When traveling by car around the island in Taiwan, the most exciting and spectacular road you have traveled is the Suhua Highway from Hualien to Suao Town, Yilan County. The total length of the Suhua Highway is about 118. Because the highway is built along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, you can enjoy the sea view of the west coast of the Pacific Ocean and the steep hillsides along the way. It can be called a world-class landscape highway.
The most beautiful section of the Suhua Highway is the "Qingshui Cliff", which is about tens of kilometers long between Chongde and Heren. The Chongde Department belongs to Xiulin Township in Hualien County. It used to be a mountain village where Taiwan’s Taroko compatriots lived. Heren is also a small village in Hualien. The famous Heren gravel beach landscape is also in this village. The road along the mountain at the Qingshui Cliff is like a jade belt, inlaid in the middle of the continuous big rock cliffs, not reaching the sky, but below is the rough Pacific Ocean.
The east coast of Baodao is cross-cut into the Pacific Ocean by the central mountain range of Taiwan. Geologically, it is called the "Southeast Great Cliff". This road built on the big cliff is the only north-south traffic line from Hualien, the central city of Taiwan, to Taipei, or from Taipei to Hualien. Qingshui Cliff is also the only way for vehicles to go around.
Starting from Hualien County and arriving at the Liwu Xikou Tunnel in Chongde, you can step onto the most dangerous Qingshui cliff on the Suhua Highway. This road section is about 12 kilometers long, and it is all mountain roads dug near the cliffs. One side is a huge mountain rock, and the other side is the Pacific Ocean. From the road to the steep cliff face on the coast, the height from the sea is about 100 meters to 800 meters, which can be said to be a very dangerous road.
The history of the construction of the Suhua Highway can be traced back to the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. At that time, Taiwan's north-south travel was mainly by sea. In order to strengthen the connection on land, a simple road with a width of only one foot was excavated along the east coast hillside, which can only be climbed and waded by horses. Although it was renovated over the years, it was eventually abandoned because of the harsh natural conditions.
From 1916 to 1932, the road was renovated again, but due to the constraints of the conditions, the narrowest part of the repaired lane was only more than three meters. Therefore, for more than half a century, the Suhua Highway has always been a dangerous road, and vehicles must rely on the open space on the edge of the cliff. Later, in the late 1990s, the entire line was widened to two-way two-lane lanes.
The origin of the name of Qingshui Cliff is that this section of the most rugged road is built on Qingshui Mountain in the central mountain range of Taiwan. Qingshui Mountain is 2,407 meters above sea level. The mountain is composed of gneiss and marble, which is extremely hard. Below the cliff is the clear Pacific Ocean water, so later generations called this section of the road "Qingshui Cliff".
When the weather is sunny, the scenery along the Qingshui Cliff Highway is very beautiful, and it is also an excellent place for tourists to watch the cliffs and waves. Because it is located on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, the water quality in this sea area is very good. When the waves hit the cliffs, white waves can be splashed, and the sea water is blue, with the yellow color of the cliffs and the green vegetation on the cliffs. Qingshui Cliff is definitely the best viewing place on the east coast of Taiwan. Therefore, Qingshui Cliff was one of the "eight scenic spots" in Taiwan in the past.
Speaking of the spectacular Qingshui Cliff, the main reason is that the side of the cliff facing the sea has a whole section with a length of five kilometers. This section of the cliff is almost at a right angle of 90 degrees, and extends from the side of the road to the Pacific Ocean. Usually timid tourists never dare to stand on the side of the road and lean over to look at the cliffs and sea water below. Although railings are built to protect the road on the side of the road facing the sea, accidents of people falling into the sea still occur every year.
Driving on this precipitous road, the excitement is definitely enough. The speed limit of the entire Qingshui Cliff road is 30 yards, so you need to drive through this section carefully. It's just that when you open the car window, listen to the sound of the waves hitting the cliff, and look at the endless blue, you will feel much more comfortable. There are sightseeing rest spots not far along the road. You can stop at the rest spots to enjoy the scenery. Poems and distant places unfold before your eyes.
Because the road is built along the cliff, during the rainy season, the Suhua Highway often has accidents where rocks washed down by the rain and rolled onto the road have caused personal injuries. Therefore, before entering the Chongde Grand Tunnel on Qingshui Cliff, a steel wire gate was built. Once there is a dangerous situation along the road, the gate will be temporarily closed to prohibit vehicles from passing through.
During the typhoon season every summer, Qingshui Cliff will be a very dangerous road section. If you are driving this road for the first time, please avoid driving on rainy days or at night. There are almost no street lights on the road, and the danger index is quite high. It is also a life experience to be able to walk on the second largest cliff road in the world. About the author: Lu Jianhua Photography (photographer, traveler, self-media person)
