A Time Tunnel Through the Central Mountain Range: The Central Cross-Island Highway Story Museum Opens on the 25th

▲The Central Cross-Island Highway Story Museum will open on the 25th, continuing to pass on the memories of those who came before us. (Photo / Screen capture fromTarako National Park website, the same applies below)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The Central Cross-Island Highway is Taiwan’s first road to traverse the Central Mountain Range. To help visitors gain a deeper understanding of the history of this highway, the Taroko National Park Headquarters has just completed a themed exhibition hall called the “Central Cross-Island Highway Story Museum,” which officially opened to the public on the 25th. Visitors are welcome to explore the history of the highway, and volunteers will be stationed at the museum to provide guided tours.

▲“Highlights of the Central Cross-Island Highway” uses a Q&A format to add interactivity, allowing the public to directly engage with history.

The museum features six themes — “Exploring the Central Cross-Island Highway,” “Building the Central Cross-Island Highway,” “Legends of the Central Cross-Island Highway,” “Then and Now of the Central Cross-Island Highway,” “Timeline of the Central Cross-Island Highway,” and “Highlights of the Central Cross-Island Highway” — to present the construction history of the highway, the unsung heroes behind its creation, over half a century of changes along the road, unique bridges, scenic spots along the route, and the transformation of the highway over time.

The story museum uses many precious old photos of the Central Cross-Island Highway, paired with bilingual (Chinese and English) text explanations, along with screenings of the documentary “The Story of the Central Cross-Island Highway,” to tell the tale of the highway in detail. The “Highlights of the Central Cross-Island Highway” section lists 15 questions, such as the longest bridge, the longest tunnel, the highest-altitude post, and the oldest tree along the route, using a Q&A interactive display to give visitors a deeper understanding of the development of the highway. In addition, there is a Central Cross-Island Highway-themed rubbing table where visitors can make rubbings as souvenirs.

▲The museum uses different sections to showcase the beauty of the Central Cross-Island Highway, making visitors feel as if they’ve stepped into a tunnel of history.

Zhang Dengwen, deputy director of the Taroko National Park Headquarters, said that the Central Cross-Island Highway extends westward from Taroko, climbing steadily and passing through the Dayuling area (main route) at an altitude of 2,565 meters and the Wuling area (branch route) on Hehuan Mountain at 3,275 meters. In just about 80 kilometers, it transitions from a subtropical zone through a temperate zone to a frigid zone, allowing visitors to enjoy a diverse range of scenery and varying ecological environments along the highway. However, this road was built more than half a century ago through the blood, sweat, and toil of countless workers. During the construction period, at least 225 road workers lost their lives, leaving behind many touching stories. The goal in establishing the “Central Cross-Island Highway Story Museum” is to allow visitors to not only admire the breathtaking mountain and canyon landscapes while traveling along the highway but also to gain a deeper understanding of the highway’s story.

Central Cross-Island Highway Story Museum
Opening Hours: Daily from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM (Closed on the second and fourth Mondays of each month)
Address: Tianxiang Area, Eastern Section of the Central Cross-Island Highway, Taroko

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