Yangmingshan

Yangmingshan National Park covers 113.38 km2 in Taipei and New Taipei City, on the northern edge of the Taipei Basin, and was established on 16 September 1985^[1]. Its landscape is built on the Datun volcanic group, with ridges, valleys, lakes, waterfalls and basins at about 200 to 1,120 m^[1]. In June 2020 it was certified as the world's first Urban Quiet Park^[1].

About 168 butterfly species and 122 bird species are recorded in the region, with butterflies most often seen from May to August, especially around Mt. Datun. Semi-feral cattle are a notable sight, and venomous snakes also live in the park^[1].

About 1,360 vascular plant species occur across subtropical monsoon rainforest, temperate evergreen broadleaf forest and mountain ridge grassland. Menghuan Pond is home to Taiwan isoetes, an aquatic fern found only in Taiwan^[1].

Andesite makes up most of the geology, and Qixing (Seven Star) Mountain, at 1,120 m, is Taiwan's tallest dormant volcano. Volcanic activity and rainfall leave the soil highly acidic^[1]. At Xiaoyoukeng, about 805 m up on the northwestern foot of Qixing Mountain, fumaroles, sulfur crystals and hot springs mark ongoing post-volcanic activity^[1].

The climate is humid subtropical, with warm, humid summers and heavy rainstorms and cool, wet, often foggy winters. The typhoon season runs from June to October. At Anbu station rainfall averages 4,697 mm a year, with September the wettest month^[1].

Under the Qing dynasty the area was called Grass Mountain (Caoshan); officials reportedly set fires to deter sulfur thieves, leaving grass but no trees. In 1950 Chiang Kai-shek renamed it Yangmingshan after the Ming dynasty scholar Wang Yangming^[1].

Daiton National Park, Taiwan's first national park, was established here on 27 December 1937 under Japanese rule. Planning for the present park began in 1962, with an initial area of 28,400 hectares, and the park was established in 1985^[1].

The park is known for cherry blossoms, hot springs, sulfur deposits, fumaroles and hiking trails. Xiaoyoukeng links by trail to Qixing Park, Menghuan Pond and Lengshuikeng. Historic sites include Grass Mountain Chateau, Chiang Kai-shek's summer residence, and Guangfu Building, built in 1971^[1].

The park has a visitor center, a bus station and the Yangmingshan Second Parking Lot^[1].

The park is an IUCN Category II area managed by the Yangmingshan National Park Headquarters under the National Park Service. In June 2020 it was certified as the world's first Urban Quiet Park^[1].