The 460-meter-high Dajian Mountain is often considered the back garden of Xizhi. As the seasons change so does Dajian, with cherry blossoms in the beginning of spring, fireflies lighting the skies in summer, and maple leafs coloring the mountain red at the end of fall. Surrounding Dajian are many waterfalls, with two of the best being Qiedongand Hsiufeng, and you can climb the mountain itself by taking the stone-stair paths by either the Tian Xiu Temple or the Tiandao Buddhist centermonastery. When you reach the top the view of the Taipei Basin and the peaks in the surrounding mountain range is incredible. The color shades vary from light to dark as if someone splashed ink across the mountain canvas. In the evening, there is also excellent nighttime scenery with thousands of lights lit up, and the peak is a great vantage point to see Taipei 101 during its New Year’s Eve fireworks show.
