The Lishan Guesthouse, formerly operated by Old Chiang’s Residence, is being outsourced and will reopen in July next year to reclaim its former glory.

By Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

In its heyday, Lishan welcomed up to 500,000 visitors a year, and rooms at the Lishan Guesthouse were often hard to come by. However, following the 921 earthquake and the 72 flood, Taiwan’s one of the three grand palace-style buildings, the Lishan Guesthouse, lost its former splendor and has been closed ever since. The Lishan Guesthouse is now officially being outsourced for operation, aiming to transform it into Taiwan’s most distinctive “high-mountain resort hotel,” with plans to open in July 2012.

Since the Central Cross-Island Highway opened in 1959 during the 48th year of the Republic of China, Lishan has become a popular domestic tourist destination. For many people born in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, it remains the most nostalgic leisure resort hotel. The “Lishan Guesthouse,” an iconic landmark along the Central Cross-Island Highway, saw its development impacted by the 921 earthquake and the 72 flood. To revive the Lishan Guesthouse’s former charm, the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has restored the building and launched an OT (Operate-Transfer) tender process.

In the future, the marketing strategy for the Lishan Guesthouse will target international travelers with a mountain ridge tour route. This route will follow Provincial Highway 7 or Provincial Highway 8, passing through Qilan, Mingchi, Taipingshan, Wuling, Lishan, and Hehuanshan, offering either a four-night, five-day or a three-night, four-day itinerary. Travelers can enter and exit via Taipei or Taichung, with an expected 93 guest rooms available. Room rates will start from as low as NT$2,000 on weekdays (with discounts) and NT$2,800 on weekends (with discounts), giving guests the chance to experience the grandeur of President Chiang Kai-shek’s former residence.