Jihala'ai Sky Terraces: A Century of Irrigation by Mountain Channels, a Forest Sanctuary Guarded by the Tribe

Riding a modified agricultural tour vehicle, we headed deep into the mountains, and after getting off we still had to walk a stretch before reaching the Jihala'ai water terraces, hailed as the "Sky Terraces." Terrace upon terrace spread across the hillside, and the deafening din of cicadas almost drowned out human voices; standing in one spot on the terraces, a person seems tiny amid the vast expanse of sky and earth, yet blends perfectly into nature.

The Jihala'ai Cultural Landscape is located in the Cilamitay Tribe of Fengnan Village, Fuli Township, Hualien County. Five or six years ago the tribe began discussing the designation of a cultural landscape; besides cultivating the local water terraces and creating a nature-friendly environment to develop ecotourism, they also pass on tribal culture through the tribe's school education.