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Forest roads lead us to see what Wanrong looked
like before it became Wanrong, and the many
forms of life that continue to live here after industries
shifted and transformed.
The car moves slowly along the Xilin Forest Road. In
the unsteady view caused by the uneven surface,
an emerald dove is startled into flight, disappearing
into a stand of trees laid out in neat, straight lines.
In geology, the term outcrop describes the part of
a mineral body that emerges above ground. The
forest before us, in Wanrong
’
s forestry history, may
function in a similar way: a surface manifestation of
deeper historical currents, rising gradually through
the roots beneath the road.
From north to south, four forest roads are connected
to Wanrong Township: the Xilin Forest Road running
alongside the Shoufeng River (Zhiyagan River); the
Wanrong Forest Road on the southern bank of the
Wanli River; Guangfu Forest Roads No. 1, which
climb along the Fata
’
an River valley; and the Ruisui
Forest Road, which can only be reached by passing
through Hongye Village in Wanrong. Most of these
are industrial roads whose final sections disappear
into forest and grassland. Some follow routes once
Wanrong Township
used for railways and cable systems during the
Japanese colonial period; others were opened
after the war. All of them mark starting points for
understanding how Wanrong came to take its
present form.
The Landscape Shaped by Layers of Industry
Wanrong is mountainous. Mountains and river
valleys define the rules of movement, while forestry
development added new industrial layers onto the
terrain. During the Japanese colonial period, the
Government of Taiwan (Formosa) conducted forest
surveys to establish land ownership, reorganized
state-owned forest land, and in 1925 launched
forest management plans that divided forests into
designated operational zones. The area that is
now Wanrong Township fell under the jurisdiction of
Hualien Harbor Office, Fenglin District (1937–1945).
On forestry survey maps, most of the area belonged
to the Lintianshan Forestry District.
The Xilin Forest Road area was among the earliest
logging sites developed by the Hualien Port Timber
Company, Ltd., where railways and cableways
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