Lion (獅山), Leopard (豹山), and Tiger (虎山) mountains in the Nangang Mountain System. It is mainly composed of
sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
. Plants include the ferns ''
Cibotium cumingii'' and ''
Cyathea lepifera''.
Transportation
The trail to the mountain summit and observation platforms is accessible by walking south from Exit 2 of
Xiangshan Station of the
Taipei Metro
Taipei Metro (also known as Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and branded as Metro Taipei) is a rapid transit system operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation serving the capital Taipei and New Taipei City in Taiwan.
It was the first rapi ...
, proceeding along Xiangshan Park to the western trailhead next to Daitiandian Lingyun Temple.
As an alternative, hikers may proceed from the eastern end, starting from the trailhead behind Songshan Fengtian Temple, which is a short walk south from the
Houshanpi station.
Taipei 101
The Taipei 101 (; stylized in all caps), formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a 508 m (1,667 ft), 101-story skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan. It is owned by Taipei Financial Center Corporation. It was Council on Tall Buildings ...
, illuminated at dusk (2015)
File:Xiangshan Trail map.jpg, Trail map
File:象山步道.jpg, Western trailhead near Daitiandian Lingyun Temple with steep, narrow stairways
File:Taipei view from Xiangshan (Mount Elephant) 20240114 02.jpg, Summit marker
File:Observation deck at Xiangshan.jpg, Observation deck
File:View from Xiangshan.jpg, Hikers descending through cut in massive boulders
File:101 framing.jpg, Taipei 101, framed in elephant-shaped bench at summit
File:Xiangshan panorama.jpg, Panorama (day)
File:Taipei skyline panoramic 20190922.jpg, Panorama (sunset)
File:Taipei panorama.jpg, Panorama (night)
References
External links
*
Landforms of Taipei
Mountains of Taiwan
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