Xueshan

雪山
Snow Mountain
The summit as seen from the east peak
Highest point
Elevation	3,886 m (12,749 ft)
Prominence	1,932 m (6,339 ft)
Listing	Ultra 100 Peaks of Taiwan
Coordinates	24°23′00″N 121°13′48″E
Geography
雪山 The location of Xueshan (Shei-Pa National Park)
Location	Heping District, Taichung/ Tai'an, Miaoli County, Taiwan
Parent range	Xueshan Range
Climbing
Easiest route	Maintained trail, snow/ice climb during some winter months

Xueshan
Chinese	雪山
Literal meaning	Snowy Mountain
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xuěshān Wade–Giles Hsüeh-shan Tongyong Pinyin Syuěshan Southern Min Hokkien POJ Seh-soaⁿ

Former names
Chinese	三叉山
Literal meaning	3-Prong Mountain
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Sānchàshān Wade–Giles San-ch‘a-shan

Tsugitakayama
Chinese name
Chinese	次高山
Literal meaning	Next-Highest Mountain
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Cìgāoshān
Japanese name
Kanji	次高山
Transcriptions Romanization Tsugitakayama

This is about the shorter mountain currently known as Xueshan. For the taller mountain on Taiwan formerly known as Xueshan, see Yushan (mountain).

"Mount Sylvia" redirects here. For the place in Australia, see Mount Sylvia, Queensland.

Xueshan, formerly known as Mount Sylvia and by other names, is a mountain in the Heping District of Taichung, Taiwan. It is the 2nd-highest mountain in Taiwan and in East Asia, at 3,886 m (12,749 ft) above sea level. It is located in the Shei-Pa National Park and is visible in good weather from hills near Taiwan's capital Taipei.

Names

Xuěshān is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese name 雪山, meaning "Snow" or "Snowy Mountain". The same name is romanized as Hsüehshan using the Wade-Giles system.

During the Qing Dynasty, the mountain was known to Westerners as Mount Sylvia. It was also known as Shan-chas-shan (properly, Sānchāshān) from a Chinese name meaning "3-Forked" or "3-Prong Mountain". During Japan's occupation of Taiwan, improved surveys showed that Xueshan was shorter than Yushan on Taiwan but taller than Mount Fuji in the Japanese Islands. Its name was accordingly changed to Tsugitakayama (次高山), meaning "Next-" or "Second-Highest Mountain", in 1923.

History

The mountain was first climbed in 1935 by Japanese climbers.

The Japanese governor-general designated Xueshan part of the Tsugitaka-Taroko National Park by the Governor-General of Taiwan on 12 December 1937.

Climbing Xueshan

Xueshan is a part of the Shei-Pa National Park and so climbers are required to apply for a park entry permit. This can be done 5–60 days in advance. International hikers can apply for a park entry permit between 35 days and 4 months in advance. After that a police mountain entry permit must be applied for. This can be done at the police station in Wuling Farm on the spot.

There are two cabins on the trail. The first, Chika Cabin, is at the 2.0 kilometers (1.2 mi) mark. The second, 369 Cabin, is at the 6.9 kilometers (4.3 mi) mark. Both cabins are spartan, and contain bunker style beds. Hikers must bring their own sleeping and cooking gear.

The peak is at the 10.9 kilometers (6.8 mi) mark.

Gallery

• 
  Xueshan Main Peak
• 
  Shengleng Trail (Holy Ridge Trail)
• 
  Cirque or Landslide Valley #1
• 
  Cuei Pond

See also

• 100 Peaks of Taiwan
• List of mountains in Taiwan
• List of Ultras of Tibet, East Asia and neighbouring areas
• Shei-Pa National Park
• Taroko National Park
• Xueshan Range
• Hsuehshan Tunnel

References

Bibliography

• "Formosa" , Encyclopaedia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. IX, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1879, pp. 415–17.
• Campbell, William (1896). "The Island of Formosa: Its Past and Future". Scottish Geographical Magazine. 12 (8): 385–399. doi:10.1080/00369229608732903.
• Davidson, James W. (1903). The Island of Formosa, Past and Present: History, People, Resources, and Commercial Prospects: Tea, Camphor, Sugar, Gold, Coal, Sulphur, Economical Plants, and Other Productions. London and New York: Macmillan. OL 6931635M.