Yangmingshan National Park

This is one of the most visited national parks in Taiwan, and it is only 30 minutes from downtown Taipei. It was previously named Grass Mountain (Chaoshan) and the name was well documented in the 19th century literary documents.

In 1895 during the Japanese colonization, massive road construction projects took place. In a span of 6 years, there were gradual migration into the mountains. Eventually, the previously renowned tea farms were then replaced by orange plantation.

Due to the placid landscape and the fertile volcanic soil, the areas continued to develop even after the Japanese receded. Road links were constructed, connecting Shilin to Jinshan, Peitou to Yangmingshan and Peitou Shamou Mountain.

Reconstruction projects were done from Yuanshan to Shilin and Bamboo (Chootzi) Lake. Later, a new road was paved from Bamboo Lake to Chaikong Cave. However, the construction works hauled during the World War II. By then, much of the Yangmingshan close to now had been completed.
As the 10,000 hectares land had so long been designated as a reserved piece of land under the city plan and guarded by the military, the natural environment had been very well preserved. On November, 1982 and there after, more constitution amendments were implemented for the development of the park into a major national park within the Taipei metro area.