Maokong

Maokong (Chinese: 貓空; pinyin: Māokōng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Niau-khang; lit.: 'cat hole') is an area located in Wenshan District of Taipei, Taiwan. The area used to be the biggest tea growing area of Taipei. There are many intertwining footpaths which have been used to transport tea. Now, it is a popular place for tea culture and viewing the night scenery of Taipei City.[1]

Potholes in Maokong.

Etymology

A prior theory states that the former name (Chinese: 皺空; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jiâu-khang; lit.: 'roughness-holes'; also 皺孔; jiâu-kháng) refers to pothole formations. A recent publication suggests that the valley area was overrun with masked palm civet and hence its former Hokkien name (貓面; bâ-bīn; 'cat surface'). During Japanese rule the name was recorded as Bakan (Japanese: 猫空),[2] which in Hokkien could be read bâ-khang, likely referring to the presence of the civets (bâ) in the valley (khang).[3]

Features
Teahouse scene in Maokong.

Maokong is a suburb of Taipei. It sits on the edge of Taipei Basin; the entire city of Taipei can be seen from the mountain, especially on a cloudless day.

There are many pathways for hiking such as from National Chengchi University at the foot of the hill to the top of the mountain. On weekends many people come to Maokong to go hiking and climbing.

Maokong still produces some tea, most notably tieguanyin tea. Many restaurants in the area offer both tea and food. A combination of traditional tea culture, food, and scenery are the main reasons the area has become a popular tourist destination.

Transportation
Taipei as seen from Maokong Gondola.

The Maokong Gondola, a gondola lift system, started operations on 4 July 2007. It connects to the Wenshan Line of the Taipei Metro at Taipei Zoo. The gondola was designed to make reaching Maokong more convenient for local residents and tourists. Service was suspended on 1 October 2008 due to erosion from mudslides under a support pillar.[4] The gondola resumed service on 31 March 2010, after relocation of the pillar and passing safety inspections.[5]

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See also

References
  1. Maokong Tea Culture
  2. The origin of the name Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. 翁佳音; 曹銘宗 (2016). 大灣大員福爾摩沙 (in Chinese). Taipei: 貓頭鷹. ISBN 9789862622766.
  4. "FEATURE: Halted gondola confirms worries". Taipei Time. October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  5. The China Post News Staff (2010-03-31). "Maokong Gondola reopens, featuring glass-bottomed car". The China Post. Retrieved 2010-04-03.

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