Bowang Village

Sitting amid a landscape of grassy fields and rolling hills, Cingjing is known as the "Shangri-la above the mist" in central Taiwan. Hundreds of European-style guesthouses dot the hills along the scenic Provincial Highway 14, welcoming millions of visitors who want to escape the summer heat – all these happened after the 921 Earthquake.

In 1999, a catastrophic earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck the island and resulted in the damage to the main connection between eastern and western Taiwan. Therefore, the Provincial Highway 14 became the only alternative route. All of a sudden, hordes of visitors started to flood in Cingjing Farm as if they had just discovered a new world with wonderful mountain views, mild weather and fresh air. In order to accommodate these tourists, guesthouses began to spring up. You will even find most restaurants serving up authentic Yunnan cuisine, and why is that?

In 1949, the KMT (Kuomintang, 中國國民黨) lost the Chinese Civil War (國共內戰) and was defeated by the Chinese communist forces. Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) retreated to Taiwan with two million soldiers, government officers and citizens. Before their arrival, there were less than six million citizens in Taiwan. These two million newcomers were located to different parts of the island, and immigrants from Yunnan eventually settled in Cingjing, building up seven villages.

Today, Bowang Village – a place hailed as “utopia in the fog” – is the best-preserved of its kind remaining in the country. Located three kilometers away from Cingjing Farm, Bowang Village is also the last village before you enter Hehuanshan. This home of the veterans' descendants is now inhabited by only a bit more than a hundred people. They may be small in number, but they have developed a great, unique Yunnan culture here in Taiwan. Many travel all the way to this remote village only to satisfy their palates with cravings of the sour and spicy Yunnan cuisine. Apparently, Bowang Village is worth the long journey.