Replacing control with mountain education is the fundamental solution.

Taiwan is an island densely covered with high mountains, yet in the past, due to government restrictions, the mountains were closed off and the seas banned, resulting in the descendants of the sea being unskilled in maritime activities and the mountain people inept at climbing. Even occasional trips up the mountains or into the water often ended in disappearances or drownings—how absurd is that?

Taiwan has about 258 high mountains with elevations exceeding 3,000 meters, but the public knows little about them. The government focuses only on control, not education, leaving hikers and even firefighting and rescue personnel unfamiliar with the mountains, leading to a series of tragedies. It’s time for “mountain-facing education.” We should actively engage with Taiwan’s forests and mountains that nurture the land and water, rather than overreacting and tightening entry controls.

Four years after the Zhang Boyi mountain tragedy, many have reflected on the incident. He was overly confident in his climbing abilities, lacked terrain interpretation skills, chose to descend into the valley, and found himself trapped. He also lacked adequate cold-weather and fire-starting gear, which led to hypothermia. Taiwan’s high mountains are full of cliffs, and climbing in valleys and waterfalls is even more difficult than along ridgelines. Mountain climbing requires not just physical strength but also knowledge.

In the early days of the Nationalist government’s relocation to Taiwan, controls were imposed out of fear that communists might conspire in the mountains. To this day, the mountain entry permit system remains focused on “control” rather than “management.” For a long time, the government has continuously emphasized the dangers of the mountains, often resorting to mountain closures, and even shutting down entire routes under the pretext of protecting mountain species. This approach has not only failed to effectively curb destructive activities by illegal loggers but has also made the public even more unfamiliar with the mountains.

All outdoor activities carry risks. Taiwan, with its mountains and seas, especially features richly varied mountain terrains, forest types, and climates, and even allows for winter mountaineering. It has great potential to become a leading nation in recreational mountaineering and technical excellence. It is hoped that the government will not revert to martial-law-style mountain entry controls due to compensation claims from mountain accidents, but instead vigorously promote mountain-facing education. This will help hikers understand and manage their own risks and self-rescue, while also enhancing the professional knowledge and skills of rescue personnel.