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| Yushan | |
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 Yushan from the North Peak. |
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  Yushan
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| Elevation | 3,952 metres (12,966 ft) |
| Location | Nantou County,  Taiwan |
| Prominence | 3,952 m (12,966 ft) Ranked 27th |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| First ascent | 1900 by Japanese anthropologists Torii Ryūzō and Mori Ushinosuke |
| Easiest route | maintained trail, snow/ice climb during some winter months |
| Listing | Ultra |
Yushan (traditional Chinese: 玉山; pinyin: Yùshān; Wade-Giles: Yü2-shan1; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Gio̍k-san; literally "Jade Mountain"), also known as Jade Mountain or Yu Mountain, is a national park and central mountain range in Taiwan. The highest point of the range, Jade Mountain, is 3,952 metres (12,966 ft) above sea level.
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Yushan National Park
Yushan is part of Yushan National Park (玉山國家公園), one of the national parks administered by Taiwan. Under Japanese rule, it was designated part of the Shintaka (New Highest) Arisan National Park (新高阿里山国立公園) in 1937. The mountain is a favorite of Taiwanese mountain climbers. Several other mountains are also located in the park, including Siouguluan Mountain, Mabolasih Mountain, Dafenjian Mountain, Sinkang Mountain, and Guan Mountain. [1]
The park is also known for its diverse wildlife and ecology. The environment around Yushan itself spans from sub-tropical forests at its base to alpine conditions at its peak. [2]
Alternate names
Jade Mountain was first observed by westerners in 1857. W. Morrison, captain of the American freighter SS Alexander, sighted this mountain while departing from Anping Harbor, in what is now Anping, Tainan. He recorded this sighting in his naval log, and the mountain gained the name Mount Morrison in western literature.
In 1900, after the annexation of Taiwan by the Japanese, two Japanese anthropologists, Torii Ryūzō and Mori Ushinosuke, became the first people to have been recorded ascending the mountain. They gave the mountain the name Niitakayama (新高山) or Mount Niitaka, literally the "New High Mountain", because it was even higher than Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan.
Under its Japanese name, the mountain was used as the secret code to signal the carrier fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy to begin its attack against Pearl Harbor. The code was Niitakayama Nobore (English: "Climb Mount Niitaka") [3]
Sources
- ^ Taiwan's National Park Website.
- ^ Yushan National Park Website.
- ^ cite book | last = MacDonald | first = Scot | title = Evolution of Aircraft Carriers — the Japanese Developments | publisher = Naval Historical Center, Washington Navy Yard, DC | date = 1962 | month = October | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/download/car-7.pdf | accessdate= 2006-08-10
See also
External links
