Centuries-old Floating Irrigation Channel Boosts Cultural Status of Bellavista Boulevard & Heaven’s Road

▲Bellavista Boulevard and Heaven’s Road have almost become the representative attractions of Chihshang Township, alongside the nearby century-old Floating Irrigation Channel, which has been successfully listed as a cultural asset. (Photo / Reporter Chen Tzu-yin)

Reported by Chen Tzu-yin / Taipei

The boundless pastoral scenery of Bellavista Boulevard in Chihshang Township, Taitung, and the serene views near Heaven’s Road have almost become iconic representations of the township. However, few travelers know that the nearby Floating Irrigation Channel is a century-old waterway of significant cultural value. Together with the Floating Irrigation Channel, Bellavista Boulevard, and Heaven’s Road—spanning a total of 175 hectares—the Taitung Township Office successfully applied for cultural asset status, officially designating the area as a protected cultural landscape.

On April 30, the Taitung County Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau conducted an on-site inspection and agreed to designate the Bellavista Boulevard area as a cultural asset. Yang Chin, a specialist from the Chihshang Township Office, stated that due to the area’s recent surge in popularity, managing the heavy traffic and large number of visitors has proven quite challenging. The cultural asset designation aims to encourage collective efforts in preserving the landscape. Currently, there are around 700 landowners in the area, and the township office can only appeal for goodwill in maintaining the “vast, open horizons” without constructing additional buildings. The office has also been actively holding lectures to educate farmers and landowners. Yang Chin noted that most farmers have expressed their support.

During the Qing Dynasty, Chihshang Township relied on the Floating Irrigation Channel to nourish and irrigate its farmlands, resulting in fertile soil with significant cultural heritage value. Following the cultural asset recognition, the area will be renamed the “Chihshang Wan’an Historic Paddy Field District,” with the goal of preserving its unspoiled beauty—free even of utility poles—being a key focus for the township office moving forward.