Jilong Mountain Trail

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Today I biked up Guanzhiling mountain on my G7 and went to Jilongshan Trail.

The Jilong (chicken cage) Mountain is one of the Guanzhiling Mountains. It is so named because the top of the mountain looks like a chicken cage. The trail is about 2km in length. From a number of spots on the trail, the Chiayi-Tainan Plain can be seen clearly. A wooden pavilion stands at the summit and there are a lot of plum trees along the final section before the summit. When walking by the plum trees in early spring, one can smell a wonderful aroma from the snow-white flowers.

In the past we would go here once in a while to hike up and I had always wanted to pursue it more agressively. Just like Fenqihu, there's something about the air, or maybe it is the incline, that hits you in your core. I love to walk up these mountain trails, or walk around in Fenqihu old street and buy some preserved di gua (yam).

The mountainous town, the old street, and the railway are the three unforgettable things about Fenqihu for Taiwanese people. The Fenqihu is situated in Zhuqi Township, Chiayi County and about 1,400 meters above sea level.

In 1912, after Alishan Forest Railway was completed, the Fenqihu Lake station was the biggest intermediate maintenance station. In the past, trains carrying wood and lumberjacks would stop here for a longer period of time. Since their arrival at the station was mostly at noon, the train personnel and passengers would take a break here, contributing to the railway Bento culture at Fenqihu. In the meantime, the Station became the largest trading center and way station along the railway. Although Jiufen (not Fenqihu) is the famous mountainside village in Taiwan widely compared to the mystical town and bathhouse in Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away, Fenqihu (located in Chiayi near Alishan) would be a close second.

Recently about 1000 steps up the mountain I came to a rest area that I used to stop before heading back. But today I had a little extra time so I walked up about another 200 steps and I came to an interesting decision. Should I turn left and continue up towards Jilongshan or should I go along the main Dadongshan trail? Certainly, conquering the Jilongshan trail would serve as a "first step" in conquering all of Guanzhiling, if such a thing were possible!

Guanziling-Mt. Dadong Trail - Taiwan Forest Recreation

Jilongshan Trail - Taiwan Forest Recreation

The whole trail is shaded; and, the mountain air becomes noticeably cooler as you go up. A welcome respite.

And thus begins the first quest; conquering chicken cage mountain trail.

Rising like a woven basket among the folded green folds of Guanziling, the Jilong Mountain Trail (雞籠山步道) is a quiet adventure through mist, bamboo, and memories. Step off the winding asphalt and slip beneath a canopy of broad-leaved trees and towering moso bamboo groves. Sunlight filters down in thin, golden threads, while the rustling leaves play a soft, rhythmic percussion with the mountain breeze.

The Scent of the Deep Forest. As you near the 1500-meter summit, the trail is lined with orchards of plum trees. In the chill of the early year, their snow-white blossoms drift like quiet confetti, filling the cool air with a delicate, haunting sweetness. Break through the tree line to find the open horizon. The red-capped wooden pavilion awaits you at the top. Below you, the vast Chianan Plain stretches out to the horizon; a patchwork of fields and distant waters caught between earth and sky.

 

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Very nice - what's G7?

 

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Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, USA

 

[Appledog65 38]

Very nice - what's G7?

Before I answer that question, I'd like to tell you a bit about myself and my scooter. Although this video is not about me, this story kind of explains how I felt about my Jockey 125. I drove it for 20 years; it was always with me, very reliable, taking me to school and work. I had many times with that scooter and even many accidents but it kept going through the years. It was a difficult decision to let it go. I'll even say, my scooter looked almost exactly like the one in the video. After this, I feel I can talk to you more about the Kymco G7. (Note: you can turn on auto-dub or English subtitles on these videos, but you may need to view them on youtube to do so).

(騎了20年的機車，該換了車嗎?)

It may also help to understand the scooter war between Taiwan's two major scooter manufacturers, SYM and Kymco: 國民車戰爭浮上檯面！|三陽、光陽究竟誰贏？

Although my Jockey 125 was in that category, I realized I needed something stronger for a mountain ride. Then I found out this "civil war" extends into the 150-250cc market:

However, in my personal opinion, although these scooters are different the truth behind them comes down to who is heavier, how you sit, and small choices you make like when you start accelerating, playing it safe, neutral or dangerous (don't do that), and most importantly how you handle the scooter and your muscle memory. These days SYM is more popular; is that the reason why it edges out the RTS in tests? And yet, the RTS can hold its own. Maybe the difference is only psychological, some sort of ethereal karma connecting the rider and the scooter?

I went through all of these emotions choosing a new scooter. Another video discussing the situation from a sales perspective is 9月機車掛牌衝破7萬輛！TOP10銷售排名洗牌？新迪爵、迪爵125激戰銷售龍頭！誰是最強國民車？地球黃金線 20261016 (完整版) Honda Monkey、Yamaha NMAX -- I found this one interesting, if not as exciting as the others. As you can see, SYM dominates the scooter market here now, but the new K1 and K1E (very recently released) have a strong showing. This is interesting because Kymco has had poor sales recently, and to see the K1 150 and K1E show up like this (they are basically the same scooter) is very encouraging. Add in the K1 125 (these are all basically the same) and you would expect Kymco to be doing well. But even if we speculate the K1 won a battle, the K1 alone (a basic commuter-scooter) is not enough to win the war.

As for myself, I had been driving a Kymco Jockey 125 for over 20 years. It was a bit small but I was used to it. However, did you know, the K1 has lowered the handlebars by 1/2 inch? This makes it unsuitable for me. After a long time, I realized, I needed to buy a new scooter. This was a difficult decision for me. I loved my Jockey 125. I called it my "iron horse". But after an accident on Guanzhiling I realized it was finally time to upgrade. Looking around, I found the Kymco G7:

(English auto-dub available)

Also see the mountain trip review here, which is quite nice: 一個人獨旅1174公里 說走就走的新中橫環島 KYMCO G7 全面測試 油耗破壞者 意想不到的油耗跟安全配備 沒有安排的行程 就是最好的行程

Now I can tell you what the Kymco G7 is.

The Kymco G7 is the king of Taiwan's white-plate scooters. It's design is modeled after a Samurai helmet, giving it the nickname 'Samurai' in Taiwan. It has more in common with a heavy bike than a scooter. If you compare it against other scooters, it doesn't sell well -- SYM is the sales-king these days, but Kymco is the underdog that everyone keeps in their hearts. It's interesting -- SYM CEO's chairman's name sounds like "Wu Qing Yuan".

So, if you compare the G7 against other scooters, such as the RTS or the Jet SL+ it seems as if the other scooters can accelerate faster in the 0-50 meter stretch. This is true, but where is this useful? It's not so useful on street riding. Even a 125 with an old carburated engine can wheelie if you gun it. So is a Jet SL+ or RTS really better for city driving? No, not really. But if you're going to increase CC, only the X-Town 250 (also from Kymco) beats it. Okay, but the X-Town doesn't shine until you hit the aerodynamic limit and that comes at 100kmh on highways. But here's the catch; white plate scooters like the X-Town 250 can't be ridden on highways. So the X-Town has dubious position as a more powerful scooter.

Compared on 100-400m, the RTS and Jet are already neck and neck; but the G7 beats them both. The hybrid power assist combined with the PTM does not give the instant kick that the others have, but because of the smooth power delivery, extra torque and larger displacement, even if the other scooters get a head start the G7 will pull ahead. For most city and country driving therefore, the G7 is the undisputed king. It's fuel efficiency is the same or better than the RTS and Jet. But the real benefit is that even if the other scooters (even a DRGBT) have some edge on it, the cornering ABS, the PTM, the low center of gravity, TCS and other features all combine and sit on top of the touring scooter riding triangle; it's unique seat allows you to move backwards and lean forward like a heavy bike, too. All in all, the G7 edges out every other white plate scooter in Taiwan. It has the power to kick up on the mountains, more power when you need it, the brightest lights...

(English auto-dub available)

真的不一樣!!!KYMCO G7 挑戰銷量冠軍 JET SL 158 SUPER C !!!

Here's the facts; if the G7 is edging out the Jet, or even if it's really neck and neck, you want to go with the G7 every time because of the comfort, form factor, and in general a safer, more comfortable ride. It's just safer; you can see it yourself at 13:53 in the video above. "...you were completely airborne...I didn't feel it at all. The G7 stays glued to the ground." If you hit a bump like that on a Jet, you could be in trouble. I've encountered bumps like that driving around, and even dangerous looking rocks on the road. if you don't see it, you could be in trouble. 21:02.

For me, the Kymgo G7 gives me a sense of freedom. I can drive to Chayi or Guanzhiling or Tainan and exercise in those parks. Yesterday I had 2 hours to kill before class; so I rode up to Guanzhiling for a walk and then rode back with enough time to shower. That's what gave me the idea for the OP. In many ways, the Kymco G7 is something I feel I needed. I will always miss my "iron horse" but this new G7, I think we are going to have a lot of adventures together. The race is not finished yet!

 

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Day One.

Breakfast has a way of finding you in country towns. One minute you’re driving past empty fields; the next there’s a colorful sandwich stand under a tin roof, the grill already going, as if it had all been waiting.

Some time after 6am I found myself in Changan village; a small breakfast stand beckoning to me as the sun rose.

For the record, "Jin tian ye yao nu li" (今天也要努力) is a Chinese phrase that translates to "Today, we must also work hard," or "Gotta work hard today too!" You may have heard a similar sentiment in Japanese before; something like ganbarimashiyou.

It's like that. People often use it as a caption on social media or say it to themselves in the morning to kickstart a productive day. Did you know, there is a popular internet meme featuring a cartoon duck (or other cute characters) holding up a fist with the caption "Jintian ye yao nuli duck" (今天也要努力鸭). The word for duck (yā) sounds exactly like the conversational particle ya (呀), which makes the phrase sound cute, enthusiastic, and playful -- like the Japanese ~you, I suppose.

They sold the typical soldier buns and fan tuan.

Thus, with fighting spirit in my heart and some kind of unidentified egg and vegetable based sandwich in my hand, I drove off into the east.

Up the Mountain​

Today, Guanzhiling is also famous for it's delicious urn-roasted chicken -- although it does have a longer history as a hot-spring destination. Qing records (including the 1715 Zhuluo County Gazetteer) note the nearby “water and fire from the same source” phenomenon. Japanese forces popularized the distinctive gray mud hot springs in 1898; by the 1910s it was promoted as one of Taiwan’s Four Great Hot Springs, with inns, public baths, and resort development. Today, there is the phrase"eat 甕仔雞 after soaking" as a standard visitor experience.

Perhaps in a simpler time, without our modern social media, more people traveled the path I am taking today. Naturally things change; today, less people come to the mountain. One of the relics of time we have lost to all this is the urn-roasted chicken restaraunt I passed on the way up to dadongshan.

This old restaurant from the 1990s was known as Mountain-side Chicken City.

It was an older roadside mountain-produce / free-range chicken restaurant from before the 2000s urn-roasted chicken boom that later filled the area with competitors (竹香園 and others). Public sources do not give a detailed account of exactly when or why it closed; like many smaller tourist-road restaurants, it appears to have quietly gone out of business and been left to decay, producing an abandoned, overgrown “ghost town” look. However, I can tell you, do not feel sad for this restaraunt. It was a family-run business, operating for decades around Guanziling. It has been continued by the next generation through a nearby garden-style restaurant called Chenxi Garden Restaurant (晨曦庭園美食), located in Baihe District. They carry on the signature free-range chicken and local mountain cuisine style. And thus the legend continues.

What will become of this area is a mystery. Do you want to open an urn-roasted chicken restaurant too?

As I looked upon these scenes, I felt a sense of peace. I turned to continue up the mountain. Passing through the tunnels, I suppose I had entered another world.

The First Stage​

I arrived at Guanzhiling Dadongshan trail at about 7am. There's a red pavilion which is kind of like a rest stop; the last stage of civilization before the trail begins.



There is a decent bathroom behind the pavilion, a temple beside it, and a small water/fruit/clothing stand just past it. This is a kind of campground, you can go camping here. It is basically the last bit of civilization you will find. And thus the trail begins.

Chicken Cage Mountain Trail​

About 1000 steps up from the pavilion, which is already a somewhat dangerous drive (I would not drive a car there myself, personally), there is a false rest stop.



Don't sit on the one on the left, it has ants. I prefer the middle one.

So why do I call this a false rest stop? Just 200 steps past is the plateau where Jilongshan Mountain Trail finally begins.



It was from this vantage point that I got a clear look at Dadongshan:



That little rock is interesting. Ahead is the trail to Dadongshan.



But the sign beckons. What is it? It's a map of the local area, for hikers.



Personally I prefer the much older wooden signpost behind the stele:



Ahh, so it's only 1.7km to the top! A deceptive distance. Although it is classified as a "Level 1 (Easy)" trail, in reality the physical slope is deceptively steep, averaging an intense 12% to 18% incline grade with even sharper tilts on specific stretches. I already needed to take a five minute rest at this point. I wonder, how far can I make it up the trail itself?

And thus, the journey of conquering Jilongshan -- chicken cage mountain trail -- finally begins.

The Gentle Method​

You may find the ending here lacks a conclusion, but that is only temporary. There was no trail marker when I gave up, no clear signal, although I had started to sweat. It was a small, shaded flat area I had stopped at to just stand in.

It was there I realized the truth of my situation. It's not that I was defeated, it's that I had come so far! This was day one, and there was no need to rush. I checked my watch; 3100 steps. It was 800 at the pavilion. Why did I stop? I was tired? Winded? Maybe a little. What I do remember is a slight tinge in my shoulder and the feeling I had somehow reached an important point in my exercise. Maybe I was at 80%. And that was enough; I had the journey back to worry about as well! My Sifu would call this the 'Gentle Method'. I don't need to push myself too hard. I mean, I had already gone 1000 steps up Jilongshan trail! And I felt great. I turned back, and was home before 9.

If this story seems to lack a conclusion, that is only temporary. Tomorrow is another day.

from: 一萬步旅程 journey of ten thousand miles