A Taipei Slice of Rural Paradise -- Maokong

Maokong is located in a hilly area of Taipei City's southernmost Wenshan District. What makes it so unique is that although it is situated within the boundaries of an international city, Maokong is an area of natural rolling tea plantations, hiking trails and rural charm.

Maokong also has Taiwan's longest cable-car system, which stretches just over 4 kilometers. The gondolas, which can seat six to eight people each, move at up to six meters per second. The system has a total of 144 gondolas, which arrive at each station every 12 seconds. It was built and installed at a cost of more than NT$1 billion (about US$30 million). The cable-car system in Maokong is also the longest in terms of operating hours. On weekdays it runs from 10am to 8pm, and on weekends and holidays from 9am to midnight, so that those who want to enjoy the night views have ample time to do so.

The cable-car system has four stations. These include the Zoo Station, located to the right of the Taipei Zoo Mall; the Inner-Zoo Station, located inside the Taipei Zoo, Zhinan Temple Station, located near the Zhinan Temple; and Maokong Station, located near Sanzuan Temple. The cable-car system is scheduled to be in operation in June 2007.

Here is an interesting article to read:

• Maokong