My Fulbright Year in Taiwan

Across the street from the train station in Yilan is a strange metal “tree” with this sign in front of it: The Diu Diu Dang Forest.

There is a Taiwanese children’s song called “diu diu dang.” Here is a nice rendition of the song:

When we moved to Yilan, several people mentioned that the song originated in Yilan, although we never could find out the exact origins of the song. Well, we found it!

The lyrics of the song describe a train going through a tunnel. In the very north of Yilan County, at the border of Yilan and Taipei counties, there was an old train tunnel. The tunnel goes through a mountain to avoid an outcropping of the island.

It was constructed over a three-year period during the Japanese occupation.

It was subsequently replaced by a larger tunnel, and fell into disuse. A few years ago it was re-purposed as a bicycle path. The tunnel is two kilometers long, and biking through it is very cool.