Seize the tail end of summer！A vast golden sea of "daylilies" in Taitung

Text and photos byBurnt-out Nurse

From July to October every year is the daylily season in Hualien and Taitung. The entire valley is dressed as if in a golden robe, shimmering brilliantly and breathtakingly beautiful. But as a hardworking Taiwanese, I’ve actually never been flower viewing before (sigh~). But it’s never too late as long as you’re willing—so here’s some info about Taimali’s Daylily Mountain to share with everyone, so you can enjoy a screen full of golden daylily seas without even leaving home. The overflowing golden hues are a summer feast in the Huatung Valley, yet as the gold fades, it also signals the end of summer.

Daylilies are also known as "one-day beauties"—they bloom in the morning and wither by evening—so they must all be harvested before they bloom. The best time to photograph farmers harvesting is early in the morning. Additionally, daylilies were historically called “daylily flowers” or “forget-worry flowers,” and are also known in China as the “mother’s flower.” They are a common ingredient in home cooking, rich in protein and iron, with high nutritional value, and are believed to have calming and forget-worry therapeutic effects. When visiting the Huatung area, don’t forget to buy some daylily products. With the weather being unstable these past few days, I really didn’t know if I’d get to see the daylilies.

But luck was really on my side this time. I got up at three in the morning, the weather seemed okay, and I just rode my motorcycle straight from downtown Taitung toward Taimali (yes, you read that right—I rode a scooter). When I arrived, it was pitch black as I headed up the mountain. It was my first time at this mountain, there weren’t many signs, and there was no internet (GG), so I couldn’t find the legendary flowers~~~ Fortunately, I met two early-rising farmers at a farmhouse, asked them for directions, borrowed their restroom, and continued racing up the mountain. I suddenly felt like I was getting younger and feeling incredibly fired up TMD~
 

There’s spray paint at the intersection—don’t trust your navigation or you’ll get lost. No kidding, no internet, how could you not get lost?

The signs aren’t very dense—just follow the “flower-viewing route” and keep heading up the mountain.

After riding on flat ground for over thirty minutes and then on mountain roads for nearly an hour, I finally arrived at Forget-Worry Valley.

It’s recommended to go down the path below and shoot the daylily sea from below upwards—it’s truly stunning. Share these few photos to show you the flower conditions on that day (9/5).

Keep heading up. With cloudy weather meeting the dawn’s sunrise, although only a faint blush of pink brushed the pale white sky, the shifting clouds and mist made the valley exceptionally beautiful at this moment.

On the way to Twin Peaks, farmers were harvesting daylilies. At first glance, it looked like the yellow-green of a rapeseed field, but it was just a field of daylilies that had almost finished being harvested.

Then we arrived at Twin Peaks, altitude 1340 meters. It added a lot of coolness to the hot summer day, and with the sun not fully out yet, the cool weather was perfect for flower viewing.

These Twin Peaks and Thousand Cranes Pavilion are truly must-visit spots for viewing daylilies. After parking the scooter, no need for words—just let your eyes soak in this vast expanse of gold.

Flipping through photo after photo, one can only say that waking up early really pays off—not only did we avoid the flower-viewing crowds, and though there wasn’t a blue sky, there was also less harsh sunlight. So comfortable.

Shooting and shooting, moving to another pavilion on the other side—if there’s such beautiful scenery, how could climbing be tiring? The mountain is always there, the scenery is always there, but have you come yet?

The flower-viewing routes are all one-way streets, so going up and down the mountain allows you to see different views. This is also a great sightseeing route.

The only thing to watch out for is that the road is really narrow and quite steep. If two people are a bit on the heavier side, it’s advised to slow down, otherwise one turn might send you to the afterlife~

Going down the road, you can see this sea of flowers by the roadside. This is the Wu Zhongxian Flower Viewing Area, located where you can spot it both when ascending and descending the mountain. The uncle said the flowers bloomed a bit later this year and have only just fully bloomed now. The daylilies can last until around Double Ten Day in October.

Uncle Wu from Dacheng, Changhua, actually has relatives who also run a mutton hotpot shop in Dacheng. That’s too crazy~~~ What a connection, the ingredients aren’t very different from what I know about the dishes.

Daylilies are divided into cold-climate and tropical varieties. Those in Taimali are the cold-climate type, while Xinshe has the tropical kind. Here you can buy both dried and fresh ones. The difference lies in the texture of the daylilies, and also in the drying method—the ones here are sun-dried, while most are heat-baked, so the flavor is different. While waiting for the meatballs to go down into the flower sea for photos, I quietly tried some on the side and found they really do taste different—crispy and delicious.

Also, the uncle has a 10-acre daylily field, harvested in batches. Some are reserved for tourist viewing, so I took quite a few more beautiful photos of the daylilies here.

After standing up and squatting down multiple times in the flower fields, I deeply felt that old folks really need more exercise. My legs were sore as heck~ But those few squats were worth it for these photos. Just as I felt raindrops about to fall, I quickly headed back down the mountain. Thankfully, the two good-luck dolls managed to beat the weather—we didn’t get rained on.

After descending, I gazed at the distant coastline. Taimali is just too beautiful. If the weather were just a bit better, it would have been absolutely stunning.

Taitung has many types of weather. Not long after descending, the sky showed a dyed light blue, and the sun beating on my legs was scorching hot. I thought, thankfully—Burnt-out Nursehad gone out at sunrise.

Today’s spoils included not only a camera full of daylily photos, but also some rather delicious-looking daylilies. The uncle’s were really different from what I’d bought before.

How to Get to Daylily Mountain for Flower Viewing
Transportation: After entering Taimali Township via Provincial Highway 9, turn onto Jinxuan Road, go straight for about 500 meters then turn left and continue to the end before turning right. After about 150 meters, turn left onto Jiayi Industrial Road. It is about 2.5 kilometers to Rifeng Platform, 15 kilometers to Jinshan Pass, and 17 kilometers to Valley of Forgetfulness.
Taimali Township Office Flower Viewing Shuttle Bus:http://bao-ming.com/eb/www/activity_content.php?activitysn=1558
Wu Zhongxian Flower Viewing Area: No. 272, Jialun, Dawang Village, Taimali Township, Taitung County
Ordering Golden Needle Flowers: 0935-316307; 0935-373077. One pack for 200 NTD, free shipping for orders of 10 packs or more.

We are the overworked nurses “Rouyuan” and “Wan|Junbao”... We brought along our photography gear to capture the breathtaking scenery, sharing with everyone the beauty and tranquility of this place, as well as the local cuisine and culture. We hope our heartfelt writing can deeply move those friends who have also been touched by this journey.
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