A 17-year-old surnamed Zhang in New Taipei City dressed as a girl and used forged personal information to form hiking groups online. His long-haired look also gained him recognition in the hiking world. Over the past two years, he led groups to climb famous peaks such as Yushan, Snow Mountain, and Tarako. However, police found that Zhang not only cross-dressed but also allegedly declared one hiking route while taking groups on another, risking the safety of hikers. He was detained on suspicion of forgery and making false statements to public officials.
In April, the teenager was also involved in a case where Bai Lin, a leader of the Vocaloid King group, lured a girl surnamed Kong to climb Qilai Mountain. His unusual behavior drew the attention of the Fifth Brigade of the Seventh Protection Corps. This time, in collaboration with the Shei-Pa National Park Management Office, they caught him leading another group up Snow Mountain. He was arrested on the evening of the 10th at the 1.2 km mark of the Snow Mountain Main and East Peak trails, uncovering Taiwan’s first case of a cross-dressing, forged-identity hiker.
Police said that over the past two years, there have been rumors of an underage group engaging in cosplay, often “dressing as girls,” using fake identities and personal details to recruit hikers for paid trips via certain online hiking platforms.
The teenager posed as a 21-year-old woman named “Chen Yajie” to establish the Yuening Hiking Club and advertised on online hiking platforms. He planned to hike the Snow Mountain West Ridge Line—which has been closed due to trail damage—from September 10 to 15, charging each participant NT$5,200, with food and lodging extra. Additionally, Zhang used forged identity and personal details to apply for a hike on the Snow Mountain Zhijiaoyang Line.
When arrested, Zhang insisted he was Chen Yajie. He refused to show identification, claiming he didn’t have any, and even tried to bite officers. Police restrained him and took him to the Wuling Unit to verify his identity, exposing the scam.
The hikers in Zhang’s group were all people he met through online group meetups, and their identities matched those on the mountain and park entry permits. Other hikers in the group were shocked to discover their leader was actually an underage boy.
The Shei-Pa National Park authorities stated that entry permits are legally required for mountainous restricted areas and national park ecological reserves. Additionally, group leaders must be at least 20 years old and capable of ensuring the safety of the entire hiking party. Zhang’s act of declaring one route but taking the group on another could mislead rescue teams in case of an emergency.