Cold front brings surprises to Central Taiwan’s mountains

Cold front brings surprises to Central Taiwan’s mountains

2024-03-13

A powerful cold front is sweeping south, and it has brought out beautiful surprises in the natural landscape. At Taichung’s Wuling Farm, sub-freezing temperatures created a crystal wonderland Wednesday morning. Meanwhile on Nantou’s Dalun Mountain, a sea of clouds formed around an iconic local landmark.

A wisteria garden glistens like a crystal. Its purple flowers are encased in ice, and they shimmer bright under the sun. Ice has also formed on the plum blossoms, making their yellow stamens especially striking.

Member of public
When I got up this morning, it was minus 0.6 degrees. We saw a landscape that was like a crystal palace, and another that was like a dreamcatcher. They were both stunning.

Early morning Wednesday at Wuling Farm, temperatures plunged to minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, transforming the gardens into a “crystal palace.” Not only did ice form over flower petals, it also created a delicate web that resembled a dreamcatcher. Overhead, tiny icicles hung from the cables like lanterns.

Chang Fang-chi
Wuling Farm deputy head
To keep the water pipes from freezing, we turned them on in the wisteria garden last night. Due to the effects of radiative cooling, ice was able to form this morning.

With a cold front upon us, surprises were also in store at Nantou’s Dalun Mountain. At high altitudes, white clouds and mist stacked up in layers, creating a magnificent sea of clouds. Even the Xiaobantian bridge was engulfed.

Member of public
It’s spectacular. The swirling mist makes you feel like you’re in a fairyland.

Meanwhile, the mountain’s gingko trees have woken from dormancy, sprouting emerald green leaves.

Lin Chien-hsing
Tea farmer on Dalun Mountain
There’s been more moisture these days. Here on Dalun Mountain, our gingko trees are starting to bud, about 15 days earlier than last year.

The cold front is moving moisture southward, creating sharp temperature swings between day and night. That’s brought out the stunning natural beauty of the high mountains. Surrounded by a sea of clouds, gingko leaves are emerging from the bud, announcing the advent of spring.

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冷氣團發威! 武陵"冰晶宮"再現鹿谷上演雲海秀

2024-03-13

冷氣團一波波南下，位在台中高山的武陵農場，今天(13日)清晨，出現零下0.6度的低溫，農場的花園結冰，讓民眾直呼好美。另外在南投鹿谷鄉，則是上演了壯闊的雲海秀，連在地著名地標"小半天高架橋"，也罕見被雲海包圍。

藤花園內，一片晶瑩剔透，紫色櫻草花被冰封，閃閃發亮，還有李花包覆在冰晶內，黃色花蕊格外鮮豔。

[[民眾]]
“今天早上起來的時候，氣溫才負0.6度，發現冰晶宮跟捕夢網的美景，都非常漂亮。”

13日清晨的武陵農場，低溫下探負0.6度，園區化身冰晶宮，不只花瓣結冰，還有網狀冰晶，結成了浪漫捕夢網，抬頭看看，上頭的網線也出現冰柱，彷彿琉璃燈。

[[武陵農場副場長常方麒]]
“為了預防管線結冰，所以在前一晚就把藤花園的澆灌管線打開，也因為輻射冷卻效應的影響，清晨都有結霜的情況。”

冷氣團報到，在南投鹿谷大崙山，同樣出現驚喜，從高空眺望，白色雲霧在山谷間層層堆疊，風起雲湧間上演一場壯闊的雲海秀，就連在地著名的地標小半天高架橋，也罕見被包圍淹沒。

[[民眾]]
“很壯觀，雲霧繚繞的感覺，很像置身仙境裡面。”

令人驚艷的，還有山上的銀杏樹，悄悄甦醒冒出翠綠嫩葉。

[[大崙山茶農林建興]]
“最近水氣比較充足，我們大崙山的銀杏已經開始萌芽了，比去年提早了大概15天左右。”

冷氣團挾帶水氣南下，日夜溫差大，意外造就高山自然美景，在一片雲霧繚繞下，換上新裝的銀杏樹，正在向世人宣告"春神來了"。

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The City of Lightning: Chiayi is Taiwan’s most electric place

Do you know which region of Taiwan is the most electric? A report by a weather risk firm shows that in 2023, you were most likely to see lightning strike in Chiayi City. The city saw 167 lightning strikes per square kilometer last year. We spoke to a climate expert in Chiayi to find out the science of why the southern city attracts thunder and lightning. And we spoke to a local religious representative, to hear what lightning traditionally means for those working on the land.

An inky sky is lit up by series of flashes. It’s a common sight in Chiayi City.

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The rose garden here is very beautiful. There are many varieties, and the shape of the flowers is very beautiful. If you take pictures of flowers with a little oblique backlight, the flowers will appear more three-dimensional.

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A new immigrant from the U.S. is raising awareness of self-defense skills in Taiwan. Robert Wayne Hipple Jr. grew up in the U.S., inspired by martial arts movies from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Along with his wife, he now teaches self-defense classes to all comers. They hope to teach people how to get away safely from a dangerous encounter.

Early morning on a cold winter’s day, and students are already hard at work in the gym. But this is no ordinary fitness class. It’s a self-defense class.

The coach demonstrates a dangerous situation that might occur, and teaches students how to escape.

American immigrant Robert Wayne Hipple Jr. has lived in Taiwan for 12 years. His day job is in technology, but martial arts and self-defense are a passion he’s nurtured since childhood.

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We used to watch all of the martial arts films, from out of Hong Kong and such… a few from Taiwan as well! Of course, as a young person, you find it quite interesting and exciting. And through that, it led to reading books on the subject, and joining classes, as well, that were available in our small town.

Hipple loves sports and fitness, and studied boxing and judo for many years. He’s gradually developed a combination of sports and self-defense techniques. When he first arrived in Taiwan, he taught free classes at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. Violent crime is not a big problem in Taiwan, and Hipple is impressed by the warm and good-naturedness of the Taiwanese. Even so, he believes self-defense skills have universal value.

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Will you likely ever need to use this skill in your lifetime? Honestly, I hope not. But it’s those few times where something happens, unfortunately, that we need it, and we’re so happy when we have it.

Hipple’s wife Peggy is his best sparring partner. She’s been studying self-defense for 10 years, and is a vital demo assistant in class.

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We’ve had couples come to the class together before. They are hoping that the wife or the girlfriend will know how to protect herself when she’s alone. It’s the same for Robert, actually. So he’s quite strict on me in class, but within a range that is okay for me.

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She’s one of the tough young ladies! If I had to say, I’m probably more afraid of her than she is of me!

The two have a tight rapport and see self-defense the same way. As a pair, they will continue to spread self-defense skills and understanding for many years to come.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-03-13