top of page
Search
  • Writer's pictureattrillhelen

Taroko, a most gorgeous gorge

Updated: Dec 10, 2019

Tone and Texture along the poetically named Tunnel of Nine Turns

‘I think I’m more excited about this than you’, my gregarious Hualien host Sean exclaimed, as we strode along the newly reopened Tunnel of Nine Turns Trail, having already ascended many steep steps towards the famous Taroko Gorge terrace, only to find that part of it was closed. Taroko Gorge is touted as one of the highlights of any trip to Taiwan and my kind host had agreed to personally drive me to this splendour rather than subjecting me to a tour bus. He had offered me the choice of visiting today, just after my train had arrived from Taipei or on another day and truth be known, I was secretly more interested in a shower and some sleep after my 9.5 hour red-eye flight and city walk. I had foolishly offered to walk around the city while I waited for Sean to finish his class before he could collect me at the station, unbeknownst to me that the temperature was around 35 with humidity. So enthusiastic and generous was Sean as a host, that he had taken the afternoon off work at his school (something not really possible at most Australian schools, but he seemed to have an army of willing colleagues happy to swap duties for him). Enroute to the gorge, Sean demonstrated his eclectic interest in 20th century music, switching playlists from 70s disco to 80s new wave, at one point pelting out Tina Turner’s ‘What’s love got to do with it’ in pitch perfect tone. There was no chance of me drifting off to sleep as he filled me with a plethora of knowledge of his country in perfect English, the perfect ambassador for Hualien City, his hometown, and Taroko Gorge, Taiwan’s jewel in the crown, a short drive away.


Our delicious and healthy take away lunch, eaten at the Taroko Gorge picnic area.

As far as we could walk on the Taroko Gorge terrace

View on the way to the Taroko Gorge Terrace.

snaking river as we walked towards the Taroko Gorge terrace

passenger's view driving between the terrace and the Tunnel of Nine Turns


signage or poetry along the Tunnel of Nine Turns

killer bees?

From day 1 with Sean, I learnt that Taiwan not only has its own language but has various indigenous tribes, and the Taroko Terrace was once the home of the indigenous Truku tribe's Dekalun group. Translated to "Maple" in the Truku language, the name reflects the large maple tree growing on the mountainside above the Terrace. It turns out Taiwan has a Colonial history too. During the imperialist rule of the Japanese in 1914, the Truku tribe were forcibly relocated to where the Taroko Terrace now stands.

I also learnt about the importance of marble in Hualien and there was indeed plenty of marble to be seen at Taroko Gorge and back at Hualien with various arts centres devoted to artists and their workings in marble. Whilst back in Hualien, Sean also proudly and poignantly pointed out the work of his late father who impressively created one of the stone sculptures that adorn the parkland between the Hualien County Art Museum and the Hualien Stone Sculpture Museum.


Sculpture designed by Sean's late father between the Stone Sculpture Museum and the Hualien County Art Museum

It was after walking the gorge’s terrace as far as we could, that Sean decided to try another trail and I went along for the ride, stifling my afternoon yawns after barely sleeping during the overnight flight. Sean’s perseverance paid off, as we were rewarded with views of the most stunning examples of geography and for me, possibly the highest vertical rock cliff face I came face to face with. With a feast for the photographer, I snapped the marble and Liwu River like a mad woman with my Iphone 6 as we walked the 700 meters of tunnel enjoying the gorge for aesthetic purposes initially, and it was only through regular interval stops that Sean pointed out the cultural significance of the tunnel. The number nine is often used in Chinese language and implies ‘many’. Various stops along the way resemble animals such as the Fish Leaping over the Dragon's Gate (Yuyao Longmen) waterfall and the Coiled Dragon of the Nine Turns (Jiuqu Panlong). Throughout my time in Hualien I learnt that poetry is a popular pastime, with festivals devoted to it and on the trail, a General Huang Jie wrote, of the Coiled Dragon of Nine Turns this quatrain (4 lined poem):

Like entrails turning, Like rivers bending, Man will succeed by starting their first play.

beautifully carved pillars at the Tunnel of Nine Turns

dramatic marble formations at Taroko Gorge

Looking down on the Tunnel of Nine Turns Trail or, more poetically: Jiuqudong

When I finally slept I was woken by thunderous rain which continued again into the next day. I knew Sean had chosen wisely by insisting we visit Taroko the day before, when it was fine. Or maybe he was just keen to see it again to experience the splendour.

There are numerous day tours from Taipei or Hualien or you can catch a local shuttle bus if you are not lucky enough to have a guide who is also your host. For more information on the gorge: https://www.taroko.gov.tw/en

25 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All
Post: Blog2_Post
bottom of page