- Sanyi, Miaoli
Sanyi Township (zh-t|t=三義鄉) is a township in southern
Miaoli County ,Taiwan . It is famous for itsmudiao (woodcarving) industry earning it the name the woodcarving kingdom of Taiwan (台灣木雕王國).Geography
Sanyi is located in the mountains of northwestern Taiwan. Its northeastern boundary is Sanjiao Mountain at 567 meters, and lies to the west of Huoyan Mountain (602 meters).
Economy
Early exploitation of the Sanyi township area was for timber and hides. Later
tung oil was extracted from the abundanttung tree s andcamphor from the camphor trees. Concurrently the wood carving industry developed. At one point over 80% of local families were employed in wood carving. [http://www1.mlc.gov.tw/culture/english/01.php?id=19 "Treasures of Miaoli: The Museum of Wood Sculpture in Miaoli County" International Culture and Tourism Bureau, Miaoli County] In English] At the end of the twentieth century Sanyi began developing a tourist industry.cenic Spots
*The Sheng-hsing Train Station (勝興車站) was completed in 1905 and was the highest station (402 m.) in Taiwan built along the "Old Mountain Railway". It was built entirely of wood, using wooden pegs and no nails and took five years to complete. The last train stopped at Sheng-hsing Station on 23 September 1987, because the steep route of the "Old Mountain Railway" could not accommodate the newer, larger trains. [http://travel.network.com.tw/tourguide/point/showpage/1077.html "Sheng-hsing Station" CTIN Taiwan Travel Network] In Chinese] Nearby is a 726 meter train tunnel built in 1905. It has successfully withstood a large number of earthquakes, including the quake of 21 September 1999 (921). At the tunnel entrance are some old troop barracks where during
World War II local troops were stationed to protect the railway.
*Sanyi Old Street and Mudiao
*The Museum of Wood Sculpture, opened in 1995, shows the development of local wood carving from a craft in the late 1800s to a contemporary art of the 21st century.
*The Huoyan Mountain Eco-Museum displays detailed information about the geological formation of Huoyan Mountain, as well as the flora and fauna of the area.
*The Tung tree festival is held each year when the tung trees bloom in late April.Notes
External links
* [http://www.sanyi.gov.tw/en/01.htm Official Sanyi Township website] In English
* [http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2007/gsh4994/index.htm "The Story of a Small Town: Sanyi" Wesley Girls' High School] in English
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