The Qingtiangang Grassland

The Qingtiangang Grassland is still part of the Yangmingshan National Park and seemed to be a few distance from Xiaoyoukeng. The fog has become heavier as we got to the parking lot. Peter pointed us to a flight of steps and promised to wait for us in the car.

While we were still on our way, he mentioned that we would be going to a grassland where the cattle graze and roam freely. I could not seem to reconcile the picture with the place – high up in the mountains and covered in clouds.

There were signages pointing to Juansi Waterfall on one side and the Jinbaoli Gate at the other side, where the Qingtiangang Grassland is also located. We went to the direction of the latter and came upon the Earth God Temple and a hexagonal pavilion. We entered a gate into what seemed to be like eternity. There was nothing to see and we almost decided not to explore the place anymore.

But three of us persisted and tried to see what’s beyond the veil of whiteness. We walked on a narrow trail, with nothing visible five steps further. The only thing that signaled there was something ahead were voices of people and the “mooos” of cows.

I have read a signage that the cattle were wild animals and warned us not to approach them or use flash photography. When the cows came into view, I carefully went closer yet remained within the boundaries of the trail. They were lumped together in one area, as if guiding each other. One mother cow was caring for her calf, which delighted the visitors in the area.

Still, with nothing to see, we decided to go back. I have seen photos online how beautiful the scenery would have been if the sun was out and the air was clear. Yet, we were enveloped with white clouds that made everything difficult to see. I assured myself that what we witnessed was still a unique experience to us. See our photos of the place amidst the heavy fog found in my Facebook page album.