As the 2009 Taiwan Culture and Study Tour gains momentum in the Island country, participants have been exposed to more and more interesting places, both in Taipei and other parts of the country.
On Thursday July 30th 2009, the 3rd day of the tour took participants to several exciting places, such as the Centre for Traditional Arts, Taroko National Park, among others.
To be able to reach these areas, the tour party went through Hsunh-Shan Tunnel, the longest tunnel in Taiwan and the fifth longest in the world.
The participants were briefed by officials that the Tunnel, which was built at a tune of US 562,273,000 dollars and commissioned in June 2006, took Taiwan eleven years to build and cost the lost of twenty-five lives during its construction.
At the National Centre for Traditional Arts, located in Yilan County in Eastern Taiwan, participants were taken on a conducted tour of the big building, the ultimate goal of which is to become a base of cultural revival that promotes and maintain all of Taiwanese traditional cultures, like traditional drama and folk's customs.
Also, participants were told by the tour guides that the centre hopes to prevent ancient people's wisdom and knowledge from being forgotten by modern Taiwanese.
Later in the day, the delegation also visited the famous Taroko National Park in Northern Taiwan. Established in 1986, it covers more than 92,000 hectares in the northern section of the Central Mountain Range. This park features high mountains and sheer gorges.
After a brief introduction of the part, the delegation walked through the mountains for at least 30 minutes to have a first hand knowledge of this unique natural ecosystem.
This park, according to officials, has some 34 species of mammals and 144 species of birds.
