No need to crowd on Xiangshan Mountain—head to Hushan Peak for stunning day and night views of "Taipei 101"

Text and photos by /Beluga

When it comes to spots for enjoying Taipei’s night scenery or New Year’s Eve fireworks, many visitors’ first instinct is Xiangshan Mountain. Both domestic and international tourists take the Tamsui-Xinyi Line of the MRT to Xiangshan Station, then hike up the stairs for 20 minutes to take in Taipei’s vibrant nightlife. However, the Xiangshan Hiking Trail, while close to nature, isn’t very visitor-friendly—you’ll be out of breath by the time you reach the top. If you can ride a bike or drive, consider going to Hushan Peak instead. Park your vehicle, then easily climb just three minutes to enjoy breathtaking views of Taipei 101 at night.

The last time I came here to shoot the Taipei 101 night view was in November 2015—the “Xiangshan Camera Platform” was always packed, and you had to stake out your spot early.

I love night photography, but I don’t want to fight the crowds just for a night shot, nor do I want to hike until my legs give out. That’s why I haven’t been back to Xiangshan in the past two years.

Summer is a bustling season for golden hour and dusk landscape photography. If you want to photograph Taipei 101 at night without climbing Xiangshan, head to Hushan from Fude Street Lane 221.

How to get to the Hushan Peak viewing platform?
Bus: Take bus routes 207, 257, 286, 286副, 46, 588, 88, Ren’ai Trunk Line, or Blue 10 and get off at Fengtian Temple Station.
MRT: Take the BL Banqiao-Nangang Line to Yongchun Station → walk about 18 minutes to the entrance of Fude Street Lane 221 shown in the photo above.
Driving or biking to Hushan to enjoy the night view is the most convenient option. Taking the bus or MRT and then walking to the entrance of Fude Street Lane 221 still requires a winding uphill hike of at least 20 minutes.

After passing Fengtian Temple and T’Public Middle School, continue forward. At the upcoming three-way intersection, turn right (follow the Yaochi Temple sign) and proceed.

Drive up a steep slope, and at the bend you’ll see this pavilion—it’s the first entrance to the Hushan photo spot, ideal for pulling over your scooter.

Drivers, go up the slope for another minute, and you’ll reach a great parking spot: Yaochi Temple.

There’s free parking in front of Yaochi Temple, plus public restrooms.

After parking, walk back a few steps downhill along the way you came until you find this stone stairway entrance—that’s the second entry point to the Hushan photo spot.

Whether you use the first or second entrance, the signs next to the stairs all say “Hushan Peak—10 minutes,” but it actually only takes 3–5 minutes.

Though they’re two different entrances, after climbing the stairs for a few minutes, you’ll both converge at this green concrete pillar pavilion.

Follow the signs down a few more steps to reach the viewing platform. My heart was pounding—was it from the climb or sheer excitement?

I visited the Hushan viewing platform for the first time around 6 p.m. A few photographers were already hard at work capturing shots. As a latecomer, I loved the silhouette before me.

2017/8/7 18:10 Sunset fading (Note: Used ND16 neutral density filter → metered separately for sky and foreground → used black card technique.)

2017/8/7 18:44 Fish-scale-like sunset clouds (Canon EOS 80D Creative Filter Mode / HDR Vivid Art Effect)

2017/8/7 18:45 Fish-scale-like sunset clouds (Canon EOS 80D Creative Filter Mode / HDR Relief Art Effect)

On my first trip to Hushan to shoot Taipei 101 at night, I never expected to witness such a rare and spectacular scene: sunset clouds (aka “fire clouds”) that you don’t see every day.

This summer, whenever I have suitable timing, I’ll look for spots to practice golden hour and dusk photography—mainly to improve how I meter light and use the black card technique.

For example: 2017/8/9 Second visit to Hushan Peak. Shutter speed 1/30 sec preserved the sunset and clouds, but the foreground was pitch black.

With the same aperture and ISO, extending the shutter speed to 2 seconds made the buildings and green slopes in the foreground clear—but the sky was overexposed?

The image above shows no black card technique, while the one below is the result of using it. It’s a bit of a fail, but at least I managed to preserve both the foreground and the sunset.

In high-contrast golden hour scenes, if you want balanced exposure between the sky and foreground, you can use a black card, graduated neutral density filters, or image stacking.

On my second visit to Tiger Mountain, although I didn’t get to see the sunset glow again and the evening colors weren’t anything special, I loved the night view of Taipei 101 that night.

I often see photographers online sharing their beautifully captured normal views of Taipei 101 at night. I can’t take masterpieces, so I playfully mess around with 101 instead.

Or maybe, how about a crazy, bokeh-filled, ever-changing version of 101? Letting Taipei 101 shine brilliantly under the blue hour night sky—hahaha!

Little white whale who loves sharing, photography, and traveling
Learning photography joyfully allows me to see the world from different perspectives; savoring delicious food happily lets me enjoy the world through ordinary happiness.