Heping District 和平區

Setting and landscape

The district office describes Heping as walled in on three sides: Nanhu Mountain (南湖山) on the Central Range to the east, the Xueshan Range to the north, and Hehuan Mountain (合歡山) and Dayuling (大禹嶺) to the south, with the Dajia River running through the middle. The district lies at altitudes of 1,000 to 3,000 metres, and the office gives an average annual temperature of about 18°C, which makes it a summer retreat. The Formosan landlocked salmon (櫻花鉤吻鮭) lives in Qijiawan Creek (七家灣溪) at Wuling Farm.

History

The land was Atayal territory. Under Japanese rule it was administered as a police-run aboriginal area of Dongshi (東勢) county; after repeated resistance the authorities divided it into three police districts and forced villages to move. After 1945 it became part of Taichung County and was given the name Heping, meaning "peace". Nanshi (南勢), on the south bank of the Dajia River, is entirely Hakka, and veterans who came from mainland China live at Pingdeng (平等) and Lishan (梨山).

What to see

The district office names Guguan (谷關) hot springs, the Lishan scenic area, Wuling Farm (武陵農場), Fushoushan Farm (福壽山農場), Tianchi (天池), Daxueshan (大雪山), the Baxianshan (八仙山) forest recreation area and the Central Cross-Island Highway (中橫公路) as its main attractions. Guguan, called the first pass on the cross-island highway, sits beside the Dajia River gorge and has weakly alkaline carbonate springs. Shei-Pa National Park (雪霸國家公園) and the Wuling, Daxueshan and Baxianshan national forest recreation areas are also among the places to visit in the district. Atayal culture and weaving are kept alive in villages such as Huanshan (環山) in Pingdeng.

Food and local products

Farming here is high-mountain fruit and vegetables: sweet persimmons, tangerines, pears, apples, peaches and plums, along with Lishan cabbage and bamboo shoots. The office also lists trout, river shrimp and honey among local specialities, and Wikipedia describes Heping as a main source of Taiwan's high-altitude vegetables, with high-mountain tea grown in the east.

Highlights

• Wuling Farm 武陵農場: Its Qijiawan Creek is home to the Formosan landlocked salmon.
• Guguan hot springs 谷關溫泉: Weakly alkaline carbonate springs beside the Dajia River gorge.
• Daxueshan National Forest Recreation Area 大雪山國家森林遊樂區: One of three national forest recreation areas in the district.
• Lishan 梨山: A scenic area named by the district office; veterans from the mainland live there.
• Lishan cabbage 梨山高麗菜: One of the high-mountain vegetables listed among Heping's specialities.