Qingtiangang Grassland 擎天崗

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Qingtiangang in Yangmingshan National Park is a large grassland that lays on top of an old lava terrace. It is famous for the water buffalo that congregate here to graze, and is one of the most popular areas in the park. Besides enjoying views of wild water buffalo, there are also many hiking trails and historic trails nearby. Overall it is a family friendly destinations and one of the most popular attractions in Taipei City.

Background:
Qingtiangang, literally meaning "Hill Holding up Heaven" gets its name from the KMT Qingtian garrison that once guarded the hills and grasslands here.  Officially it lies in Shilin District of Taipei, but parts of the grassland also lie in Jinshan District of New Taipei. The grassland lies 770 meters above sea level. 
The area known as Yangmingshan now was formed by volcanoes about 700,000 years ago, forming many mountains about 1000 meters or less in northwestern Taiwan. The park still features active volcanoes, vents, and hot springs.
The original name of the area was Caoshan (grass mountain 草山). During the Qing Dynasty, the area was used to harvest sulfur, and many of the hills were burned to help catch sulfur thieves, Qingtiangang likely being one of these areas. 
Sulfur mining at Dayoukeng Crater in Yangmingshan National Park started in the Qing Dynasty by a British mining company who first obtained the rights to mine here in 1897. Currently you can find lots of old mining equipment that were abandoned here. The Yulu Old Trail was built near Dayoukeng to transport mining materials, and extended over to Qingtiangang. Mining sulfur ended with the formation of Yangmingshan National Park. 
In 1927 during the Japanese era, Yangmingshan was made as the first national park in Taiwan, then known as Datunshan National Park Association. 
The area around Qingtiangang to Lengshuikeng was made into a ranch for water buffalo, and grass from Japan was planted here for them to graze.
In 1950 after the ROC took Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek renamed the park after the philosopher Wang Yangming, and called the area Yangmingshan. 
The KMT kept the ranch at Qingtiangang and continued to maintain it. They also built bunkers here and kept a garrison of troops.
In 1985, after resolving many land disputes, Yangmingshan National Park was officially designated as a national park in the ROC era. 
In2018, a mother died after being pushed over by a water buffalo at Qingtiangang. In 2020, the family was awarded NT$3.96 million from the park and wooden fences were built around the grasslands shortly after. 
The water buffalo at Qingtiangang are actually closely watched and cared for. Although they roam free around Yangmingshan, they are watched over by the Agricultural Associations of Jinshan, Shilin, Yangmingshan, and Beitou, and well as the national park management.
In the winter of 2020 which was unusually wet, tens of cows began to die of malnutrition, therefore the park took steps to supplement the diet of the remaining cattle. Many cows were brought to lower eve lavations for rehabilitation before being released back to Yangmingshan. 
Due to its easy accessibility and nearby attractions such as Lengshuikeng and Qixingshan, it is a popular stop in Yangmingshan and has a parking lots and a visitor's center. In addition, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Taipei City. 

Hours:
The visitor's center is open from 9 AM to 4:30 PM.
​
Price:
Free
(car parking 30-50 NT， scooter parking 20 NT)

How to get there:
By Car/Scooter: From Taipei, take provincial highway 2A north to the Zhuzihu Lookout. Keep right until you reach the turnoff the the Qingtiangang parking lot. Car parking is limited on weekends and the number of cars allowed up the mountain is also limited. There is also paid scooter parking.
On weekends this place can be the most popular place in the park, and cars can be backed up for up to an hour or more, so consider taking a scooter or bus. 
By Bus: From Beitou MRT Station, Take Little Bus 9 (小9) to Qingtiangang Station (擎天崗).
​
Map:
Please see below: 

Our Journey:

I have been to Qingtiangang three or four times. It is definitely a must stop on your trip to Yangmingshan. I like to come here because of the cows. It's like going to the zoo but you are looking at actual wild animals.

​Check out our drone video above for an overview of the area.
Please note this video was taken with permission of Yangmingshan National Park.

360 degree panorama of people enjoying the views of a water buffalo heard at Qingtiangang in Yangmingshan National Park, Taipei #擎天崗 #陽明山國家公園 #水牛 #臺北

Posted by Foreigners in Taiwan 外國人在臺灣 on Wednesday, June 10, 2020

​Or check out the 360 degree spherical panorama above.

Qingtiangang is not the first stop you will see in the park. It lies between Lengshuikeng and Dayoukeng, and you can see some awesome views of Jinshan like the picture above from the grassy hilltops here. 

To get to Qingtiangang, you will have to pass through Lengshuikeng. Lengshuikeng in is a small area with hiking trails, natural hot springs, waterfalls, and wildlife. Even though the name means "cold water hole," the water here is not cold, and there are plenty of hot springs around including a public hot spring bath house. Click here for our full blog on Lengshuikeng. 

Along the road from Lengshuikeng to Qingtiangang, you will notice an abandoned mining location. Here they were either mining sulfur, which ended when the park was created during the Japanese Era. The sign at the site states the following:
"A visit to the mining site at Lengshuikeng"
"In 1953 the Ruiyong company applied to the Taiwan Provincial Bureau of Mines to develop a mine in the southern foothills of Mt. Qigu, at the site of a mineral survey carried out during the Japanese occupation period (195-1945). The mine (whose office was located on the site of the present Tianbao Shengdao Temple) produced sulfur blocks; after mining came to an end, the pit evolved into the location of today's Niunai (milk) Lake. In 1995 part of the mining area (at the southeast saddle of Mt. Qigu) was turned over to the Hongchang mining company, which used wet screening and percolation to refine iron sulfide ore for use in making fertilizer by the Taiwan Fertilizer Co. Later on the mine was taken over by the Yonglai company, which used the remaining chalky clay to make chemical materials. The mine was a major producer of clay for Taiwan from the 1970s into the 1990s."
​Check out more photos of the area in the photo gallery above.

Because Qingtiangang is pretty high up (nearly 800 meters above sea level), you might get covered in fog on a cloudy day. Here you can see part of the parking lot. Car parking is limited by scooter parking is always plentiful. 

"History and Culture at Qingtiangang"
"Qingtiangang is a lava plateau formed when lava flowed northward from Mt. Zhugao, and its relatively level terrain made it an important pasture area for cattle during the Japanese occupation period (1895-1945). Long-term grazing has turned the area into an expansive grassland.
Qingtiangang lies at an elevation of only 770 meters between the Qingtiangang mountain system (Mt. Zhugao, Mt. Huangzui, and Rear Mt. Dajian) and Qixing mountain system, forming a vital hub that links the two. Qingtiangang is also situated on the most direct route from Jinshan to the Shilin and Tianmu areas, and for Taiwan's pioneer settlers it was a major transportation base.
From here, you have a choice of which way to go:
1. The Qingtiangang Loop Trail, which leads off to the right and runs for about 2.4 kilometers, offers expansive views of grasslands and observation of anti-airborne pillboxes and other military sites on the mountains.
2. The trail that leads to the left was built for military purposes during the occupation buy the Japanese-the zigazagged Japanese trail, which was used for transporting cannons. (the trail, which is mostly a gentle downwards slope, runs about 3.5 kilometers to Shuanghuang Creek).
3. You can go through Qingtiangang to the historic Jinbaoli Trail Gate and visit the Jinbaoli Trail, which the pioneers used for transporting such things as fish, tea, sulfur, and cattle between Jinshan and Shilin (Also called the Yulu Historic Trail, it is a steep downwards slope to the Tianlai trail entrance, a distance of about 5.6 kilometers.)
4. From the east side of the gate, enter the Mt. Ding-Mt. Shiti Trail (about 6.4 km) and look for the Japanese fir forest that reamins from the reforestation days and the Oldham's azalea that blossom so profusely along the trail in the springtime.
Slow down and experience the rich diversity of natural landscapes, the plant and animal ecologies, and the stories of history and culture you can find here."

Back in 2018, Qingtiangang did not have any real fences, just some posts and two ropes. In the center of the grassland the ropes could be easily crossed. In the background you can see the ranch building on the mountain. 
​However, also in 2018, a mother died after being pushed over by a water buffalo at Qingtiangang. In 2020, the family was awarded NT$3.96 million from the park and wooden fences were built around the grasslands shortly after. 

By 2020, full fences had been built around the entire trail. What happened?
​The fences were built for fears of tourists safety, probably due to the court case where the park had to pay a large amount of money to the mother that died. Cattle are known to charge without warning. However after the fences were built, this may have contributed to their inability to feed properly, causing so many cattle to die in the winter of 2020. 

Above are photos of the rope fence before it was replaced, in 2018. Many sections of the rope fence were cut down as per the photo above so you could easily walk across onto the grass.
​Check out more photos of the area in 2018 in the photo gallery above.

By 2020 wooden fences had been put up, which again effectively contained the cattle inside but also may have contributed to their inability to feed properly, possibly causing many to starve in the winter of 2020.
Check out more photos of the area in 2020 in the photo gallery above.

Above are some close up photos of the cattle when you could get closer to them in 2018.

Also above are more amazing views of the surrounding area.
​Check out more photos of the area in the photo gallery above.

View of the cattle at Qingtiangang via drone in 2020.

View of Taipei from Qingtiangang from near the parking lot on a nicer day.

The Jinbaoli Trail Gate starts at the edge of Qingtiangang and heads down to where you can see Dayoukeng. ​

The Dayoukeng Crater in Yangmingshan National Park is the biggest sulfur vent area in Taiwan, and would likely be the first place to spew lava in the event of a volcanic eruption. This along with Turtle Island are the two known active volcanos in Taiwan. The area was also an important historical sulfur mine. Currently access to Dayoukeng is closed, but you can fly a drone hear with a permit. For our full blog on Dayoukeng, click here. 

View of Qingtiangang from the highest hill nearby the parking lot.

Inside the visitor's center, there are a few displays on the history and ecology of the area, including sulfur mining.
​Check out more photos of the area in the photo gallery above.

Also there are some snacks that you can get at the visitors center, like a delicious hot can of Congee. There are also bathrooms.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out more of our blogs on Yangmingshan to come!

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