Article by Chen Guanxin, MOOK Travel Life Network, compiled and reported
While the maple leaves at Fushoushan and Wuling Farms are nearing the end of their season, Maliuko Bay Stream in the middle and upper reaches of the Tamsui River Basin is just stepping into a dazzlingly colorful world. Along the stream from Xiuluan, Yufeng to Sanguang, there lies a lesser-known maple-viewing secret spot. With the changing seasons, a brilliant and dreamy palette of maple flames takes center stage in nature, leading the trend this season, waiting for travelers to experience a beautiful encounter.
Maliuko Bay Stream in Jianshi Township is perfect for hiking, walking, and enjoying the fall foliage. (Photo provided by the Chinese Green Lifestyle Leisure Development Association)
The Atayal Legend of Maliuko Bay Stream: The Maliuko Bay Stream is steeped in the migration legends of the Atayal people. The Atayal, who inhabit the Tamsui River Basin, trace their ancestors to “Ruìyán She” (Fāxiáng Village, Ré’āi Township) by the Zhuoshui River in Nantou. By the Ruìyán She stream stood a massive five-meter-high rock called “Bīnsībùgān.” The Atayal believe that their ancestors were born from the splitting of this great rock, and after dozens of generations, their population grew significantly. As arable land and hunting grounds became insufficient, the Atayal hero—“Wǔtǎ”—decided to pioneer new territory. Leading a small group, he traveled up the Beigang River, entered the Lishan area in the Dajia River Basin, then passed through the Sihyuan Pass. From Taoshan and Kalayeh, they crossed the “Sacred Ridge Line” of the Snow Mountains into the Maliuko Bay Stream Basin.
From Xiuluan, Yufeng to Sanguang, along the banks of Maliuko Bay Stream, lies a little-known maple-viewing secret spot. (Photo provided by the Chinese Green Lifestyle Leisure Development Association)
The Maliuko Bay Stream Basin is a fertile river terrace with a mild climate. The Saisiyat people, who had long lived here, did not reject Wǔtǎ and his Atayal clansmen and established the first settlement in the Tamsui River system—“Zhènxībǎo.” However, a conflict arose later between the two groups over a marriage dispute when the Saisiyat refused to allow a young woman to marry outside the tribe. This led to the killing of Wǔtǎ’s son. Refusing to accept the insult, Wǔtǎ returned to Ruìyán She to gather reinforcements and engaged in fierce battle with the Saisiyat. Eventually, the Atayal took control of the Maliuko Bay Stream Basin by force. Since then, the descendants of Wǔtǎ began establishing Atayal settlements along both sides of the river terraces—Zhènxībǎo, Xiùluán, Shílěi, Yufeng, Xinguang, Táiyào, Sanguang, Bālíng—and eventually crossed the Lala Mountain and Xuemunao to enter the Fushan and Wulai areas of the Nanbeishi River Basin. The influence of the Atayal expanded as far as Qūchǐ, nearly reaching the area near Bítán in Xīndiàn. During the land-reclamation era, Han Chinese rarely ventured beyond Qūchǐ and Guǎngxīng, almost never venturing deep into the Wulai mountain region. Thus, nearly half of northern Taiwan—the Snow Mountain Range—became the domain of the Atayal.
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