A pair of stone monuments erected in 1918 by the Aboriginal Affairs Bureau (蕃務本署) to commemorate the completion of the eastern section of the Nōkō Cross-Island Road (能高越橫斷道路), a 44 km route from Hatsuon (初音) to Qilai (奇萊) along the Mugua River valley. Construction mobilized over 58,000 workers between September 1917 and June 1918, with numerous casualties due to the treacherous mountain terrain. The taller basalt stele (橫斷道路開鑿記念碑) is paired with a smaller gneiss memorial to the fallen (殉職者之碑). Both are now sheltered under a corrugated metal roof beside Xining Temple (西寧寺), which was built to console the spirits of those who perished during the Taroko War and the road’s construction.
Map
Heritage Status
- City Monument (縣(市)定古蹟)
Links
- Wikipedia in Chinese (中文維基百科)
- Cultural Assets Bureau (文化部文化資產局)
Themes
- Japanese Colonial Era Taiwan (台灣日治時代)
Nearby Locations
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Author
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I am a web application developer, photojournalist, urban explorer, and history enthusiast passionate about the open web and documenting my experiences on this planet. This project was founded in the early 2010s and has evolved into a sort of personal Wikipedia of places that interest me (and often the photographs I’ve taken there). I’m originally from Toronto, Canada, but spend most of my time residing in Taiwan.