By the vertiginous standards of Taiwan’s interior, Guanyin Mountain (觀音山) which straddles Kaohsiung’s Dashe (大社) and Renwu (仁武) districts is a micro-mountain. Judged purely on its height, it wouldn’t deserve a paragraph.
The summit is just 177m above sea level, making it one of the shortest of xiaobaiyue (小百岳, “Taiwan’s Little Hundred Mountains”). But in terms of how far you can see from the top, and for how little exertion, Guanyin Mountain is entitled to some kind of accolade.
The day had begun with a rush-hour motorcycle ride through bleak industrial neighborhoods. My mood improved as soon as I