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Updated Thursday, August 30, 2007 0:00 am TWN, By Richard Saunders, Special to The China Post

Man and nature in harmony at Lion’s Head Mountain

A lofty eminence studded with old and beautiful temples and monasteries inhabited by grizzled old monks, shrouded in a picturesque misty veil for much of the year, Lion’s Head Mountain (Shihtoushan, 獅頭山) is Taiwan’s answer to China’s sacred Buddhist mountains Emei and Jiuhua. Like those much larger Chinese giants, Lion’s Head, which straddles the border between Hsinchu and Miaoli Counties, attracts hoards of visitors who come to enjoy this important center of worship and the beautiful surroundings.

About fifteen kilometers south of Hsinchu, Lion’s Head is part of the northernmost third of the Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area (叁山國家風景區), established in March 2001 to protect three upland areas in central Taiwan. The other two are Lishan (梨山), along the Central Cross-island Highway in Taichung County, and the long, low range of hills known as Mt. Bagua (八卦山) near Changhua, another major draw for the island’s Buddhists; a temple in the hills here has a famous and oft-photographed black statue of the sitting Buddha, 22 meters high.

For all its popularity, Lion’s Head is serene, with several kilometers of marked trails ensuring that, only at peak times are paths likely to seem too crowded for comfort. For peaceful exploration away from crowds, try more remote parts of the mountain, such as Lion’s Head’s most unusual sight, the Shueilien (Water Curtain) Cave (水簾洞).

Shuielien is a small temple built into a deep overhang at the base of a cliff. Several temples at Lion’s Head are built into natural cavities in the rock, but this is the largest. Getting to Water Curtain Cave is easy. Take county route 41 around the back of Lion’s Head (to the ‘tail’ end) and simply follow the English signs for Lion’s Head Mountain Scenic Area Visitor Center. The trailhead and car park for the cave are both just a couple of hundred meters along the road from the visitor center. A wide, stepped path descends into the surprisingly deep and dark gorge of the Shijing Stream, which cuts a winding route through the hills, carving a number of caves out of tall rock faces on either side as it flows.

The Water Curtain Cave itself is worth a look: the temple inside is definitely one of the smaller and less interesting in the area, but its setting is fascinating. The unusual name (a reference to the Chinese classic ‘Journey to the West’ -- the Water Curtain Cave was the home of the book’s hero, the Monkey King) comes from a waterfall that apparently descends over the cliff face above the temple during wet weather.

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	A lofty eminence studded with old and beautiful temples and monasteries inhabited by grizzled old monks, shrouded in a picturesque misty veil for much of the year, Lion’s Head Mountain (Shihtoushan, 獅頭山) is Taiwan’s answer to China’s sacred Buddhist mountains Emei and ... Enlarge Photo


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