Shouka (mountain pass)

Shouka (Chinese: 壽峠; pinyin: Shòukǎ, alternatively 壽卡, el. 460 m), formerly known as Kotobuki Pass (寿峠, Kotobuki-tōge), is a mountain pass located in southern Taiwan, transversing the Central Mountain Range. Administratively, Shouka is at the border of Shizi, Pingtung and Daren, Taitung.

Shouka
Bicycle rest stop at Shouka
Bicycle rest stop at Shouka
Elevation460 m (1,509 ft)
Traversed by9 Provincial Highway 9
縣道 County Highway 199
LocationBorder of Shizi, Pingtung and Daren, Taitung, Taiwan
RangeCentral Mountain Range
Coordinates22°14′43″N 120°50′08″E
Location in Taiwan
Location in Taiwan
Location in Taiwan

Shouka is a major intersection in road travel in Taiwan, bringing together traffic from Kaohsiung, Taitung City, and Kenting. It is the highest point of the South-Link Highway and the intersection of Provincial Highway 9 and County Highway 199. The point is also a popular destination for road cyclists.[1]

The character "峠" is a kokuji, a Japanese character that does not appear in Chinese, which is why "卡" is occasionally used in its place.

History

The South-Link Highway was originally built by during Japan's rule over Taiwan. Construction of the highway ran between 1933 and 1939 and became an important link between Taiwan's east coast with the rest of the island.[2][3] The highest point of this highway was named "Kotobuki Pass" at its completion.[4]

A police checkpoint once stood at Shouka, but has been abandoned. The building is transformed into a rest stop for cyclists.[5]

Recreation

Shouka is a popular destination for road cyclists. Cyclists attempting to cycle around the island of Taiwan must climb up to Shouka, as there is no other road possible between Pingtung and Taitung. It is also one of two sections with substantial elevation gain, the other being Suhua Highway. Taiwan Cycling Route No.1 passes through Shouka.[1] The 22.2 km climb along Provincial Highway 9 from Daren is listed as one of the top 100 cycling climbs in Taiwan, with an average grade of 4.2%.[6]

On April 11, 2009, the Pingtung County government turned a former police checkpoint into the "Shouka Cyclist Rest Stop" (壽卡鐵馬驛站) to accommodate for passing cyclists. The staffed rest stop provides water, toilets, and repair tools free of charge for cyclists.[5] The Water Resources Agency also operates a rain gauge on top of the rest stop.[7]

References
  1. 自行車環島指南 (PDF) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Tourism Bureau. p. 44. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  2. "台9線南迴公路改善工程技術論壇11月底精彩登場，10月15日開放報名". 財團法人中華工程顧問公司 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  3. "揭南迴公路「S型秘境」神秘面紗 年底前通車驚艷全台" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Apple Daily. April 5, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  4. 黃瓊慧; et al. (2001). 臺灣地名辭書(卷四)屏東縣 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). National Central Library. p. 852. ISBN 957-02-9155-9. Retrieved November 11, 2019.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. 蔡宗憲 (April 12, 2009). "壽卡鐵馬驛站 開張囉" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Liberty Times. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  6. "Shouka（壽卡）". Bike100.tw. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  7. "壽卡雨量站". Water Resources Agency (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved November 11, 2019.
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