Hot springs, the hot tears of the earth, are one of the most precious gifts that the earth has given to us. Ever since ancient times, people have recognized the rejuvenating and therapeutic properties of these natural resources. Taiwan, is ranked among the world's top 15 hot spring sites, harboring a great variety of springs, including hot springs, cold springs, mud springs, and seabed hot springs. The island can proudly regard itself as one of the regions with the highest concentration and greatest variety of hot springs in the world.Hot springs are formed by natural waters that emerge from the bowels of the earth and that possess therapeutic properties said to have a positive effect on disorders of the nervous and digestive systems, the circulation, and the organs. People have used hot springs to keep in good health for ages. In Taiwan, with its peculiar crystal structure and location on the fault line where the Euro-Asian and Philippine continental plates meet in the Circum-Pacific seismic zone, subterranean heat is spread across the island producing hot springs island-wide. With the exception of Changhua, Yunlin and Penghu counties, almost every city and county in Taiwan is equipped with hot springs, and so it is not strange that by some Taiwan is also called "the Hot Spring Kingdom".
More than one hundred hot springs have been discovered in Taiwan, located in different geological areas including plains, mountains, valleys, and oceans. The highest concentration of hot springs can be found in northern Taiwan, where the Tatun Volcano is located, while along both sides of the central mountain range, covering an area that to the north is bordered by Yilan and to the south by Pingtung, the largest number of hot springs can be found. Hot springs found here make up more than 80% of all hot springs in Taiwan.

As hot springs generally come from deep below the surface of the earth, when they emerge they bring along a high concentration and great variety of minerals that are mostly foreign to the human body and benefit our general health. Specific properties of hot springs vary depending on chemical composition, mineral concentration and water temperature. Taiwan has a great variety of springs, both cold and hot. Of course, each type of hot spring has its own specific medicinal properties.

Distribution and therapeutic properties of hot springs in Taiwan:

The German Quely first discovered the Beitou hot springs in 1894, and when the Japanese occupied Taiwan, they brought with them their rich culture of spring soaking which greatly influenced Taiwan. In March 1896, Hirado Gengo from Osaka, Japan opened Taiwan's first hot spring hotel, called Tenguan. This not only heralded a new era of hot spring bathing in Peitou, but also paved the way for a whole new hot spring culture. The four most famous hot springs during the Japanese occupation were Beitou, Yangmingshan, Guanziling and Sichongxi. However, after 1945 the hot spring culture in Taiwan gradually lost momentum, and only in 1999 did the authorities again started large-scale promotion of Taiwan's hot springs, initiating a comeback of the hot spring culture and setting off a new hot spring fever.

While in the past hot springs mainly had a recreational function, present development and usage of Taiwan's hot springs not only focuses on the traditional aspect of soaking, but also includes health benefits as a major drawing point of hot springs. Modern applications of hot springs include hydrotherapy, spring pools, spring saunas, spring massage pools, health bathing houses, and spring health centers. Many enterprises have invested in the construction or renovation of spring hotels, and have even purchased modern scientific hot spring equipment, transforming the traditional concept of hot spring soaking into the added-value concept of hot spring hydrotherapy. Now, while enjoying the traditional comfort of soaking in a hot spring, people can receive additional health benefits by taking advantage of the physical properties of water using hydro jets that splash columns of water onto the body, ultra-sonic massage equipment, and the water's natural buoyancy, made possible through the installation of modern equipment and the professional assistance of hot spring hydro therapists.

Next to their therapeutic effects, hot springs can also be used to boil eggs, irrigate crops and grow animals. The Jiaoxi hot springs, for example, are also used to grow water convolvulus (empty-stemmed vegetable) and raise softshell turtles, while hot springs in the Zhiben, Renze, Lushan and Sichongxi areas all have egg-boiling facilities.

Because most of Taiwan's hot springs are located in beautiful scenic areas, when going to soak in one of the numerous hot springs you will not only be able to get away from hectic life in the city but will also be given the opportunity to enjoy gorgeous scenery while listening to the voices of nature, thus adding a new dimension to recreation and health.

Famous hot springs spots in Taiwan

Yangmingshan
The highest concentration of hot springs can be found in the Yangmingshan region, where the mostly dormant Tatun Volcano is located. The volcano is now only slightly active, producing a never-ending supply of hot springs . Visitors have the added bonus of enjoying the cherry blossoms scenery in the springtime and the maples in autumn while soaking in the hot springs . No matter what season, the hot springs here are great!

Wulai
The Wulai hot springs, along the banks of the Nanshi Creek, are the most famous sodium carbonate hot springs in northern Taiwan . These hot springs , dubbed "Spring Beauty," are colorless and odorless, and are known to have rejuvenating effects on the skin. Wulai is also home to the Atayai tribe, and the tribe's traditional handicrafts and cuisines make coming to Wulai doubly worthwhile.

Taian
The Wenshui Creek in Miaoli boasts three famous hot springs : Hushan, Tenglong, and Taian. These hot springs are not only colorless and odorless, but drinkable, too. Additionally, there are many Hakka villages in Taian, and visitors often enjoy authentic Hakka cuisine in addition to the pleasure of dipping in hot springs . From your tastebuds to every inch of your skin, wonderful sensations are what Taian is all about!

Lushan
Located at an altitude of 400 kilometers, Lushan offers the highest hot springs in Taiwan . The bicarbonate water here is clear, and bathing in it is said to ameliorate the symptoms of rheumatism and neuralgia. Drinking the water is said to regulate one's acidity and cure chronic gastritis. Every year, bathers enjoy the elegant cherry blossoms that bloom between winter and spring. The relaxing, curative effects and scenery of Lushan hot springs keep visitors coming back.

Jiaosi
Jiaosi hot springs have been a popular tourist destination since the Japanese colonial period. At that time, a hot springs bathing pool was built for public use. A profound hot springs culture has since sprung up here in Jiaosi, and the flatland hot springs are more popular than ever. Locals use the mineral water to grow mineral rich vegetables: a specialty of Jiaosi. Between the extra tasty vegetables and rich heritage, Jiaosi is more than just a hot springs venue; it's its own culture!

Jhihben
Located in the Beinan Township , Taitung County , Jhiben is renowned as a hot springs resort. The service here is excellent and the water is not as hot as other hot springs , allowing bathers to jump right in. The hot springs water is also drinkable. Plunge straight in! And if you forget to close your mouth on the way in, fear not! In fact, go ahead and gulp some down!

Green Island
The Chao Ri hot springs on Green Island are the only seawater hot springs in Taiwan , and the only hot springs on an off-shore island. Visitors can enjoy the seaside coastal landscape while soaking in these hot springs . Modern spa facilities make the experience even more enjoyable. In addition to outdoor pools, the Chao Ri hot springs also boasts indoor pools, so rain or shine, every day is a good day to come and soak!

Guanzihling
Guanzihling hot springs have been renowned since the Japanese colonial era. Because the hot springs are loaded with minerals from subterranean rock strata, the water is of a dark gray hue; the hot springs are also referred to as the 'mud springs' or the 'black hot springs'. The abundant minerals make the skin soft and radiant. With the exception of the Sicilian hot springs and the Japanese Kagoshima hot springs, the Taiwanese Guanzihling hot springs are the only other hot springs of this kind.

The Goddess of the Hot Springs - Yang Guifei

Among names associated with Taiwanese Hot Springs, one names situated in history and now referred to as the 'hot spring goddess' is Yang Guifei. Yang was a concubine of the Emperor Xuanzong who developed a relationship with her that became an obsession. How she became the Goddess was part of the legend as he supposedly discovered her bathing in the Huaqing Hot Spring and was overcome by her beauty and, supposedly, her voluptuousness in comparison to the others around here. He was besotted from the first instant he saw her. Falling under her spell, Emperor Xuanzong would do anything to have Yang Yuhuan, even if it meant breaking up her marriage to his own son. The Emperor was obsessed with her. And why not? She was said to have “a face that would shame any flower.” Her loveliness was such that she is known up to the present day as one of the Four Beauties, women from ancient China legendary for their looks and the influence they exerted over emperors and kings who have fallen for their charms.

Emperor Xuanzong renamed her Yang Guifei, naming her “secondary consort” and establishing her importance in his court. He started neglecting affairs of state, preferring instead to spend his time in her company. To please her, he had the palace at Huaqing Hot Springs enlarged and she is said to have spent countless hours bathing there to keep her skin soft and supple. The Emperor also had fresh lychees, her favorite fruit, brought daily by horseback from the south where they were cultivated.

Her influence in court grew. Many of her relatives received appointments and were made officials in the court. Her eldest sister became Lady of Han; her third eldest sister became Lady of Guo; her eighth oldest sister became Lady of Qin; and a distant gambler cousin became a high ranking official. Even her adopted son, An Lushan, a general of Turkic origin, was given command of three adjacent areas northeast of Chang'an.

In 755, An Lushan staged a rebellion and marched into the capital. He led a force of about 200,000 men, inspiring their loyalty because he had been their leader for many years. Emperor Xuanzong fled towards the southwest, intending to escape with Yang Guifei.

The soldiers accompanying them, however, had other ideas. At Mawei Relay Stop, where they were to change horses, they demanded the execution of Yang Guifei, blaming her and her cousin for the rebellion and the decline of the dynasty. Yang Guifei, rather than turn herself over to the soldiers, hanged herself in the courtyard of a small Buddhist temple in Mawei village.

The Emperor eventually escaped to Sichuan. He tried to have Yang Guifei's body retrieved from Mawei Relay, but it was never found. A memorial tomb was erected in her honor in Xi. The Anshi Rebellion dragged on for several years before it finally crushed during the reign of Emperor Daizong, but it was the beginning of the end for the Tang Dynasty.

According to legend, Emperor Xuanzong tried to contact Yang Guifei in the afterlife via a Taoist priest able to summon and communicate with spirits. The priest found her in an enchanted isle on the sea where she was called “The Ever True.” She repeated vows of love known only to herself and the Emperor.

Emperor Xuanzong never got over the loss of Yang Guifei. He died a broken man some years later. The Tang Dynasty survived in name, but it had started a steady decline and would never regain its former glory. Ironically, it was Emperor Xuanzong who was credited with bringing the Tang Dynasty to its height of prosperity and grandeur and it was his infatuation with Yang Guifei that caused it to slowly crumble.