Wugu

Wǔgǔ (五股) occupies the western edge of the Taipei Basin in New Taipei, bounded by the Tamsui River to the east and Guanyinshan (觀音山) to the north. The volcanic peak—so named because its profile resembles a reclining Guanyin when viewed from across the river—rises to 616 meters and is shared with neighboring Bali. Temples dot the mountain’s slopes, including the Xiyun Temple, established in 1752 and still one of Taiwan’s more widely-known centers of Zen Buddhism.

The lowlands contrast sharply with the forested mountain. The Wugu Industrial Zone, established in 1984 partly to relocate factories displaced by the Erchong Floodway, transformed the district into a manufacturing hub. On the mountain’s western slopes, volcanic soil and humid climate support extensive green bamboo cultivation—a local specialty since the Qing dynasty era.