Yoshihara National Scenic Area Secretary Appointed: "Idea King" Shih Tsung-hung from the Tourism Bureau

Shih Tsung-hung (right), newly appointed Secretary of the Yoshihara Scenic Area, is briefed on the Golden File Award competition by Yoshihara staff before taking office. (Photo by Shen Hui-sheng)

Shih Tsung-hung, Director of the Puli Management Station under the Tourism Bureau, has served in Sun Moon Lake for ten years, holding positions such as section chief and technical specialist as well as station director. He was recently appointed Secretary of the Yoshihara National Scenic Area Administration and will assume his new role on the 16th. These past two days have been busy with pre-transition tasks and frequent interactions with his new colleagues. As the Tourism Bureau was awarded the Executive Yuan’s Golden File Award late last year, Yoshihara even sent staff to learn from him on the 12th.

Born in 1973 in Lukang and raised in Wuri, Shih Tsung-hung studied at Feng Chia University’s Department of Transportation Management and later earned a master’s degree in Civil Engineering and Transportation from National Taiwan University. Leveraging his expertise, he worked successively at Taipei City Government’s Department of Transportation and the Tourism Division of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.

In 2008, he joined the Tourism Bureau as Chief of the Sightseeing and Recreation Section. That year marked the opening of Taiwan to mainland Chinese tourists, the launch of the Sun Moon Lake Gondola project, and the inauguration of National Freeway No. 6. Together with then-Director General Tseng Kuo-chi, Shih navigated regulatory hurdles under the “Motor Transport Business Management Regulations,” successfully promoting the “Sun Moon Lake Express” service—the first cross-county highway sightseeing bus in Taiwan. The subsequent “Taiwan Good to Go” sightseeing bus model drew inspiration from this successful Sun Moon Lake initiative.

Hong Wei-hsin, Director of the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration, noted that Shih Tsung-hung is best known for his clear and rational thinking, decisive handling of official duties, and, most importantly, his wealth of ideas and quick reactions. Any challenging issues could be swiftly and smoothly resolved through him.

During his tenure leading the Puli Management Station, Shih transformed the station area into a youth farmers’ shop and promoted walking and cycling tours such as the “Rescue Aunt Tianshui” at Zhuzishan. Aligning with the seasons, he enhanced seasonal experiences—firefly and cherry blossom viewing in spring, butterfly watching in summer, summer concerts, and sunrise tours at Golden Dragon Mountain in winter.

Before leaving Sun Moon Lake, he expressed regret and concern over unfinished projects. For instance, Caos湿地 (Caos Wetland)—one of the key firefly viewing areas in Taomi Ecovillage—is privately owned, and nearby development continues. The future sustainability of the firefly habitat remains uncertain.

Similarly, the Taomi Aquatic Park faces comparable challenges. Whether its water quality and quantity can support the image of Puli as a source of high-quality water is a question. Puli is well-suited for promoting guided eco-tours focused on river fish and stream shrimp conservation, but environmental sustainability will be a crucial indicator of whether Puli’s tourism can truly turn around.

Regarding the future direction of Yoshihara, he stated that after taking up the new post, he would first take stock of the area’s overall resources before considering how to strengthen or deepen them. Youth farmers are an area he values greatly; there is much talent there, and he looks forward to positive interaction and joint efforts to develop Yoshihara.