By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, reported by Li Xinyi
The world’s only mineral named after a Taiwanese place, “Beitou Stone,” is celebrating its 100th anniversary of naming today (20th). Want to explore its rare beauty and origins? The Taipei City Government has specially organized the “No Stone Unturned” event and the “Ask the Stone” special exhibition at the Beitou Hot Spring Museum from now until November 25.
The world’s only mineral named after a Taiwanese place, Beitou Stone, can be called a national treasure of Taiwan. (Photography / MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, Chen Guanxin)
Beitou Stone is a unique mineral discovered in 1905 by Japanese scholar Yoshio Okamoto in the riverbed of the Beitou Stream. It was officially presented and named at an international mineralogy symposium in 1912. Today, it is found only in Beitou and Japan’s Tamagawa Hot Springs. Containing the radioactive element “radium,” it was rumored in Japan to have medicinal properties and was revered as a “medicinal stone.” On average, it takes 130 years for just one centimeter of the mineral crystal to grow, and it can only crystallize under very specific environmental conditions. Due to environmental changes, the formation of Beitou Stone has become more difficult, making it even rarer. The 800-kilogram Beitou Stone housed in the Beitou Hot Spring Museum is currently the largest in the world and serves as the museum’s prized exhibit.
The Beitou Hot Spring Museum displays the world’s largest Beitou Stone, weighing 800 kilograms. (Photography / MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, Chen Guanxin)
To celebrate the centennial of the naming of Beitou Stone, the Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs has specially organized the “No Stone Unturned” activity in the outdoor exhibition area of the Beitou Hot Spring Museum from today until November 25. The public is invited to learn about Beitou Stone and take photos with the interactive “No Stone Unturned” display boards. Those who upload their photos to the “Listen to Beitou, Tell Stories” Facebook fan page, and rank in the top three for most likes, will receive a limited-edition “Treasured Beitou Postcard Set.” Local bakery Provence is also celebrating by launching “Beitou Bites” commemorative cookies.
In addition, the Taipei City Government and local associations launched a mobile audio guide service for the Beitou Environmental Museum Park at the end of October this year. Over a hundred tourists have already been among the first to experience it. Visitors simply need to call the audio guide service hotline (0935-120-909) from their own phones and enter the three-digit code for the exhibition point to enjoy fascinating stories about Beitou.
● Read more: Following the footsteps of Beitou’s Nokasi music – stepping back into the golden days of the hot spring town
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