Taiwan -- Yushan

Stamp Issue : 2004-07-21

Yushan is part of Yushan National Park, one of the national parks administered by Taiwan. Under Japanese rule, it was designated part of the Niitaka (New Highest) Arisan National Park in 1937. The mountain is a favorite of Taiwanese mountain climbers. Several other mountains are also located in the park, including Siouguluan Mountain, Mabolasih Mountain, Dafenjian Mountain, Sinkang Mountain, and Guan Mountain.
The park is also known for its diverse wildlife and ecology. The environment around Yushan itself spans from sub-tropical forests at its base to alpine conditions at its peak.
Jade Mountain was first observed by westerners in 1857. W. Morrison, captain of the American freighter SS Alexander, sighted this mountain while departing from Anping Harbor, in what is now Anping, Tainan. He recorded this sighting in his naval log, and the mountain gained the name Mount Morrison in western literature.
In 1900, after the annexation of Taiwan by the Japanese, two Japanese anthropologists, Torii Ryūzō and Mori Ushinosuke, became the first people to have been recorded ascending the mountain. They gave the mountain the name Niitakayama or Mount Niitaka, literally the "New High Mountain", because it was even higher than Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan.