One-Day Tour to the Leshu Tribe: "Yilan's 130 Hidden Spots" – Taiwan’s Densest Cypress Forest

▲ The ecological trail on Yilan’s Datong Township’s 130 Line features diverse native tree species, predominantly Taiwan red cypress and Taiwan incense cedar. (Photo / Reporter Huang Kexiang, same below)

Reported by Reporter Xu Enle / Yilan

Taiwanese people are eager to explore hidden scenic spots across the country, but year-round discussions often focus on the crowds during maple or cherry blossom seasons, with cars and tourists congesting the routes, leaving the mountains nearly impossible to navigate. If you wish to let go of your troubles and truly connect with nature on a spiritual level, head to the “130 Forest Road” in Yilan’s Datong Township. This area preserves the most pristine Taiwan red cypress and Taiwan incense cedar, allowing you to admire towering ancient green trees up close and stroll through a misty forest alive with the sounds of insects and birds—a very healing experience. Aside from hiking the trails, you can also visit the “Leshu Tribe” to experience the self-sufficient daily life of the Atayal people, including archery, making bamboo tube rice, picking moso bamboo, and pounding hemp.

Cypress Elementary: Exploring the 130 Hidden Spots Trail　
That morning at 8 AM, ETNEWS and a guide traveled along Provincial Highway 7 of the North Cross-Island Highway toward the destination. The drive took about an hour to reach the Qilan Mountain area. They first stopped at Forest Conservation Office’s Route 100 to obtain a mountain entry permit. Along the way, they saw successfully restored stands of Japanese cedar, with layers of mountain shadows and green leaves creating a very pleasant view. Guide Xie Yijuan explained that the 130 Line cypress forest, also known as Cypress Elementary, was initially only open to academic institutions for research. It wasn’t until 2013 that it began operating as a recreational trail, with a daily limit of 80 visitors. As a result, the mountain’s ecological distribution is incredibly rich, making it the densest cypress-growing area in Taiwan.


▲ The “Cypress Elementary” section of Qilan’s 130 Line pristine cypress forest sees Taiwan red cypress dropping 300,000 to 800,000 seeds per hectare annually. It is a heliophilous tree species. The entrance is at an altitude of about 1,600 meters, and the misty atmosphere of the mountain is serene and comfortable.

▲ The trail on the “130 Line Forest Road” is built with Southern yellow pine from the United States. It is less than 800 meters long, with safe and easy terrain, making it perfect for hikers to enjoy the forest’s phytoncides.

The “130 Line Forest Road” is at an altitude of nearly 1,600 meters. The entire trail isn’t long, circling around the forest for about 800 meters. Walking on the wooden board steps made of Southern yellow pine, you can explore the entire cypress forest. Although some parts of the path are muddy or rocky, taking deep breaths and enjoying forest bathing makes the hike quite relaxing for regular hikers. It takes about an hour to complete. This rest trail, known as the “Hidden 130,” features a variety of tree species. You can see Taiwan red cypress, Taiwan incense cedar, yew, camphor trees, and nanmu trees. It’s said that in the evening, you might even spot groups of Mikado pheasants strolling by, fireflies flickering through the pristine forest, and gatherings of rare native broad-tailed swallowtail butterflies.

Since you’re on a natural ecology journey, how do you distinguish between the very similar Taiwan red cypress and Taiwan incense cedar? Xie Yijuan explains that you can differentiate them by the thickness of the bark and the texture of the leaves. Taiwan red cypress has a reddish appearance, thin and smooth bark, with branches that grow outward and upward. As for the straight-looking Taiwan incense cedar, although its branches droop, its wood is tough and has a spicy aroma. It was widely used by the Japanese in house construction, with Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine being built from incense cedar. Even up close, distinguishing the lush green forest can be tricky. Xie Yijuan shares that incense cedar leaves have a unique Y-shaped white stomata and feel soft to the touch, unlike the rough and prickly feeling of Taiwan red cypress.

  
▲ The bark of Taiwan red cypress is reddish, and its branches stretch outward toward the sun.
 
▲ The famous red nanmu tree within the 130 Line Forest Road. The horizontal marks on the tree are the work of squirrels, who gnaw the bark to stimulate fruit growth.


Discovering Atayal Culture: Visiting a Forgotten Tribe
After catching your breath from the trail, the group heads to the “Leshu Tribe” in Datong Township. The driver takes a shortcut across the river valley, shortening the winding mountain road. Looking out, the magnificent views of the Lanyang River and the Snow Mountain Range are like two deeply connected brothers relying on each other. Xie Yijuan says that the Atayal people grow crops such as rice, napa cabbage, and millet for a living, leading simple and self-sufficient lives. But when you look closer, you’ll see watermelons scattered across the riverbed.

Guide Xie Yijuan mentioned that in the early days, when the Taipingshan forest was logged and had a train station, Leshu was so prosperous that even indigenous people from Hsinchu and Taoyuan wanted to get a piece of the action. At its peak, the population was over 3,000. But after logging ended in 1977 and the train stopped running, the tribe declined and was forgotten by society. Concerned about the loss of tribal culture, elders have in recent years actively promoted in-depth tribal tourism, hoping to combine the surrounding ecological conservation environment and hidden scenic spots to pass on the Atayal people’s experience of coexisting with the mountains and rivers.


▲ A tribal guide leads visitors into the nanmu environmental education area, introducing unique plants along the way.

Picking Nanmu Shoots, Eating Bamboo Tube Rice, and Experiencing Hemp Pounding & More
This time, ETtoday was hosted by the warm and hospitable three Xie brothers. Each visitor was offered a cup of wild onion tea by the tribal residents. The light-colored tea was very thirst-quenching and cooling. Arriving at a small bamboo hut, everyone chatted warmly and changed into traditional Atayal clothing, looking like brave chiefs and princesses. At the urging of the tribe members, everyone formed a circle and danced to the rhythm of traditional music—it was a lot of fun.

The self-proclaimed hunter, Teacher “Monahayong,” combined a series of tribal environmental education activities to introduce the Leshu area. Visitors could experience making bamboo tube rice, picking nanmu shoots, archery, and pounding millet. Among these, the nanmu shoots in the Leshu area are in season from about March to May. Following Monahayong, who led the way into the “Nanmu Environmental Education Area,” he started teaching natural encyclopedia lessons. The plants around him became emergency medicines and sources of food and hydration. Touching a green maple leaf, he said, “If you’re stung by a bee, smash the leaf juice and apply it to reduce swelling…” Following his lead, besides breathing in phytoncides, visitors could appreciate every green leaf, brown grass, and red flower or fruit more deeply.

 
▲ % The freshly picked bamboo tube rice, with ingredients placed inside and wrapped simply, takes only about 30 minutes to bring out the original flavors of the ingredients.


 
▲The Atayal’s sun-dried rice grains are plump and shiny. The hand-pounded millet cakes are fluffy and soft, offering a comforting taste.
Arriving at the nanmu plantation, everyone rolled up their sleeves and enthusiastically pulled shoots out of the uneven mountain terrain. “Don’t pick the too thin or small ones,” the locals said. The nanmu shoots in Leshu are especially tender and sweet, thanks to the abundant rainfall. Only those about 30–50 cm tall, starting from adult knee height, are suitable for picking.