National Parks of Taiwan

Due to the vast popularity of this event last year, Shei-Pa National Park Headquarters has once again launched four sessions of the event from July-September. Priority was given to groups with three different generations (grandparents, parents, children), with a maximum of 30 people per session.

In this two-day, one-night event, participants were encouraged to make shrimp cages, set shrimp cages and traps, and try to compare the different species that dwell in ditches and natural streams.

“Nighttime Observation” was an evening activity, in which participants were asked to turn on their flashlights and use all of their five senses to examine their surroundings. If slugs, snakes or even cicadas shedding their shell in the bushes were seen during this activity, they would serve as opportunities to talk about the various species, colors, and habitats of such creatures.

Bird watching was planned for early morning the following day. Visitors were encouraged to look up to the tree tops and listen carefully to identify the sources of those familiar chirping sounds. Afterwards, participants went down to the stream to see what had been collected in the traps. Through this activity, they gained a better understanding of the ecosystem by observing and measuring the creatures in the shrimp cages. All the creatures caught during this activity were returned to their natural habitats after measuring and recording.

Many new interactive family activities were added this year, such as children helping their parents with tasks, washing grandpa’s feet, and taking pictures of the trip. These activities increased the interactions between family members, making the trip very special and memorable.

With this event, Shei-Pa National Park Headquarters aims to help people in Taiwan build a sense of environmental identity in the comfortable embrace of nature through easygoing and stress-free ways. In addition, by using the investigation methods of citizen scientists, we can plant seeds of love and care for the natural ecosystem, which will in turn create greater awareness towards ecological conservation, thereby helping to protect the global environment and maintain sustainable development.

The Construction and Planning Agency indicated that it hopes to convey the natural ecosystem and culture of national parks to the people of Taiwan through the integration and presentation of various theater events, such as on-site performances and audience interactions. Through these performances, children will have a deeper understanding of the national parks and learn the importance of preserving the natural environment.

Following the launch of the children’s theater “Tian-Tian’s Big Adventure” by the Construction and Planning Agency of the Ministry of the Interior in 2019, a new production of “Tian-Tian’s Big Adventure 2” has been released this year, and will be touring Taiwan with six free performances starting on August 1. Families are invited to come and watch the play together during the summer break.

The play, performed by members of the Zhaoling Drama Club of the National Taichung University of Science and Technology, tells the story of Tian-Tian, who, along with his best friends Ming-Che and Ke-Ni, goes to Yushan to investigate the mountain for his fifth grade science group assignment. They are led by their guide Uncle Ding, and learn about hiking safety and the concept of “Leave No Trace”. By chance, Tian-Tian comes across the Reeves's muntjac and the sambar deer that he had become acquainted with before, while Ming-Che and Ke-Ni also have conversations with different wild animals. Together, the three of them embark on a fun and interesting adventure.