The improvement project of the first Xintian Hiking Trail in Tanzi District, Taichung City, was recently completed. On the morning of the 20th, Mayor Lin Chia-lung went to inspect the site. He stated that next year, the city will continue to allocate a budget of NT$10 million to renovate the third trail and prioritize extending the Xintian Hiking Trail to Wind-moving Rock, connecting it with the Dakeng Hiking Trail system.
The Xintian Hiking Trail was established by the Taichung County Government in 1991 and is divided into three sections—first, second, and third—with a total length of about 3 kilometers. The handrails and surrounding signage system of the first section were repaired and completed on the 18th.
Lin Chia-lung said that the city government has allocated NT$10 million next year to renovate the remaining unfinished parts of the trail, making the 2-kilometer wooden boardwalk safe and easy to walk; hiking trails should not be just made of concrete but should also incorporate landscapes, ecology, and cultural history. Therefore, the city government is also working with cultural and historical experts to investigate the humanistic and historical background of the trail.
Lin Chia-lung, along with city councilors Hsiao Lung-tse and Chang Ya-?, hiked the 2-kilometer section. He said he has already instructed a comprehensive review of the safety of 37 hiking trails in Taichung and will invest NT$220 million to newly develop 25 kilometers of hiking trails, creating a “Hundred Kilometers of Hiking Trails,” which will be promoted and completed within two years.
Councilor Chang Ya-? hopes that before people climb Taiwan’s famous “Hundred Peaks,” they can first experience the hundred-kilometer hiking trail in Taichung.
(China Times)