Braving the scorching summer sun, oppressive humidity, heavy rains and two typhoons, and surviving a section of the eastern highway where gravel trucks are known to race past at breakneck speeds, the 36 activists, ranging in age from 13 years old to 80, completed their 1,100-kilometer trip in 45 days.
The activity was organized by Providence's Ecology Department, with help from the Taiwan Academy of Ecology. Kuo Yen-jen, who is studying ecology, is the original planner of the event, which snowballed around him. He said that his original goal was simple: to amble around the island over the summer holiday and gain a better understanding of the environment of the country of his birth, and where he plans to spend his life. As it turned out, the Taiwanese trekker was joined by several people, and his solo activity ballooned into a media event.
Chung Ting-mao, a professor of environmental studies at Providence, noted that the aim was to call people's attention to their environment. They got a better understanding of Taiwan's environment by walking through it, Chung said. Issues such as water conservation, preservation of historic sites, the dangers of nuclear energy, industrialization of the east coast, overdevelopment and various kinds of pollution caused by heavy industry were all highlighted by the trip.
Chung said the most tasking part of the journey was not the physical fatigue, but seeing the polluted land and spoiled scenery, while not being able to do anything about it.
He urged the government to refrain from promoting industries that contribute to the production of greenhouse gases. He also urged the general public to pay more attention to the fast-deteriorating environment of Taiwan, and hold back the relentless drive toward development.
Meanwhile, a more upbeat round-island trip was promoted in July, 2005, in which tourists were invited to learn more about the 319 towns of Taiwan. Sponsored by the local magazine Commonwealth, an estimated 595 people completed the whole tour of Taiwanese towns over the past year, with tens of thousands taking partial tours.
Last week, the former group received souvenir certificates from none other than Premier Su Tseng-chang, who praised the tourists for their passion and persistence in completing the journey and expressed his hope that "all will come to love the land with their feet."
The magazine asked the people who visited each and every town about their favorites, and Changhua County's Lugang was voted the friendliest and most idiosyncratic town of the 319 visited. This was followed by Suao in Yilan, Danshuei in Taipei, Cyonglin in Hsinchu and Dajia in Taichung.