Tainan First Senior High School math teacher Chuang Chih-yang went missing while hiking alone in Nantou during the 228 Holiday. Over 1,100 personnel from police, fire departments, and rescue teams were mobilized for nearly a month. On the afternoon of the 27th, his body was found in a deep ravine on the way from Dili Village in Xinyi Township to Shuishe Mountain. It is suspected that he fell and got stuck 400 meters down in a tree. The fire department has dispatched additional personnel, planning to open a path overnight to retrieve the body, which could be brought down the mountain as early as this morning.
Due to an agreement reached just the day before yesterday (the 26th) between the Nantou County Fire Bureau and the family, one final search effort was to be made yesterday (Sunday), with the family planning to thank all rescuers at 4:30 pm when the operation concluded. Unexpectedly, the body was found more than an hour before the search was to end—around 3 pm. The family felt a mix of emotions—shock, relief, and regret—while rescuers remarked it felt “as if fate had decided!”
The location where the body was found is not easily accessible
Lin Cheng-yi, head of the Nantou County Fire Bureau’s Third Division, said the discovery site was above a fork in the trail leading from Zhuma Mountain to the branch of Shuishe Mountain, at an elevation of 1,400 meters along the ridge. At noon, they first found his machete and trekking poles 1,300 meters directly below at the base of the cliff. At 3 pm, the body was discovered, lodged 1,005 meters lower down in some thick brush.
Lin Cheng-yi said the body was 400 meters vertically below the top of the cliff, making access extremely difficult. However, following the indigenous belief that “once you see your goal, you must try your best to reach it,” they will forge a path through the night despite all challenges, hoping to retrieve the body by this morning. Dili Tribe sits only 300–400 meters above sea level, with over 1,000 meters of elevation difference to the ridge—reaching the site is as tough as climbing Yushan.
Only items found along the search route
Chuang Chih-yang, a 39-year-old math teacher at Tainan First Senior High School, went hiking alone in Xinyi Township on the 27th of last month. He was scheduled to return home on the 29th but had not come back by the 1st of March. His family reported him missing, and police, firefighters, and various rescue groups began searching the nearby mountainous areas starting the 2nd, also interviewing local residents. It was confirmed he had visited Liu Family Plum Garden on the 28th before going missing on his motorcycle.
Police found his motorcycle and backpack at the Zhuma Mountain trailhead behind Dili Tribe on the 4th. In mid-month, they also found the wrapper of dried meat he had eaten, after which they concentrated search efforts in the area extending to Shuishe Mountain and Tusu Bay. The intensive search has been ongoing for almost a month.
Teacher Chuang Chih-yang came from a happy family. His wife teaches English at Tainan Industrial High School, and they have two daughters and one son. Chuang had been teaching at Tainan First Senior High School for 15 years and currently instructs four classes across the first and second years of high school. He is regarded as an outstanding math teacher by both colleagues and superiors.
When he was a student at Tainan First Senior High School, he participated in the International Mathematical Olympiad and won a silver medal. Upon returning to Taiwan, he took a photo with former President Lee Teng-hui, which is still preserved and displayed at the school.
Hiking style: Went solo
In his spare time, Chuang Chih-yang loved hiking, but his approach was different from most. He liked
Over the past month, family members and colleagues have been worried, but held out a glimmer of hope, hoping to see Zhuang Zhiyang return safely. Unfortunately, the bad news still came, leaving colleagues feeling deeply saddened. The secretariat of Tainan First Senior High School has contacted school colleagues and will assist the family in handling the funeral arrangements, with plans to hold a memorial service at the school.