The Taipei City Government yesterday introduced four new hiking trails in Xinyi (信義), Shilin (士林) and Beitou (北投) districts, bringing the total number of hiking trails to 129 amid plans to develop a different “personality” for each trail to attract more hikers.
The four hiking trails, the Tiger Mountain (虎山) ecology trail in Xinyi, the green mountain trail in Shilin, and the wind’s tail and waterwheel hut trails in Beitou, are loop trails with gentle gradients and recently established observation decks, and are perfect for families and the elderly, Lin Yu-i (林裕益), director of Taipei City’s Geotechnical Engineering Office said.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday joined members of a local hiking group to experience the Tiger Mountain ecology trail and said he expected the paths to promote outdoor sports and recreational activities.
Photo: Lin Hsiang-mei, Taipei Times
“Many of the hiking trails are designed for families and the elderly, who account for a large percentage of the hiking population. Hiking is a good way to enjoy the city’s landscape and we hope to encourage more people to join the hiking fraternity with these well-designed trails,” he said.
The city government started promoting hiking trails in 2005 with easy public transport access and lower gradients, and there is a total of 100km of trails so far.
Lin said the city would budget NT$60 million (US$2 million) this year to maintain trails and link existing paths to form loop trails.
In Wenshan District (文山), for example, the city government will connect three trails in the popular Maokong (貓空) area to let visitors combine a hike with a ride on the Maokong Gondola.
Lin said the city government also offers a free app on trail information for smartphone users to download, as it seeks to attract a younger crowd to join outdoor activities.
The app “GoHikingTaipei” is available for Android and Windows phones and it will be available for iPhone users by the end of this month, he added.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS