The location of Yuanshan
The location of Yuanshan ~~ Yuanshan in Taipei basin
Yuanshan was formerly known as “Yuanshanzai”, also known as “Dragon Cave Hill”, later known as Yuanshan. Peak elevation is of about thirty six meters, with terrain sloping from west to east. It was one of the uplift “island” among Yuanshan, Zhishanyan in the ancient Taipei lake.
Prehistoric: It was formed through several long-term natural forces. The Yuanshan culture was one of the superior prehistoric culture of late Neolithic culture in the Taipei basin. It started from around thirty two hundreds years ago, and disappeared or changed in about twenty three hundreds ago. It was partially influenced by the southeastern coast of Asian continent. Through archaeological excavations, numerous shells was found on the hillside.
The North-gate is a closed bunker, built to defend against firearms, its wall body equipped with bricks and stone segments, with two layers of wall and roof of traditional Chinese style wooden frame, conducive to defense at war, with deep architectural features and historical significance. Lizheng-gate is located at the west side of south wall, also known as Big-south-gate, and was the main gate of prefectural Taipei city, and is different from the other gates, with stone plaque surrounded by pattern of chi-dragon and magnificent roof of double eaves and four side slopes. The Jingfu-gate also known as East-gate, facing the important port in northern Taiwan, Keelung, with important mission of defense, connected to “Dongmen street” which is Ketagalan boulevard nowadays, with the most exquisite stone works among five gates of prefectural Taipei city. Little-south-gate is the most compact one among those five gates, unlike the other four gates it is a closed and chilly bunker-like one, and very beautiful like a small temple.
In those years, in favor of the geomantic so called “dragon tail cavern”, Japanese had built a shrine at Yuanshan. After the retrocession of Taiwan, on the ruin of the shrine, a Taiwan hotel was built, which is the present Grand Hotel. As Grand Hotel is based on the mountain (Jiantan mountain) at the back and overlooking the river (Keelung river), its geomantic position is optimum.
As geomantic legend, Jiantan mountain was a snake cavern. Instead of building on the edge of Yuanshan or Jiantan mountain, Japanese built the Taiwan shrine on top of Yuansan, with approaching road from Taipei city, for that location was the vital part of the snake cavern, it was shown that Japanese attempted to contain the dragon cavern with an impetus of that shrine. In the so-called geomantic “dragon tail cavern” for Jiantan mountain, considered it as a hidden dragon with only head and tail exposed, and Jiantan mountain was the tail of the hidden dragon, opposite to the distant “dragon head cavern” of Monkey mountain of Muzha Zhinan temple in Taipei.
