Original picture on which the Mount Jade illustration is based (copyright: Liang Ming-pen)
Mount Jade
With an elevation of 3,952m, Mount Jade is the highest mountain in Taiwan. It grew to its current height when the Eurasian Plate slid under the adjacent Philippine Sea Plate. Mount Jade is located on the borders of Nantou County, Kaohsiung City, and Chiayi County. The majestic landscape is in a league of its own. The snow-capped Mount Jade is also one of the Eight Scenes of Taiwan.
The main peak is surrounded by a number of overlapping mountains, which are sliced through by deep, plunging valleys. The vegetation changes as the elevation increases: subtropical forests give way to temperate forests, and eventually to alpine grasslands. Mount Jade is also home to a variety of animal species, including the Mikado pheasant, the Formosan serow, the Formosan sambar deer, the Formosan black bear, Reeves’s muntjac, the Formosan rock macaque, and relict species from the Ice Age, the Alishan salamander. In addition to indigenous animals, many rare plant species can also be found here, including the Taiwan ladybell, Gentiana scabrida Hayata, and Taiwan alpine rhododendron. In addition to the rich flora and fauna, historical trails built in the Qing Dynasty and the Japanese Colonial Era such as Batongguan, Guanshan, and Yueling criss-cross Mount Jade. Mount Jade used to be inhabited by the aboriginal Bunun tribe and is a treasure trove for natural and cultural research.