Wulai

Wūlái (烏來), located deep in the mountains due south of Taipei, is the only mountain Indigenous district in New Taipei. The name derives from the Tayal word ulay, meaning hot spring—a reference to the thermal waters that emerge along the Nanshi River. Wulai Scenic Train, originally built to haul timber, was converted for tourism in 1963; only a 1.6 km stretch remains operational. Wulai Shrine, established in 1933, was largely destroyed after the war, leaving only scattered stone fragments near the police station. A Tayal Ethnic Museum, opened in 2005, documents the community’s history and traditional culture.