The gorge cut through marble
The Liwu River has cut a canyon through marble in eastern Taiwan. Taroko is both a national park and a Truku homeland, with roads shaped by the challenges of the terrain.
Hualien.
Hualien stretches along Taiwan’s eastern coast, between the Pacific, the coastal mountains and the East Rift Valley. The Central Mountain Range rises immediately behind the coastal plain, and the county holds Taroko gorge, the Qingshui cliffs and a string of Amis, Truku and Bunun communities. Hualien City is the transport hub, with the railway, the port and the road up to the gorge. Earthquakes and typhoons are part of life here, and the landscape is still being built.
Hualien
The road under the wall
The Suhua Highway passes below Qingshui Mountain, whose summit is 2,408 metres above sea level. The coastal cliff has an elevation difference of about 800 metres.
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A city between the mountains and the water
Hualien City is small and rainy, with mountains and sea close at hand. Its night market and stone workshops offer a glimpse of life across the county.
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The valley between the ranges
The East Rift Valley stretches for 180 kilometres between two mountain ranges, with rice fields and villages linked by the Huadong Highway and railway.
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Taroko Gorge
A marble canyon cut by the Liwu River, with trails, shrines and cliffs inside a 92,000-hectare national park.
Qingshui Cliff
Twenty-one kilometres of coastal cliff where the Central Mountain Range falls directly into the Pacific.
Hualien City
The county seat and port at the mouth of the Hualien River, with a night market, a stone museum and a harbour.
East Rift Valley
A 180-kilometre trough between two mountain ranges, watered by three rivers and farmed for rice.
Photo credits and rights
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The fish sculpture that marks the entrance to Hualien harbour.Tzuhsun Hsu / CC BY-SA 2.0 · CC BY-SA 2.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗
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The red suspension bridge crosses the Liwu River at Taroko Gorge.CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / CC BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗
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The road runs along the Qingshui cliffs, which descend steeply toward the Pacific.lienyuan lee / CC BY 3.0 · CC BY 3.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗
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The beach and the flat land where Hualien city meets the sea.Foxy Who \(^∀^)/ / CC BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗
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A paddy field in the East Rift Valley, with the coastal range behind.Mnb at Chinese Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗
