Sanyi Township is a township in southern Miaoli County

Miaoli County

Miaoli County is a county in western Taiwan. The name Miaoli was coined using two Hakka words, cat and raccoon dog , which phonetically approximate Pali , a community of Taokas people...

, Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

. It is famous for its mudiao

Mudiao

Mudiao is traditional Chinese wood-carving, a form of sculpture, and is still practiced today.-Woods Used:Generally, hardwoods are chosen that are stable and moderately dense, and hence difficult to carve. However, for some carvings aromatic woods such as the tung tree are chosen...

 (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. On its northeastern boundary is Sanjiao Mountain at 567 meters, and to the east lies Huoyan Mountain at 602 meters.

Economy

Early exploitation of the Sanyi township area was for timber and hides. Later tung oil

Tung oil

Tung oil or China wood oil is a drying oil obtained by pressing the seed from the nut of the tung tree . As a drying oil, tung oil hardens upon exposure to air. The resulting coating is transparent plastic-like and is exploited in most of its applications, which include wood finishing and the...

 was extracted from the abundant tung tree

Tung tree

Vernicia fordii is a species of Vernicia in the spurge family, native to southern China, Burma, and northern Vietnam. Other vernacular names include Tung Oil Tree, Tung-oil Tree, Tungoil Tree, China Wood-Oil Tree, Kalo Nut Tree, 油桐 Vernicia fordii (Tung Tree; syn. Aleurites fordii Hemsl.) is a...

s and camphor

Camphor

Camphor is a waxy, white or transparent solid with a strong, aromatic odor. It is a terpenoid with the chemical formula C10H16O. It is found in wood of the camphor laurel , a large evergreen tree found in Asia and also of Dryobalanops aromatica, a giant of the Bornean forests...

 from the camphor trees. Concurrently the wood carving industry developed. At one point over 80% of local families were employed in wood carving. At the end of the 20th century Sanyi began developing a tourist industry.

Scenic 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. 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
  World War II
  World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
  
  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 19th century 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.

External links

• Official Sanyi Township website In English
• Wood carving museum In English, also excellent video
• "The Story of a Small Town: Sanyi" Wesley Girls' High School in English