Xianshan mountain is located on the east side of Shitan Township, Miaoli County. It stands at a height of 967 meters. Its fame exceeds that of its neighboring peak, Bagua Mountain, which is also part of the Bagua Mountain Range. Originally named Red Hair Salon Mountain, it was renamed Xianshan Mountain due to its proximity to the Penglai Village (formerly known as Red Hair Salon) in Nanzhuang Township. In Miaoli, Xianshan Mountain is as popular as Shitou Mountain, with many locals having visited the site.
Xianshan Mountain is located in the New Store Village, Shitan Township, Miaoli County. Visitors can start their journey from the red archway of the Lingtong Palace at the foot of the mountain. The mountain path from the archway to the Lingtong Palace on the mountain waist is six kilometers long. Xianshan Mountain has a steep slope and stands out from the flat ground. From a distance, it appears to be a single pillar supporting the sky. The highway winds up the mountain, with green grass on both sides. Clouds and sea fog roll by, giving the impression that "the mountain is in the misty and ethereal air."
Xianshan Mountain's fame comes from its sweet and cool spring water. There is a legendary story behind this spring water. Over sixty years ago, someone drank the spring water from Xianshan Mountain and discovered that it had therapeutic effects. The wet mud produced in this area can also heal wounds. As a result, people believed that there were divine signs and spirits on the mountain, and it was named Xianshan Mountain.
Nowadays, Xianshan Mountain attracts many visitors on weekends. The mountain is filled with incense and smoke. Visitors come to fetch spring water, pray, or hike. The flow of people is continuous.
Special Scenery and Ecological Environment:
Xian Cave Gate:
There are currently two well-maintained stone staircase paths to reach the Xie Ling Palace on Xianshan Mountain. However, the real ancient path is on the left side of the stone staircase path, along a stone slab path.
As you climb to the middle of the path, you reach a small platform. Standing on this platform, which can only accommodate a few people, you see a towering rock wall behind you. It appears that the path has come to an end. However, by climbing several steps along the rocks next to the stone wall, you can find a cave entrance on the left that can only accommodate one person. This is the Xian Cave Gate. Everyone has to duck and shrink their abdomen to pass through the cave, making it an interesting experience.
Xianshan Mountain Summit:
The summit of Xianshan Mountain offers a broad view. To the east lies the Qili Mountain range, with peaks connected and layers of lush vegetation. To the west lies the parallel Bajia Ridge, overlooking the Shitan longitudinal valley. On clear days, you can see the rolling hills and ridges of Miaoli and Zhunan, stretching and disappearing into the vast ocean.
Plant Resources:
From 710 meters above sea level at Lingtong Palace to 967 meters at the Xianshan Mountain triangulation point, most of the original plants have been preserved. The plant community is complex and rich.
Around Lingtong Palace on Xianshan Mountain, there are many Cinnamomum philippinense, Liquidambar formosana, and Cinnamomum camphora, as well as other trees like Trochodendron aralioides and Bischofia javanica. As the altitude increases, more tree species appear. Along the way, you can see plants like Mussaenda philippica, Litsea cubeba, and Acer palmatum. Near the mountain peak, you can find Ardisia crenata, Iresine herbstii, and Castanopsis carlesii. At the triangulation point, there are more Rhododendron macrosepalum.
The variety of plants on the path, including many rare species like Ardisia crenata and Iresine herbstii, makes the plant ecology of Xianshan Mountain rich and meaningful. (Plant resource data provided by Mr. Chen Yunzao, associate researcher at the Miaoli Agricultural Improvement Station.)