Yushan (Jade Mountain): From 'Niitakayama' to Taiwan's Highest Point of the Soul

30-second overview:
Yushan's main peak stands at 3,952.430 meters — the highest of Taiwan's celebrated "100 Peaks" and one of the five peaks collectively called the "Five Sacred Mountains of Taiwan" (along with Snow Mountain, Xiuguluan Mountain, Nanhu Mountain, and North Dawu Mountain). It is also the highest peak in the Western Pacific (outside the Kamchatka Peninsula). Encompassing a complete vertical ecological transect from subtropical to subarctic, it is the "sacred mountain" in the traditions of the Bunun, Tsou, Kanakanavu, and Paiwan peoples. Today's Yushan is caught in a tug-of-war between mass hiking enthusiasm and high-altitude environmental carrying capacity — attracting more than a million visitors annually while facing the severe challenges of waste pollution and altered wildlife behavior.

On June 28, 1897, Emperor Meiji formally issued a proclamation naming Taiwan's highest peak "Niitakayama" (新高山) — meaning "new high mountain" — marking it as higher than Japan's Mount Fuji by more than two hundred meters. The naming was both a geographic finding and a political declaration: the highest point of the Greater Japanese Empire had shifted to this peak floating above the clouds on a southern island.

Sacred Mountain and Refuge: The Spiritual Home of the Indigenous Peoples

Long before imperial survey teams arrived, this mountain existed in indigenous cosmologies as sacred and inviolable: a place of origin, a refuge, a destination for souls. Its status as a geographic highpoint was merely a label later attached by outsiders.

For the Bunun people, Yushan is called Tongku Saveq (also written Usaviah, Saviah, or Saviq). "Tongku" refers to the slope near the summit; "Saveq" is connected to the great flood legend — the place where ancestors took shelter and where souls ultimately rest, symbolizing the spiritual home of the nation. According to tradition, in ancient times a great flood inundated the land, and Bunun ancestors were only saved by climbing to this mountain's summit; their survival was made possible through a battle between a giant crab and a giant serpent¹.

The Tsou people call it Patungkuonʉ (also Pattonkan), meaning "the shining mountain" or "mountain of quartz." Legend holds that Tsou ancestors originally dwelled on Yushan's peak and only migrated toward the Alishan area after a flood. Additionally, the Kanakanavu people call it Tanungu'incu, and the Paiwan people call it Kanasian (also Kasetaivang or Kacalisian). These diverse names reflect Yushan's profound significance in indigenous cultures — as an origin, a refuge, and a sacred symbol — long predating any outsider's naming².

Naming and the Shifting of Power: From Morrison to Yushan

Outside eyes affixed different political and cultural labels to this mountain. As early as the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1685), the Taiwan Fu Zhi (《臺灣府志》) recorded the name "Yushan" (Jade Mountain), describing it as "extremely high, always shrouded in cloud and mist... white as silver." Qing Dynasty sources also called it "Patungkuan Mountain" (八通關山) or "Snow Mountain" (雪山) for the distant appearance of its snow³.

In the mid-19th century, Western navigators named it "Mt. Morrison" after a British merchant ship captain. In the early years of Japanese rule, the Japanese government considered other names such as "Zhennan Mountain" (鎮南山) or "Danan Mountain" (大南山), before Emperor Meiji settled on "Niitakayama" — because it stands roughly 200 meters higher than Mount Fuji. During World War II, the mountain even became a military code: the codename for the Pearl Harbor attack was "Climb Niitakayama 1208" — borrowing the symbolic weight of the empire's highest peak⁴.

📝 Curator's Note: The history of naming this mountain is a condensed history of Taiwan's colonization and self-identification. From its role as a mythological refuge, through imperial pride, to today's spiritual fortress of Taiwan's identity, Yushan has always been there. Only the angle from which we look up at it has changed.

After the war, the Nationalist government restored the name "Yushan" — "jade mountain," meaning pure and lustrous as jade. The summit markers have also undergone dramatic changes: under Japanese rule, the ruins of the "Niitakayama Shrine" once stood here; after recovery, the shrine was dismantled. For a time a bronze statue of Yu Yu-jen was erected (to push the "height" to a symbolic 4,000 meters), but the current marker is a large stone inscribed with "Yushan Main Peak: 3,952.430 meters" and its English equivalent, silently overlooking the island⁵.

The Vertical Ecology Laboratory: A Biological Island Marooned from the Ice Age

What truly shocks about Yushan lies along the vertical climbing route: across just a few kilometers of horizontal distance, the climate compresses the equivalent of traveling from Taiwan to Siberia. Yushan is the crown of Taiwan's 100 Peaks, and along with Snow Mountain, Xiuguluan, Nanhu, and North Dawu forms the "Five Sacred Mountains of Taiwan." The Yushan massif includes the Main Peak, East Peak (3,869m, first among the Ten Peaks), West Peak, South Peak, North Peak, and others; the first five are more accessible, while the latter four involve more challenging routes — these peaks form the core of Taiwan's mountain ranges, with the surrounding Fengwei Rock and other formations creating a striking landscape. In the Western Pacific (outside Kamchatka), Yushan is the highest peak, with an extraordinary topographic prominence⁶.

Based on the latest data from Yushan National Park, this "biological island marooned from the Ice Age" possesses remarkable ecological diversity:

Particularly noteworthy: the Lele River basin is the area of densest Taiwan black bear population; the Alishan salamander, a Taiwan endemic, marks the southernmost range of the world's salamander family. Yushan is a "biological island marooned from the Ice Age," with vertical ecological belts running from subtropical to subarctic zones — of extraordinary scientific value⁷. At elevations above 3,850 meters on scree slopes, conditions are extreme: strong winds, low temperatures, high ultraviolet exposure. Plants like Yushan edelweiss have evolved thick, waxy leaves or dense hairs, anchoring themselves in rock crevices at an extraordinarily slow pace — displaying the most resilient forms of life in Taiwan's alpine environment.

Controversy: When the Sacred Mountain Becomes a "Bucket List" Destination

The history of climbing Yushan is one of exploration becoming accessible to the masses. In 1896, Japanese Army Lieutenant Nagano Yoshitora (various records also mention Saito Otosaku and others) became the first to summit via the Batongguan Historic Trail; in 1898, German Karl T. Stöpel became the first Westerner to summit. During the Japanese colonial period, scholars including Hongo Seiroku, Torii Ryuzo, and Mori Ushinosuke conducted multiple surveys; with the opening of the Alishan-to-Yushan trail in 1926, mountaineering activity gradually spread⁸. After the war, Yushan became the symbolic "must-climb in a lifetime" for Taiwanese — embodying the shift from colonial glory to local identity.

Today, with the implementation of the "open mountain forests" (山林開放) policy, summiting Yushan has entered many Taiwanese people's bucket lists. But this enthusiasm has brought serious consequences. Yushan National Park statistics show that the park receives approximately 1 million visitors annually; the mountains generate 250 kilograms of garbage per year, not counting human waste, which is difficult to manage⁹.

1. Environmental carrying capacity: The Paiyun Lodge has approximately 92–116 actual beds (depending on the period), requiring a lottery system (with acceptance rates sometimes as low as 1–3% in peak season); fees run about NT$480 per bed, with sleeping bags available for rent. This drives many hikers to choose "single-day sprint" ascents from the Tataka Trailhead. Single-day sprints, however, require excellent physical fitness and altitude acclimatization; those without adequate fitness frequently trigger mountain accidents — altitude sickness and falls have become Yushan's most common causes of tragedy¹⁰.

2. Altered wildlife behavior: Around Tataka and the Paiyun Lodge, yellow-throated martens, Alpine accentors, and even Formosan macaques have developed serious "begging" behaviors due to prolonged exposure to human food waste and direct feeding. Over time, their natural foraging instincts have deteriorated, and consuming human food can cause health damage. Yushan National Park has imposed a strict feeding ban; violators face fines of up to NT$3,000¹¹.

3. Leave No Trace and waste: The park strictly enforces "Leave No Trace" (LNT) principles, requiring hikers to carry all garbage, human waste, and human food back down the mountain to minimize environmental impact. Porters must carry supplies up; hikers should cherish and collectively maintain the mountain's cleanliness¹².

📝 Curator's Note: We bring our garbage up the mountain, and carry the wildness out of the wildlife. Truly loving the mountain means learning to restrain our urge to get close.

Looking Forward: How Should We Look Up at This Mountain?

Yushan's meaning lies in its permanent presence — as Taiwan's backbone. It was once the spiritual stronghold and creation/refuge symbol of the indigenous peoples; once the crown of empire; now the totem of Taiwan's contemporary identity, embodying the transformation from colonial symbol to local spirit¹³.

When we speak of "summiting Yushan," perhaps we should not focus only on that stone inscribed "3,952.430 m," or the fierce winds and scree of the windward section. The real challenge is whether we can, while pursuing personal achievement, also learn to coexist with this fragile ecosystem. As Leave No Trace principles advocate: carry all garbage, human waste, and human food back down; respect the labor of porters. The best visit is one that leaves nothing behind but footprints — and takes nothing away but memories¹⁴.

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