The establishment of national parks is the starting point for showing concern for the environment in the midst of economic development.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Taiwan created an unprecedented economic miracle.
And, at the same time, it carried out planning and establishment of one national park after another, starting with Kenting National Park and followed in succession by Yushan, Yangmingshan, Taroko, Shei-pa, Kinmen, Dongsha Atoll and Taijiang national parks. Yushan was the second national park to be established in Taiwan, after Kenting National Park. During the Japanese occupation (1895-1945), this area was named the Hsin Kao Shan (literally New High Mountain) State-run Park. However, plans for the development of this park were halted due to the Second World War. After Taiwan's Retrocession in 1945, and the Kuomintang's arrival in 1949, this area was designated a future national park under a comprehensive development plan.
However, it wasn't until May 6, 1982 that a formal plan was put into place to create this national park, and the Ministry of the Interior began resources and land use planning. The park's boundaries were officially set on January 1, 1983, and the Ministry of the Interior's plan for the operation of the park received approval from the Executive Yuan on February 7, 1985. Yushan National Park Headquarters was established on April 10, 1985 in Shueli Township of Nantou County.
The park covers an area of more than 105,000 hectares and covers four counties: Nantou, Jiayi, Kaoshiung and Hualian counties. There is a wide variation in elevation from the lowest point at 300 meters in the Laku Laku River Valley to the top of Yushan Main Peak at 3,952 meters. The park occupies only about 3% of Taiwan's total land area, but is rich in natural resources, possessing more than half of its animal and plant species.
Over the years, Yushan has not only been considered a record-breaking mountain peak, but also a place to come close to the mountains and the land, to feel Nature's pulse.