DagangshanHumanities Association
Established at the behest of a group of local teachers in 1999, it combines the ideals of cultural asset preservation and integrating education about the local region as into the school curriculum. The Association has trained a vanguard of little guardians, monitored the current status their hometown’s cultural assets, and built a defensive network, becoming the Ministry of Culture’s little guardians of the local community. The Association’s focus includes local humanities, arts, natural ecology education, and promotion of the region’s traditional theatre as well as its leisure and tourism industry. It specializes in leading family group tours.
Recommended Itinerary: Dagangshan Human Ecology Family Outing
The following is a simple schedule for a half-day outing. It can be adjusted to a 1-day or 2-day trip depending on actual needs. The whole family is welcome to join! The Dagangshan scenic area offers a choice of four itineraies: Stone Mother’s Milk Cave Tour, Temple Humanities Tour, Ecological Area Tour, and Trail Trekking Tour. These tours can also be paired with sightseeing itineraries in neighboring regions: Moon World and Yanchao tours.
YenchaoHumanities Association
The Yenchao Humanities Association was formed by a group of volunteers from Yanchao who care about the local human ecology. For many years, these volunteers have passionately devoted their energy to reestablish the restoration records of Shanggunshui Memorial and Guanshui Temple; they took part in building the Jiguanshan Plank Road, conducted human ecology preservation and guided tours at Yangnu Lake Mud Volcano, promoting human ecology education to take route; they researched Yanchao’s traditional arts and culture by conducting human ecology surveys in water resource river basins; and they established the Yanchao Human Ecology Tour Guide volunteer team. The Association promotes human ecology tourism in the Yanchao community.
Recommended Itinerary: Yenchao Humanities Nature Tour
The Yenchao Humanities Association leads tours of the Mudstone Badlands geological site and visits local temples. These tours also offer unique hands-on experiences (guava electricity carving) or Yanchao guava picking, in-depth tours of the A Gong Dian reservoir, etc.
Yanchao District, KaohsiungJinshan Community Development Association
Jinshan Community, located in Jinshan Neighborhood, Yanchao District, Kaohsiung City, is a simple village, situated on hilly terrain. Community residents are especially diligent about effectively utilizing the land—they plant jujubes, guava, bamboo shoots, and longan. During the community building process, the development direction gradually centered on guava and jujubes, supplemented by Jinshan Community’s characteristic natural landscapes and cultural background. While prioritizing community residents’ safety and quality of life, the Association developed an environmental education sector based on low-carbon sightseeing routes through local agricultural sites and environmental education. Jinshan Community has the world’s tallest mud volcano and produces the most delicious guava. Its brand mission is bringing people closer to nature and agricultural life as well as supplying rural goods—souvenirs of guava cake and candied jujube—all while providing a human touch.
Recommended Itinerary: Daytrip to Mudstone Badlands
The Jinshan Community Development Association leads tours of the local Mudstone Badlands geological site, visits ancestral halls and old houses, and provides a variety of enriching local hands-on experiences (mud volcano models, red tortoise cakes, guava cakes) or Yanchao guava picking, etc.
Travel withJarwashing
Jarwashing was appointed the spokesperson for Kaohsiung tourism in December 2019, promoting Kaohsiung tourism resources by playing the role of a tour leader. Besides publishing several Kaohsiung travel notes, he also cooperates with the Tourism Bureau in launching interactive activities with fans, such as travel talks, Hamasing walking tour and a share talk at Kaohsiung International Travel Fair.
Jarwashing x Yanchao adventure
Yanchao is a remote mountainous region with narrow mountain roads. There are few visitors here, and the monkeys are afraid of strangers, which is different from Caishan’s “urban monkeys”. While wandering in the remote regions, I chanced upon numerous wonderful places known to few, not even to a local like me, and some places are not even found in the Google Map. These are often discovered while wandering aimlessly or in an expedition with an aim. As such, these “non-mainstream” and “not easily found” attractions are especially worth sharing.
As the spokesperson for Kaohsiung tourism, I would like to take the opportunity to let more people know that, besides the attractions in the “egg yolk region of Kaohsiung”, such as the famous Xizi Bay, the Pier-2 Art Center and Lotus Pond, there is also the uncontested beautiful Yanchao.
Wushanting Mud Volcano
This is Taiwan’s smallest nature reserve but yet has the highest density of mud volcano clusters.
Yangnyu Mud Pond
Yangnyu Mud Pond is a gentle and explicit “mud shield”. Its wide and low-lying vent is clear and visible, and it has a higher level of activity.
Old Yangnyu Mud Pond
The mirror-like lake surface clearly reflects the sky. Its frequency and sound are both higher than those of the earlier mentioned mud volcanoes.
Sun Valley
Sun Valley, also known as Chang E Valley. This is a platform by the mountain road, where one can overlook the entire valley.
Qilinwei Earth God Temple
Qilinwei Earth God Temple is where the settlement originated, and legend has it that it is very effective.
Jiguan Mountain
The barren top of the mountain resembles a cock’s crest, hence the name, “Jiguan Mountain” (Cock’s Crest).
Agongdian Reservoir
This is an ideal place in Yanchao for a leisure trip round the lake.
Siaogangshan Skywalk Park
Siaogangshan Skywalk Park features a skywalk where one can overlook the scenic Agongdian Reservoir and flatland.
