"Kayaking" is the only organized river sport in the Republic of China, and Grass Lake in Hsinchu County is its national headquarters. Here, training classes have been opened, and large-scale contests are regularly held.
Kayak operators draw their satisfaction from overcoming almost-engulfing rapids. "This is a game with one's life al slake, really thrilling," says Chen Lai-cheng, manager of one kayak club. When the players are threading up a while-water stream, they can see the cliffs on both sides; the while clouds in the blue sky above seem to be passing backward. When they have a "splash," they have a special sensation of cool, never experienced on other occasions. This gives them a sense of conquering.
According to Hsia Hsueh-chang, who likes to maneuver both thermal-gas balloons and kayaks, the most interesting outdoor sports are along the streams: "Here, there are mountains, waters, and cliffs; the scenery varies section by section. Unlike the sea, which is just a vast expanse of water, a stream flows by landscapes of differing trees, flowers, and rocks, changing with different elevations. Most intriguing of all is, perhaps, the constant chirping of birds and insects. These are the contributing elements to real relaxation."
The streams of Taiwan are particularly fitted to the fast-developing kayak sports scene. The mountains are high, the streams are many, the flow is rapid, and the rainy season is long. Moreover, Taiwan's highlands are springlike year around.
Kayaking is a universal sport, depending on the speed of the stream, suitable for participation by the old as well as the young. Certainly, physical strength is required in a contest, but for recreation purposes alone, everyone, housewives as well as soccer stars, can become expert kayak operators.
So far, the youngest trainee graduated by the Grass Lake Kayak Club is just six years old. Though he mastered the skill in just three days according to the rules, any boy under 11 must be constantly observed while operating a kayak. The oldest trainee at Grass Lake is over 60. Because the speed of the craft is controlled by the operator, an old man can learn and enjoy the skill.
Two or three hundred years ago, the Pingpu tribesmen of Taiwan used dugouts as their main transportation; Manga, the oldest district of Taipei, held a harbor for the big canoes.
As more and more Chinese emigrants came to Taiwan and influenced the Pingpu tribesmen's way of life, gradually, canoes gave way to large boats and were passed up almost to oblivion. Today, few people understand that canoes played an important role in Taiwan's transportation history.
About a dozen years ago, an American brought a kayak to Grass Lake. Before departing for home, he gave the Eskimo-type canoe to Chen Hsin-liang, manager of the Grass Lake Recreational Center.
Chen used the kayak as a model, and over the years, he has made more then 20 such craft for hiring by visitors. He is credited as Taiwan's first commercial kayak producer.
In 1975, a British naval instructor planned to promote canoe-type sports in Taiwan and won support from the Tourism Bureau of the Republic of China. He was prepared to conduct training course at Fulung Beach. Coral lake, and Kenting Beach in April of that year, but called off his plan for lack of enthusiastic response. Now that conditions for developing the sport have ripened—especially the affordability of private transportation means—it has become increasingly popular with the passing of each day.
Grass Lake, cradle of the sport, is actually a backwater, excellent as a training ground for green hands. Only when a man has mastered the skills on placid waters can he be allowed to move to the seas and turbulent rivers—to get his thrills.
Even maneuvering skills are not enough, however. He is also required to arm himself with a life-saving jacket, helmet, a spare paddle, special gloves, and other protective necessities.
Besides Grass Lake, which is particularly good for training kayak operators, the Choshui and Tachia Rivers in central Taiwan, the Hsiukuluan River in eastern Taiwan, the Tahan River in northern Taiwan, and the stream at Pinglin and Heron Pond in the vicinity of Taipei, all are thrilling destinations for kayak operators. Right now, only the rivers in northern Taiwan are haunted in this initial stage of the sport.
Rowing a kayak in the rapids calls for a flair for quick response and decision. The operator must know how to round the end of a rapid and avoid a rock or wave. Otherwise, both the boat and himself will "disappear."
The rowing of a rubber boat is not so risky. When caught in the rapids, the operator needs only to coil his body and leave himself to the mercy of Providence.
Because the rubber boat is soft, it is not likely to be damaged in a crash. Besides, it is wide and has a shallower draft, so it is not likely to capsize in rapids or waves. Therefore, it is safer than a kayak.
A rubber boat performs differently from a "normal" boat. An ordinary boat has a deeper draft of water, so it sails straighter than a rubber boat and is easier to maneuver. But then when it hits something, it is prone to capsize. A rubber boat, however, seldom capsizes. If there is a danger, it is leaking. Because it is highly buoyant, it is difficult to control. To correct this defect, many people like to add a keel to their rubber boats.
Before a rubber boat is launched, the operator must tackle the strenuous job of pumping in the air pedaling the pump for as long as 20 minutes before his boat is properly inflated. The greater the inflation, the higher the risk of being damaged by rocks and sticks. An experienced rubber boat operator prefers to inflate his boat only to 80 percent of capacity, but his timidity also decreases the boat's buoyancy and its speed.
Rowing with the rapids is the source of most of the thrills. The rower must instantly determine which is the easiest course. He must be adventurous strong persevering quick in response. Only people between the ages of 18 to 40 should normally have, I try.
Different rubber boats are available for different purposes. Some are for recreation and fishing, whereas others are designed for military uses and for over coming rapids.
Because a rubber craft is portable, inexpensive and easy to maintain it is popular among enthusiasts of outdoor sports. Occasionally, it serves a more practical and humanistic purpose—to ferry people marooned by typhoon floods.
Another burgeoning island sport is upstream hiking. The enthusiasts must be physically strong, well-trained and good at swimming. Such water-hikers walk in the waist-deep waters, and when their way is blocked by a precipice or gorge, they must overcome their difficulties by climbing or descending to the water ahead. Therefore, they must possess the comprehensive skills of mountaineering as well as swimming.
The upstream hiker must be able to judge terrain, determine negotiable routes, and adapt his approaches to the terrain. If progress is prevented by rapids hikers must trudge along the shallow edge of the water; encountering a deep pond, they must march forward in light order to find out whether the edge of the pond is negotiable. If they come across waterfalls, they have to find another route and bypass the falls, then lower themselves to the water on the other side. In most cases, ropes and other alpine gear are employed.
As upstream hiking is dangerous, the enthusiasts must cooperate as a team in every move. They must be well-equipped with various required gear and wear quick-drying clothes and special straw sandals. The food they eat must be easy to cook and preserve. Other required equipment includes maps: compasses, and altimeters.
As Taiwan is an island characterized by high mountains and ravines, it is indeed a perfect place for developing while-water sports. Nevertheless, such sports today are still in their budding stage, widely read about but with few participants.