Yushan Main Peak, Mountain summit in Taiwan.
The Yushan Main Peak rises to 3,952 meters and marks the highest point on the island of Taiwan and the surrounding western Pacific region. The ascent passes through alpine vegetation that gradually gives way to bare rock formations as the trail approaches the stone summit plateau.
The first documented ascent occurred in 1900 by Japanese researchers during the colonial occupation of the island. Later expeditions in the mid-20th century established mountain huts and marked trails that opened access for later generations.
The Tsou name Patungkuonʉ means "shining mountain" or "quartz mountain," and the Chinese name Yushan appears in the 1685 Taiwan Prefecture Gazetteer, describing white stones seen from afar. The Bunun and Tsou regard the peak as a sacred mountain, and the Tsou name was transliterated as Batongguan.
Climbers need a Class A permit and must form groups of at least three people before starting the ascent. Most visitors stay overnight at the Paiyun Lodge halfway up and depart before dawn to reach the summit at daybreak.
The summit holds a first-order triangulation point at 3,952 m, and the weather station on Yushan North Peak (3,858 m) is the highest building in Taiwan. The peak appears on the NT$1,000 banknote, shown from the North Peak with a Mikado pheasant.
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