Located at the eastern entrance to Taroko National Park, the iconic Taroko Arch—marking the eastern gateway of the Central Cross-Island Highway—has been fully restored just in time for the Lunar New Year holiday after several months of renovation. The pedestrian walkway of Jinwen Bridge beside it has also been repaired, giving the Taroko entrance a refreshed and radiant appearance.

Visitors can now admire the beautifully restored arch and take a leisurely walk across Jinwen Bridge, enjoying scenic views of the Liwu River along the way. Crossing the bridge leads to Taroko Terrace, offering a pleasant light journey between the southern and northern banks of the Liwu River.

The Taroko Arch was built in 1960 to commemorate the completion of the Central Cross-Island Highway, standing at its eastern gateway. For over six decades, it has witnessed the history of the highway and has been designated as a historic building by Hualien County. Over time, it has naturally become a symbolic landmark of Taroko, with countless visitors stopping to take commemorative photos.

The arch was damaged at the end of 2023, when one of its finely painted wooden beams fractured. As a protected historic structure, restoration work had to follow the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, requiring an approved restoration plan before construction could begin. The most challenging aspect was not the structural repair itself, but faithfully restoring the intricate traditional painted artwork.

Since Hualien lacks traditional architectural painting masters, Master Lin Chuan-Chih—certified by the Ministry of Culture—was specially invited from Tainan to undertake the work. Specializing in temple paintings, he has restored more than 20 nationally designated historic temples, including Lukang Longshan Temple, Tainan Grand Mazu Temple, and Beigang Chaotian Temple.

In addition to recreating the original painted designs on the new wooden beam, another beam above the damaged one was also repainted. Master Lin first traced the faded patterns from the original beam before meticulously recreating them through multiple detailed processes. Comparing the old and new designs reveals a stunning transformation—vivid and brilliant, yet retaining its classical charm.

Jinwen Bridge, located beside the arch, spans the Liwu River and connects directly to the Su-hua Highway and Taroko Terrace. A pedestrian walkway had been added years ago to allow visitors to enjoy the scenery, but it suffered severe damage during Typhoon Kong-rey. To reconnect the walking route between the Taroko entrance and Taroko Terrace, the walkway and bridge railings have now been fully restored. Visitors can once again stroll comfortably while admiring downstream views of the Liwu River—particularly the soft morning glow at dawn and the moonlight reflecting on the river mouth in the evening.

On your next visit to the Taroko entrance, take a closer look at the beautifully restored Taroko Arch, snap a commemorative photo, and enjoy a relaxing walk across Jinwen Bridge to Taroko Terrace for a delightful riverside journey.