Long hiking trails that take days if not weeks or even months to complete serve as cultural and tourist attractions in many nations thanks to beautiful sites and local history.
Think of the 780km Camino de Santiago, the ultimate European pilgrimage route stretching across France, Portugal and Spain, where hikers follow the footsteps of pilgrims who paid homage to Saint James, or Japan’s 1,200km Shikoku Junrei, which invites travelers to visit 88 temples across Shikoku Island.
Unbeknownst to many Taiwanese, much less tourists from abroad, Taiwan has its own distinctive hiking trails, such as the Tamsui-Kavalan Trails, that showcase the nation’s culture and history, as well as the Mountains to Sea National Greenway that emphasizes beautiful scenery.
Photo courtesy of AXN via CNA
Taiwan has since 2016 opened a new hiking trail along Provincial Highway No. 3 between Taoyuan and Taichung, aiming to showcase a road less traveled.
“The Raknus Selu Trail is a historic route that introduces three of Taiwan’s communities,” Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association (TMI Trail) chairwoman Chou Sheng-hsin (周聖心) said. “The locations along the trail are packed with history, from the first Han Chinese settlers of Hoklo and Hakka descent to the Atayal and Saisiyat indigenous peoples of the area.”
The trail is anchored in Taoyuan’s Longtan District (龍潭) in the north and Taichung’s Dongshi District (東勢) in the south. The 220km trail takes hikers along routes across the two cities, as well Hsinchu and Miaoli counties. The trek increases to 380km when secondary routes are taken.
Designed by TMI Trail and supported by the Hakka Affairs Council, the trail is the most recent addition to Taiwan’s list of extended hiking routes. Its name comes from the languages of the communities that once traversed and traded along the route. Raknus means camphor in the Atayal and Saisiyat languages, while Selu means trail in Hakka, paying tribute to the tree and camphor’s myriad applications that gave birth to industries in Taiwan.
“The Raknus Selu Trail, especially the Dunan Old Trail in Guanxi Township [in Hsinchu County], was an important route for our ancestors,” said Lo Shih-shu (羅仕樞), a Hakka resident in the county. “In the past, dignitaries would use the roads to commute, while merchants and workers transported camphor, tea leaves and sugar for trade.”
The trail’s history was the subject of the AXN documentary Secrets of the Raknus Selu Trail (樟之細路的秘密), hosted by British photographer Chris Stowers and Taiwanese TV host Danny Wen Shi-kai (溫士凱).
Today, mostly Hakka communities that grow herbs, fruit and vegetables live alongside the trail. Hikers might have the chance to sample Hakka delicacies such as herbal tea and rice-based pastries. They can also visit farms to pick fruits and vegetables.
While many branches of the East Asian culture share similar rituals and art, there are apparent differences between those belonging to different languages. Examples include the Hakka reverence of the Three Great Emperor-Officials (三官大帝) and the Chinese Earth God which they call Bak Gong (伯公), rather than Tu Di Gong (土地公) used in other Han Chinese languages. The Hakka relationship with the deity responsible for soil fertility and cultivation is so profound that a detour on the trail takes travelers to temples and shrines dedicated to the Earth God.
“We Hakka are a hospitable bunch,” Miaoli resident Chen Shan (陳山) said. “And we love to show people our culture when we get visitors from outside.”
The Hakka Affairs Council and TMI Trail have also established visitors’ centers along the trail to further connect visitors with Hakka communities along the route.
“We have established six visitors’ centers in six townships between Taoyuan and Taichung,” Chou said. “These give tourists ideas on places to visit on the route, as well as information on possible accommodation if hikers decide to embark on long hikes that take more than one day.”
Hikers can also acquire trail passports at the centers to make their trip more interesting by trying to collect all the trail’s about 50 stamps, which are available at tourism or religious destinations along the way, she said.
An unveiling ceremony for the fifth center on the trail took place on Nov. 8.
“Not all of the centers are the same,” Guanxi Township Cultural Association chairwoman Emma Chiu (邱美鳳) said.
She said the center operated by her association does not have a stamp like the others, but it serves as a cultural destination.
“The association was founded 20 years ago by locals who aimed to preserve and promote the rich Hakka history of the area, such as the historical trails in our township that we partially excavated ourselves,” she said.
The opening of all of the trail’s centers paves the way for the upcoming Asia Trails Conference, an international walking event designed by Asian trail organizations, which has invited hikers from around the world to Taiwan.
The fourth edition of the event, scheduled to begin on Dec. 1, is to feature the Raknus Selu Trail as a flagship experience.
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