Eternal Spring Shrine

長春祠

A Tang-style shrine built to honour the veterans who died building the Central Cross-Island Highway. A waterfall pours from beneath the shrine into the Liwu River, making it Taroko's most photographed cultural landmark.

Eternal Spring Shrine stands on the bank of the Liwu River in the eastern section of Taroko Gorge, beside the Central Cross-Island Highway. It was built in 1958 to honour the 225 veterans who died while building the highway between 1956 and 1960. The shrine is in Tang style, with white walls and grey tiles, built into the mountainside. A mountain spring waterfall gushes from the rock wall below the shrine and drops into the Liwu River. Together with the marble gorge behind it, it forms one of Taroko's most classic views. The shrine houses the memorial tablets and the names of those who died. Most visitors photograph the whole scene from the Changchun Bridge viewpoint beside the road across the river. You can also walk along the Eternal Spring Shrine trail to the shrine itself, which takes about 10 minutes and passes through a tunnel and a suspension bridge. Behind the shrine, the 'Heavenly Ladder' stone steps lead up to Guanyin Cave, the Bell Tower and Changuang Temple. The full trail is about 1.4 kilometres. The view over the gorge from the top is excellent, but the slope is steep and there is a risk of falling rocks, so the trail is often closed for repairs. The shrine was destroyed by a rockfall in 1987, and the present building was rebuilt in 1997. Entry is free. Tips: as the first stop after entering the gorge on a Taroko day tour, spend 20 minutes at the viewpoint. If the trail is open, add another 40 minutes to walk to the shrine and the Bell Tower. Getting there: take Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Route 310 and get off at the Eternal Spring Shrine stop. It is about 5 minutes' drive from the Taroko Visitor Center. Notes: after the 2024 earthquake, the trails around the shrine are reopening in phases, so check the announcements before you go. The viewpoint sits on a road bend, so watch for oncoming vehicles. Keep an eye out for falling rocks when passing through the tunnel.

Eternal Spring Shrine

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