University of Wisconsin–Madison

Taiwan: Adam Sherwood (Learning on Excursions)

A view through the trees of mountains in the distance. The mountains are covered in greenery and trees. The sky above is blue and clouded.
View from Yun Hsien Resort overlooking Wulai’s lush mountains.

When our group planned a day trip to Wulai, I thought I was just going for the scenery. The gondola ride up to Yun Hsien Resort promised sweeping mountain views, and I was ready for a break from the city. But Wulai is more than its postcard-worthy waterfalls, as it is home to the Atayal, one of Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples.

A photo of three wooden canoes sitting in the green water moored at a cement dock. Behind the boats is a scene of green trees and fauna. There is a red bridge on the right hand side.
Traditional wooden boats and red bridge at Yun Hsien Resort.

 

A photo of the back of a student's head with blonde hair, and then a student with blonde hair and glasses, wearing a fishing vest facing the camera making a shocked expression. The students are in a wooden canoe and are on the water with a red bridge in the background.
On the water at Yun Hsien Resort with my classmate Niamh.

I went with my classmates Mana, Dylan (also my roommate), Agnes, and Niamh, along with my local roommate, Rock. The ride up the gondola felt like floating into a different world, with dense green forests, mist rolling off the hills, and the river carving its way below. Once there, we learned about the Atayal’s traditions, history, and the challenges they face in preserving their culture. Hearing about their weaving techniques, language, and close relationship with the land gave me a new perspective on Taiwan beyond the city streets I knew.

A photo of a large waterfall flanked by dense greenery. In the foreground is a building made of wooden shoots.
The Wulai Waterfall with the gondola in the distance.

 

Adam and his classmate (a girl with brown hair) inside a cutout board where their heads are in the face spot making them look as though they are wearing traditional attire.
Me with my classmate Agnes in an Atayal-themed photo board.

One detail that stuck with me was how the Atayal facial tattooing, once a rite of passage, has almost disappeared. It made me think about how quickly traditions can vanish if they’re not actively passed on.

 

A photo of the entrance to a Buddhist temple built into a mountainside covered in trees and greenery. The temple entrance has a roof of wooden shoots and two red lanterns on either side of the door.
Buddhist temple carved into the mountainside in Wulai.

By the time we took the gondola back down, the trip no longer felt like just a day in the mountains–it felt like an introduction to a deeper layer of Taiwan, one I’d only just begun to understand.

 

A blonde man wearing a navy suit and red tie smiles at the camera in front of a blurred background.

Adam Sherwood

Hometown: Bayfield, Wisconsin

Major: International Studies

Program: CET Taiwan

As Taiwan carries its own diverse cultural and linguistic niches that differ in countless ways from China, I am thrilled to explore a landscape that I do not have much familiarity with–particularly as I hold great importance to the development of my global perspective.  My interest comes from partially growing up in China and never having a chance to visit or experience Taiwan.

One goal for my participation in the CET Taiwan Program is to develop my Chinese language skills in a professional context. Because I will be simultaneously engaging with immersive language courses and an internship during my time in Taipei, I hope to find balance and cohesion between these two program components.