Xiulin

Xiùlín (秀林) is the largest township in all Taiwan, although much of it is rugged and inaccessible. The population is predominantly Truku (太魯閣族), one of Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples, and the township encompasses some of the island’s most dramatic scenery: Taroko Gorge, Hehuanshan, and Qingshui Cliff.

During the Japanese colonial era a remarkable number of Shinto shrines were established across this remote territory as part of efforts to assimilate Indigenous mountain communities. The Kauwan Shinto Shrine (九宛祠), dating to 1938, is among the best-preserved. Fragments of the old Suhua Highway also cling to the cliffs along the coast, including the Elephant Trunk Tunnel (象鼻隧道), once featured on Taiwan’s one dollar banknote.