The popular Shoushan National Nature Park has reopened its North Shoushan Hiking Trail after a three-month phased renovation. In addition to installing self-guided interpretive signs to help hikers learn about Shoushan’s natural ecology and cultural history, new directional and mileage signs have been added to make trail markings clearer.
The newly opened wooden boardwalk of the Shoushan Hiking Trail features a steel structure foundation, and the wooden treads are designed with anti-slip grooves. Currently, sections such as the Stone Deity section at the North Shoushan Parking Lot, the mining road via Panyong to Lotus Cave, and the 92 steps leading to Eza Ting (Elegant Seat Pavilion) have been completed.
Walking along the North Shoushan Trail, you can explore the ancient human civilization that once thrived here—the Neiwei (Xiaoxi Shell Midden) site. Numerous cultural artifacts can be found along the way, including shells, pottery, stone tools, bone implements, and traded porcelain. Research suggests this may have been the living site of the Makatao people, a subgroup of the Pingpu indigenous group.
Take a rest at Eza Ting before heading to Thailand Valley, where you’ll find Shoushan’s unique coral reef rock geology, featuring naturally stunning canyons, cliffs, and cave landscapes.
When visiting Shoushan, be sure to check out the famous attraction “Dreamy Curtain.” According to the Shoushan National Nature Park Preparatory Office, the “Dreamy Curtain” is an accidental landscape formed by the spread of the introduced plant species “Queen’s Wreath Vine” (Antigonon leptopus). Along the way, you can also observe many other plants, such as the commonly seen Adenocaulon himalaicum in Shoushan, making your hike both scenic and educational.