David on Formosa

A couple of weeks ago I posted about hiking in Tucheng. I noted that from the summit of Tianshang Shan there appeared to be a path leading all the way to Yuantong Chan Temple in Zhonghe (via another path I had earlier hiked). This morning I set out to see if I could find the way.

I started early by catching the first train on the MRT out to Yongning. I described the route to Tianshang Shan in detail in my earlier post. So I'll pick it up from that point onward. On the summit of Tianshang Shan there is a signpost to Wucheng Shan (五城山). The path does not seem to be as well used as the one up to Tianshang Shan, but it is paved and easy to follow. There were a few people walking the trail on a Saturday morning.

From the summit of Tianshang Shan follow the signs to Wenbi Shan (文筆山). Again the path is paved and easy to follow. After a while I reached Shanzhong Hu (山中湖), a small lake that had some people fishing and also, quite unfortunately, singing karaoke! After going around the lake the path to Wenbi Shan is easy to follow again.

Shanzhong Hu

The summit of Wenbi Shan has some great views. From here you can go down to the Jinlong Pagoda (金龍寶塔) and return to Tucheng or there is a paved path going down to Xindian. Getting to Zhonghe is a little bit trickier. There is a small unpaved path that is not very easy to follow. There are a few hand written signs along the way. If you try and stick to the ridge as much as possible you should find the way. Eventually I reached the summit of Wujian Shan (五尖山). From here I found the Zhonghe walking trail (中和步道). The rest of the way to Yuantong Temple was easy to follow.

Signpost on the trail

The trails are all well signposted in Chinese. However, the distances indicated on the signs are often wildly inaccurate. As a footnote, after completing the hike I caught a bus back to Banqiao. I thought the bus was going to Banqiao Station but it came to the last stop in a small lane in an area of Banqiao I was unfamiliar with. For the first time in my life I got lost in Banqiao!!! I wandered around in a circle until I eventually found the way to Banqiao Station.