DATE:1875

LOCATION: HUALIEN COUNTY

DESCRIPTION:

Patung Pass Trail was built during the late Ching dynasty to provide an east- west transportation link across the Central Ranges of Taiwan. A total of three such trails were built in the north, middle, and south after the Mutanshe Incident in 1874 on the orders of Shen Pao- chen, who saw settlement of the east as a key to strengthening Taiwan's defenses. The Patung Pass Trail was built in central Taiwan by three battalions under the command of brigadier general Wu Kuang- liang. It extended over 130 kilometers from present- day Chushan past Fenghuang Mountain, Tungpu, and Patung Pass over Hsiukuluan Mountain, and then followed the Lakulaku River east to present- day Yuli. Unfortunately, use of the trail limited. Despite the convenience it afforded, settlers were dissuaded by the dangers of pestilence and aboriginal attack en route. Over the years the trail was thus reclaimed by brush and vegetation. A memorial tablet by the trail today records the courage and commitment of Wu Kuang-liang and his men and their contribution to the development of eastern Taiwan.