The Eco Classroom of Kaohsiung City- Chaishan / 高雄市自然生態教室—柴山
The Eco Classroom of Kaohsiung City- Chaishan
◎English text by Yi-Chun Lin ◎Photos by Jhuo-Ming Ling, Yao-Siang Jheng, Chia-Tse Kao
Chaishan is also known as Shoushan. It is located on the west side of Kaohsiung City and runs through the whole of Gushan District with the highest altitude of approximately 350-360 meters. It starts in the north as a barrier of Taiwan Strait at Taozih Yuan in Zuoying District and stretches south to the Sizihwan coast.
Chaishan is a natural landmark of Kaohsiung City because it guards the harbour with Cihou Shan which had been an important military site in the early days. Owing to the long term military restriction, the eco-system of northern Chaishan has been well-preserved. Chaishan has become the city residents' favourite spot for hiking and leisure activities. There are more than 10 interlocking footpaths around Chaishan. There are three main entrances to Chaishan; one is located on the south end of Chaishan near Shoushan Zoo. The other two entrances are on the north end. One is by the parking lot next to Gushan Senior High School and the other is next to Longcyuan Temple on Gushan 3rd Road. Among the three, the entrance next to Longcyuan Temple is the most popular one.
Because the length and difficulty of these paths are varied, visitors are recommended to choose footpaths according to their fitness levels. For those who are not regular hikers, it is recommended to enter Chaishan using the north Longcyuan Temple entrance. Since 1998, Kaohsiung City Government has been laying a wooden path in this area which is the easiest way to hike up. Passing Creek Shell Mound, Guo Tai Rest Area and Centre Rest Area, visitors will reach the Scenery Deck, the largest tourist spot on Chaishan. People can take the high ground here and enjoy a panoramic view of Kaohsiung City. If people want to take a more challenging route, it would be a good choice to take Hao Han Slope (Hero's Slope) instead, which has a steep incline all the way to the top. On this rattan surrounded footpath, hikers can enjoy the sight of Taiwanese Macaques gamboling in the forest as well as the beautiful singing of insects and birds.
The physiognomy of the subtropical monsoon forest on Chaisan is very impressive. Because Chaishan is a coral uplift, the soil level in the area is thin, therefore, the vegetation share the characteristicss of vines and other shallow-rooted plants. Some plants have aerial roots or have thorns. The vegetation changes colour with seasons. There are Purple Orchid trees blooming all over the hills even during the dry and cold winter season. The common plants seen on Chaishan include Macaranga, Paper-mulberry, Arenga, Dendrocnide, Wild Taro, Dye Fig, Hibiscus, Hengchun Ehretia and various types of vines. The symbiosis of Wild Taro and Dendrocnide is also interesting- one is acidic and the other is alkaline. However, since Chaishan was opened to the public, many foreign species have invaded the original forest. Apart from the damage stray dogs and cats could cause, foreign plants could also harm the original species in the forest.
The Taiwanese Macaques on Chaishan are a distinguishing feature. It is difficult to have an accurate number on how many macaques are in the area. According to Takao Hill Association, there should be more than a thousand of them on Chaishan due to the lack of predators and the regular feeding from visitors. Chaishan itself has abundant food sources for the macaques, such as the fruits of Arenga and Paper Mulberry, therefore, Takao Hill Association urges visitors not to feed them. At the same time, the association would like to remind visitors to keep their voices down when near a group of macaques to avoid disturbing them. It is the macaques' mating period during September to November. During this period, they are under tension and easily upset, therefore visitors need to be more careful when visiting Chaishan. In addition, because the macaques have been conditioned to the feeding from visitors, they sometimes try to snatch plastic bags off visitors if they see any in sight. It is recommended for visitors to keep their bags out of sight.
Apart from the lush forest physiognomy and ecosystem, there are also sites of historical remains on Chaishan. Creek Shell Mound nears Longcyuan Temple. Another one is the Taozu Yuen Shell Mound near Zuoying District. The two sites near Longcyuan Temple were discovered by a former teacher of Kaohsiung High School, Tsuchiya Kyoichi, during the Japanese ruling era. Creek Shell Mound is located behind Longcyuan Temple and has three lots of remains found on the site. Apart from shells, there are also animal bones and pottery found in the mound. Some of the pottery might be from the trading with Han people in the old days. Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government has scheduled an on-site study for 2010.
高雄市自然生態教室-柴山
◎文／凌卓民 ◎攝影／凌卓民．鄭耀翔．高嘉澤
柴山又稱為「壽山」，位於高雄市西南濱海，縱貫鼓山區全區，最高海拔約三百五、六十公尺，北起左營的桃子園地區，屏障台灣海峽，向南延伸至西子灣海岸。
柴山是高雄市的自然地標，因為與旗后山共扼海灣，在早期一直是軍事重地，因為長期管制，讓北側保存完整的生態體系，現在的柴山已是高雄市民假日最熱門的登山休憩之處，山中路徑有十多條互通，登山口有三處，南側靠近壽山動物園，北側有兩處，一處在鼓山高中旁的停車場，另一處則是靠近鼓山三路的龍泉寺旁，以龍泉寺的登山口最為熱門。
因為登山路徑眾多，長度、難易各不相同，登山時，須評估自己的體力。若是不常爬山者，建議可由北側龍泉寺的登山口著手來認識柴山，從1998年後高雄市政府開始鋪設木棧道，沿著木棧道上行是爬柴山最輕鬆的方式，經過小溪貝塚、國泰休息區、中心休息區後，可以一路到「雅座」－柴山最大的遊客集中地，登高遠眺，高雄市景盡收眼底。想挑戰難度較高的路線，建議可走好漢坡，地勢一路陡升，沿途藤木糾結蔓生、猴群林間跳躍、蟲鳴鳥叫此起彼落。
柴山上的豐富亞熱帶季風林相讓人驚艷，由於柴山是珊瑚礁石隆起、土壤層薄，植群特色普遍為多藤蔓及淺根系等特徵，部份植物具氣根或帶針刺。山上植物隨著季節轉換不同顏色，即使在秋冬乾冷季節也有洋紫荊開得滿山遍野，另外，柴山常見有血桐、構樹、山棕、咬人狗、姑婆芋、山豬枷、木芙蓉、恆春厚殼樹與為數眾多的藤類，而，姑婆芋與咬人狗也有有趣的共生現象，一酸一鹼的植物常相伴生長。不過隨著柴山開放，許多外來物種侵入山林中，除了野貓野狗對原生物種的傷害之外，外來植物同樣帶來傷害。
提到柴山，自然不能錯過山中的獼猴，柴山的猴數很難進行普查，根據「高雄市柴山會」表示，專家調查預估，山上應該有近千隻獼猴。一方面是沒有天敵，另一方面則因民眾餵食。柴山本身已有豐富的食物資源，如山棕、構樹果實等，因此「柴山會」提醒民眾不要餵食獼猴。同時在猴群周邊也不要大聲喧嘩、尖聲嬉鬧，這些舉動、聲音或多或少都刺激猴群。９月到11月是獼猴發情期，猴群間情緒較緊張，上山民眾需留意。另外，因為民眾長年餵食，猴群看到民眾手上有塑膠袋就會搶奪，因此建議上山時不要拎著塑膠袋。
除了豐富林相、生態之外，柴山四周還有先民遺跡，一處是靠近龍泉寺的小溪貝塚，另一處則是靠近左營的桃子園貝塚。龍泉寺的兩處遺址，是由日治時期高雄州立高雄中學校的教師土屋恭一所發現，小溪貝塚位於龍泉寺後方，貝塚內除了貝殼外，還有獸骨與陶片，其中有的陶片，還可能是與漢人貿易而來。高雄市政府文化局也計畫在2010年展開定址考察。
A Taiwanese Macaque on Chaishan
柴山上的獼猴
Chaishan abounds lush forest physiognomy and ecosystem.
柴山充滿豐富的林相、生態。
Chaishan is always full of visitors during the holiday periods.
柴山每到假日登山人潮如湧。
The common plants seen on Chaishan include, from the left, Wild Taro, Hengchun, Paper-mulberry, Dye Fig and Macaranga.
柴山上常見的植物包括(由左至右)姑婆芋、木芙蓉、構樹、山豬枷、血桐等。