By / MOOK Travel Life Network Editorial Team The Bayan settlement in Jinshan District, New Taipei City, is located beside the Yangjin Highway of Yangmingshan National Park, preserving large-scale terraced fields and traditional stone irrigation channels rarely seen in northern Taiwan. Due to the area’s high groundwater level, clear water quality, rich ecology, and abundant mountain stream water, with mist lingering year-round, plus nearby sources of Bayan Hot Springs, aquatic plants, and earthworm casts forming a lush green carpet, the terraced fields, vibrant cultural elements, and ecological features of Bayan have become unique local assets.

Due to rural depopulation in recent years, most residents here are elderly, giving the settlement a somewhat desolate and quiet atmosphere, yet also an air of being cut off from the world. With changes in industrial structure, the irrigation channels and terraced fields in the settlement have long lacked maintenance, leading to blockages, damage, and collapses in the old waterways, affecting farmland drainage and thus diminishing the vitality of the rural area.

The city government allocated funds to carry out a drainage improvement project in the Bayan tribal area, giving it a chance at renewal. The project included the restoration of existing waterways and the repair of central field ridges in the water, aiming to enhance local water resource utilization. The construction process did not use any concrete, significantly reducing carbon emissions and environmental disturbance. Local residents used local stones to manually build porous environments, providing habitats for wildlife. The construction materials blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape, creating a naturally sustainable appearance.

 

After the project was completed, the local rural environment was revitalized, increasing farmers’ willingness to resume farming. It is expected that about 20 hectares of farmland will be restored. Ecological engineering has been used to activate the natural landscape, promote the sustainable development of traditional settlements, and integrate with the recreational offerings of the national park and the agricultural tourism development of the Jinshan area. This allows traditional rural settlements to rediscover their charm under new tourism concepts, attracting a continuous stream of visitors on weekends. In late autumn and early winter, people might want to visit the Bayan tribal area in Jinshan for a historical journey and enjoy some hot spring relaxation.