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Feature: Liushidanshan becoming hot tourist spot

Liushidanshan (六十石山) has a special meaning to Yeh Rih-yang (葉日洋), deputy press secretary of the Taiwan Railway Administration.

Born and raised in a village at the foot of Liushidanshan, he and his mother would go up to the mountain, rain or shine, and pick wild sweet potato leaves to feed the family's pigs.

"As a child, I had to help my mother carry two large bundles of sweet potato leaves with a shoulder pole," Yeh said, "It took three hours just to make it to top, and only a little less than three hours to walk back down again."

Commercial development has changed Liushidanshan a lot since Yeh was a child. However, the area has been designated a national scenic area preserving much of its former natural beauty and adding new delights. Blossoming tiger lilies can be seen on the hills in the summer time and the area has become a magnet for tourists.

Nine hundred and sixty meters high, the mountain is situated between the East Coast Mountain Range and the Central Mountain Range. It belongs to the administration of the Fuli Township (富里) of the Hualien County.

A horrendous flood in 1959 caused the residents of Yunlin County to migrate to the area, and some of them commenced cultivation of the surrounding fields.

Whenever asked about their harvest, local farmers would answer about "60石, " or liushidan -- 石 is pronounced as dan in this case, as it is a unit of dry measure for grain equal to 100 liters in Chinese. This is how the area acquired its name.

Later, farmers discovered it was more appropriate to grow tiger lilies than rice. While some paddy fields remain, about 230 hectares of fields in the mountain region now grow tiger lilies.

Several large kiosks have been constructed in the area and each is named after the different tiger lilies growing there -- including Huanghua (黃花), Hsuantsao (萱草) and Wang-you (忘憂).

The last of these kiosks is located at the highest point of the East Coast Range.

Looking down from the kiosk, you can see the tiger lilies grown in the valley interspersed with a smattering of paddy fields. Looking east, in the distance you can see the Central Mountain Range covered in mist. The beautiful vista has helped the place gain a reputation for being a "mini Switzerland."

The tiger lily season, which begins in July and ends in September, draws over 200,000 tourists to the mountain every year.

Currently, large tour buses are prohibited from entering the mountain. Visitors have to change over to medium-size buses or sedans in order to secure an entry permit.

As Liushidanshan becomes a popular tourist attraction, the hostel industry within the region is also booming. There are currently about 16 registered private hostels operating in the mountains.

Nonetheless, one often needs to reserve a room in advance, as the occupancy rate is high during tiger lily season.

The growing influx of tourists has presented a management problem for local transport.

Chang Jenn-chyan (張振乾), director of the East Rift Valley National Scenic Area Administration, told the Taipei Times that his agency was planning to expand the existing mountain roads to allow larger buses to enter.

Chang said the administration was also assessing the possibility of building a cable car, to connect the mountain with Loushan camping area in the south. The estimated cost of the project is NT$800 million (US$25 million).

Meanwhile, Chang said the administration also planned to draft a more detailed trail map of the area to facilitate hiking. He hopes this will help garner the attention of the overseas tourists.
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