Xitou Nature Education Area or Xitou Bamboo Forest () is a forest park in Lugu Village, Lugu Township,

Nantou County Nantou is the second largest County (Taiwan), county of Taiwan by area, located in the central part of the country. It is also the only non-coastal county in Taiwan. Its name derives from the Hoanya people, Hoanya Taiwanese aborigines, Taiwanese ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Name

''Xitou'' is derived from a Chinese word with the meaning of the origin of river.

History

During the

Japanese rule of Taiwan The Geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, together with the Penghu, Penghu Islands, became an annexed territory of the Empire of Japan in 1895, when the Qing dynasty ceded Taiwan Province, Fujian-Taiwan Province in the Treaty of Shimonoseki a ...

, the forest was used as an experimental forest for

University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

students. Later after the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

in 1945, the forest was declared a nature reserve and named Xitou Nature Education Area in 1970. On 11 September 2016, a 2,800-year old giant tree fell after long heavy rain, injuring three visitors. File:Xitou Nature Education Area-26.2023-10-18.jpg, Viewing platform of the giant tree File:Xitou Nature Education Area-25.2023-10-18.jpg, The giant tree fell in September 2016 File:溪頭神木觀景平台-01.2023-10-18.jpg, Front of the viewing platform File:Xitou Nature Education Area-22.2023-10-18.jpg,

Cryptomeria ''Cryptomeria'' (literally "hidden parts") is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae. It includes only one species, ''Cryptomeria japonica'' ( syn. ''Cupressus japonica'' L.f.). It is considered to be endemic to Japan, ...

File:Xitou Nature Education Area-35.2023-10-18.jpg,

Taiwania ''Taiwania'', with the single living species ''Taiwania cryptomerioides'', is a large coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae. Etymology ''Taiwania'' means 'from Taiwan', while ''cryptomerioides'' means 'resembling ''Cryptomeria''.Gle ...

File:Xitou Nature Education Area-11.2023-10-18.jpg,

Phyllostachys edulis ''Phyllostachys edulis'', the bamboo, or tortoise-shell bamboo, or (), (), () is a temperate species of giant timber bamboo native to China and Taiwan and naturalised elsewhere, including Japan where it is widely distributed from south of Hok ...

Geography

The forest is located within a valley of mountain on its three sides and consists of many bamboos. It also has

Ginkgo biloba ''Ginkgo biloba'', commonly known as ginkgo or gingko ( ), also known as the maidenhair tree, is a species of gymnosperm tree native to East Asia. It is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million year ...

garden. It is located at an average altitude of 1,150 meters above sea level and spans over an area of 2,500 hectares. The highest mountain peak within the forest reaches 2,025 meters above sea level, which is Mount Lingtou. It has a cool climate all year round with average monthly temperature ranges from 11-28°C and average monthly of 16.6°C. The average annual rainfall is 2,635.18 mm. The forest is home to more than 70 species of bird.

Climate

Facilities

The forest features many hiking trails and pavements, 22.6-meter high and 180-meter long skywalk through canopies and observatory at a height of more than 2,000 meters above sea level. It also provides electric cars rental, shops, Vacation Forest Natural Ecology Exhibition Center, tourist service center, restaurant and hotel. File:Sky Walk Xitou-07.2023-10-18.jpg, View from the skywalk File:國立臺灣大學實驗林管理處.2023-10-18.jpg, Education center File:溪頭生態展示館.2023-10-18.jpg, Vacation Forest Natural Ecology Exhibition Center File:溪頭苗圃氣象站-01.2023-10-18.jpg, Xitou Weather station File:Yun-Shan Building Howard Resort Xitou.2023-10-18.jpg, Yun-Shan Restaurant, Howard Resort File:溪頭小木屋暨林間別墅區-03.2023-10-18.jpg, Education Center villa File:溪頭小木屋暨林間別墅區-09.2023-10-18.jpg, Wooden Cottage

Activities

The main objective of the forest is the promotion of natural education of nursing natural ecology. The forest is part of experimental forest belongs to

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; zh, t=國立臺灣大學, poj=Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Tāi-ha̍k, p=, s=) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 1928 during Taiwan under J ...

Transportation

The forest is accessible by bus from

Taichung Taichung (, Wade–Giles: '), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in central Taiwan. Taichung is Taiwan's second-largest city, with more than 2.85 million residents, making it the largest city in Ce ...

, Caotun Township,

Nantou City Nantou City ( Mandarin Pīnyīn: ''Nántóu Shì''; Hokkien POJ: ''Lâm-tâu-chhī'') is a county-administered city located in the northwest of Nantou County, Taiwan. It lies between the Bagua Mountains and the Maoluo River and is the count ...

, Zhushan Township and

Douliu City Douliu (Hokkien Pe̍h-ōe-jī, POJ: ''Táu-la̍k'') is a county-administered city and the county seat of Yunlin County, Taiwan. It is also the political and economic center of the county. Douliu City is served by National Highway No. 3 (Taiwan), ...

References

{{commons category 1970 establishments in Taiwan Parks in Taiwan Geography of Nantou County Tourist attractions in Nantou County