While Dragon Boat Festival falls on Thursday this year, it is also a day to commemorate railways in Taiwan. The Alishan Forest Railway office has offered rides on its steam train for the day between the Chiayi and Beimen stops of the Alishan mountain railway.
The locomotive was built in the United States. The track was laid down during the Japanese colonial era in Taiwan in 1912 to transport lumber through the Alishan forest. At the time, the forest was considered one of Taiwan’s three largest.
On Thursday, passengers rode in cars made of cypress wood while tour guides recounted the history of the forest railway. The Taiwan Ocarina Culture Interchange Association also held a concert.