Taroko National Park World Wide Web-English VersionTaroko National Park World Wide Web-English Version

[Xibao Elementary School]
Situated on the terrace, Xibao Elementary is the only elementary school in the national park. In the beginning, the school only admitted the children of the Xibao Farm staff. Later, the school was changed to a forest elementary school, the only one within the official system. Its buildings are infused with artistic creativity.

Geology
Based on the exposed gravel layer beneath the terrace at the side slope of the highway, Xibao Terrace used to be the ancient riverbed of Liwu River. Due to the downcutting of the river and continuously rising crust, the height difference between the riverbed and Xibao Terrace is currently more than 500m. The phenomenon also shows the intensity of the downcutting and lifting.

Anthropologists discovered ceramic pieces and stone spinning wheels, which could be the remnants from the late Neolithic age. Around 250 to 300 years ago when the Truku people came to the Liwu River region to reside, they established the Xibao clan(village). In 1915, after the Japanese implemented the “policies for governing the aboriginals,” the Truku people were forced to leave. After the Nationalist Government took over Taiwan, only a handful of the Truku people returned to reside in the village.

During the construction of Central Cross-Island Highway, people started growing vegetables and fruits and established Xibao Farm on Xibao river terrace because of the difficulty in transporting vegetables and fruits through the mountain areas. The current Xibao Terrace originated from the settlement formed by the veterans building the Central Cross-Island Highway at the time, who lived on growing vegetables and fruits. After the highway was open, Veterans Affairs Council helped the veterans to settle in Xibao and cultivate the land.

[Xibao Farm]
After the highway was open, Veterans Affairs Council helped the veterans to settle and cultivate the land. Xibao Farm grew fruit such as Asian pear, apple, prune, peach and tangerine, as well as vegetables such as green pepper, cabbage and peas.