Lianlian 197: Riding Between the Pacific and the Rift Valley, the Road That Keeps Taitung Locals Coming Back

Some routes are meant to be challenged; others are meant to be remembered. Lianlian 197 belongs to the latter—it may not be Taitung’s steepest climb, but it is the stretch of highway most likely to linger in your mind.

1. A Road That Belongs Entirely to Taitung

Among Taiwan’s county highway system, few roads are like County Highway 197, staying within the same county from start to finish without ever leaving. It spans approximately 59.67 kilometers, starting in the urban area of Chishang Township in the north and ending at Shichuan in Taitung City to the south, passing through five townships in sequence—Chishang, Guanshan, Luye, Yanping, and Beinan—names that, strung together, read almost like a condensed map of everyday life in the Taitung Rift Valley.

This road runs alongside Provincial Highway 9, yet it has carved out a completely different character. Provincial Highway 9 is the Rift Valley’s transportation artery, with heavy traffic and wide, straight, open views; County Highway 197, by contrast, is like another vein of the valley, winding between rice paddies and low hills. Roughly three-quarters of its surface is asphalt, while the remaining quarter retains the raw appearance of a gravel road. Precisely because it is not a major thoroughfare, traffic volume is far lower than on Provincial Highway 9, making it an unspoken “secret path” for cyclists and motorcyclists alike.

Among its stretches, the tree-lined section near Guanshan is the most celebrated. Trees line both sides of the road, their branches and leaves weaving together overhead into a natural green tunnel, with dappled light and shadow falling across the asphalt. The scenery is so beautiful that riders have nicknamed it “Taiwan’s New Zealand.” Every time you ride into this section, your speed unconsciously drops—not because the grade steepens, but because you cannot bear to finish it too quickly.

2. “Lianlian 197”: A Love Letter to the Land, Written for Over a Decade

If you search online for “Lianlian 197,” you will find that it is not just the name of a road, but also the name of a cycling event. Organized by the Taitung County Urban-Rural Life Movement Association, the event’s official tagline reads “Fall in Love with 197,” inviting riders to “feel the wind, sunshine, and passion of the East Coast.” Based on registration information from recent years, this event has been held for over fifteen years, making it one of the deeply rooted local cycling fixtures in Taitung.

Interestingly, although the event bears the name 197, its actual main route largely follows Provincial Highway 11 along the East Coast: starting from the Beinan Irrigation Canal Waterfront Park, passing the Beinan River flood-control road and Taitung Bridge, heading north on Provincial Highway 11, passing through Chenggong Township and Baishoulian, turning around near Sanxian Bridge, and finally cutting back onto County Highway 197 to finish. In other words, the name “Lianlian 197” describes less a single road and more a state of mind—gathering all of eastern Taitung, from coast to valley, into a single ride.

Every December, as the northeast monsoon begins to blow across Taitung’s coast, this event takes place as scheduled, with hundreds of riders gathering from across Taiwan on the banks of the Beinan River, ready to rediscover this land on two wheels. For many local riders, this is not merely a race but an annual ritual—using one ride to bid farewell to the passing year alongside this sea and valley.

3. From Sea to Valley: A Journey Across Two Faces of Taitung

If you ask people who have ridden in Taitung for years how County Highway 197 differs from Provincial Highway 11, they will probably describe it like this: Provincial Highway 11 is extroverted—the Pacific Ocean is on your right, and the sound of waves crashing against the breakwaters can almost drown out the whir of your chain; County Highway 197 is introverted—rice waves ripple with the wind, distant mountains stack in layers, and it is quiet enough to hear your own breath and heartbeat.

Riding the northern section of Provincial Highway 11, the sea-meets-sky vista needs almost no filter. The fishing harbor around Chenggong and the rocky coastline at Baishoulian are among the most iconic scenery of Taitung’s East Coast. The salty sea breeze hits you head-on, and the apparent temperature drops noticeably with the wind, so even under the blazing summer sun, a hint of coolness lingers on this stretch.

After turning onto County Highway 197, the scene shifts in an instant. The rice paddies around Chishang and Guanshan change color with the seasons—tender green after transplanting, lush green at heading, golden before harvest—and every month you ride through offers a different landscape. Luye Highland is visible in the distance, and if you happen to be there during the summer hot-air balloon festival, you may occasionally spot colorful balloons rising slowly into the sky, playing off the valley’s rice waves. This experience of switching from the “grandeur of the ocean” to the “gentleness of the valley” is precisely what makes this route so captivating—within just over a hundred kilometers, you feel as though you have ridden through two souls of Taitung.

4. First-Person Perspective: Moments You Only Understand After Riding

Setting out at dawn from the Beinan Irrigation Canal Waterfront Park, the air still carries the coolness of the night, and thin mist occasionally drifts over the Beinan River. Riding along the flood-control road, the silvergrass on the riverbed sways in the wind, while the ridgeline of the Central Mountain Range gradually sharpens in the morning light. This is the quietest moment of the day, and the best time to shift your mindset into “long-distance mode.”

Once you get onto Provincial Highway 11, the sea appears before you without warning. The first time you see that blue, it is hard not to slow down and take a longer look—the color of the Pacific shifts constantly with the clouds and light, sometimes a deep indigo, sometimes a near-transparent pale green stained by the sun. The fishing harbor at Chenggong carries the scent of the sea, and you might occasionally spot fishing boats coming and going—that is the everyday rhythm of this coast, coexisting in a curious way with the riders racing past.

By the time you reach the Sanxian Bridge area and prepare to turn back, your energy is usually more than half spent, but psychologically a subtle excitement sets in—because you know the turn is coming, and you will face the road you came on again, but from a different angle. On the southbound leg after the turnaround, the wind direction often shifts. If you hit a headwind, that feeling of every pedal stroke fighting against the wind makes you cherish all the more the calm, shaded refuge of County Highway 197 that awaits.

The final 20 kilometers into County Highway 197, especially the green tunnel near Guanshan, is the most emotionally charged stretch of the entire ride. Your body is tired, but the images before your eyes make you reluctant to see it end. Sunlight filters through the gaps in the branches, flowing across the road surface with your speed—that play of light and shadow is something many riders describe as “riding into a moving painting.” At the moment you cross the finish line and look back at the sea and valley you have traversed, you understand why this route draws people back year after year.

5. Local Culture and the Breathing of This Land

The rhythm of life in the Taitung Rift Valley largely follows the rice-growing cycle and the seasons. The Chishang and Guanshan area is one of Taiwan’s premier rice-producing regions, and the changing colors of the rice waves are almost the clock of this land—transplanting, heading, grain-filling, harvesting—written clearly across the fields through the four seasons. Riding County Highway 197, if your timing is right, you can see farmers working in the fields, a way of life tightly bound to the land that is a reality hard to find in the city.

Meanwhile, Chenggong Township along Provincial Highway 11 preserves the typical pace of an East Coast fishing village. The supply stops by the harbor may not be Michelin-starred culinary landmarks, but that down-to-earth authenticity is precisely the most moving backdrop of this route. As for the “Donghe Meat Bun Section,” marked as a supply-point landmark on the official event route, it symbolizes more than anything a kind of geographic familiarity—locals all know that spot, and even if you are not sure which vendor it is, the name alone is enough to evoke shared memories for many old-timers of Taitung.

6. Seasonal Scenery

The most captivating thing about this route is that it offers a different face in every season. Riding in summer (roughly June to August), besides contending with Taitung’s high temperatures and intense UV rays, you also have a chance to catch the hot-air balloon festival at Luye Highland. If the route aligns well, catching sight of balloons rising slowly in the distance becomes the most unexpected delight of the entire trip.

Autumn and winter (roughly November to February) mark the season of strengthening northeast monsoons, and it is also the fixed month for the “Lianlian 197” event. During this period, the coastal section of Provincial Highway 11 sees noticeably stronger winds, raising the challenge level, but temperatures are comparatively cooler, making it suitable for long-distance riding without the risk of heatstroke. As for the rice paddies along County Highway 197, if you happen to catch them around harvest time, the golden waves of grain set against the slightly bleak northeast monsoon carry a distinct, wistful beauty.

Spring (March to May) offers relatively stable weather and is considered by many riders the most comfortable season—moderate temperatures, gentler winds, rice paddies at their lush green, and the eastern mountains wrapped in mist and clouds, adding richer visual layers to the entire route.

7. Suggested Side Trips

If time allows, consider planning this ride as a one- to two-day itinerary rather than a single-day out-and-back. Along Provincial Highway 11, the Chenggong and Donghe areas offer numerous rest points with ocean views, ideal for a mid-route pause to let both body and mind catch their breath. On the County Highway 197 section, you can also visit Guanshan Waterfront Park and Luye Highland (especially unmissable during hot-air balloon season), or even stop briefly in Chishang to soak in the pastoral atmosphere of Taiwan’s most famous rice-producing region.

As for gear, beyond basic supplies and sun protection, it is also worth bringing a lightweight camera or making good use of your phone, because the scenery along this route changes so richly that a moment’s inattention can mean missing a shot worth capturing—whether it is the vastness of sea meeting sky or the tranquil play of light and shadow through the tree-lined sections, both deserve an extra moment of your time.

8. In Closing: Why 197

Taitung has many routes—Wuling, Taimali, and the Zhiben mountains each have their own challenges and fame. But what makes County Highway 197 special is that it never tries to prove its existence through steep gradients. It is more like a gentle guide, leading you through Taitung’s most ordinary and most authentic face—the simplicity of coastal fishing villages, the serenity of valley rice paddies, the poetry of tree-lined roads.

Every December, when the riders of “Lianlian 197” gather once again on the banks of the Beinan River, ready to push down on their pedals, perhaps many are not thinking about records or rankings, but simply wanting, one more time, to reconfirm their relationship with this land on two wheels. This is probably why a route with such unassuming total elevation gain can make people yearn for it and cling to it year after year—because what it offers is never just mileage, but a memory of Taitung that can be revisited again and again.

9. Riders in Dialogue with the Land

Spend enough time cycling in Taitung and you will notice something: the cycling culture here is very different from that of western cities. On the riverside bike paths and ring roads of the west, riders often chase speed and mileage numbers; but on County Highway 197 and Provincial Highway 11, you will encounter riders of every pace—fully kitted racers pursuing an aerodynamic stance, as well as local uncles and grandmothers on basket bikes, leisurely taking in the scenery. This mixed cycling ecosystem echoes the character of Taitung itself: unhurried, unflustered, yet carrying a steady, determined rhythm.

Many riders who fly in or drive down from the west, after finishing this route for the first time, share a similar sentiment: cycling in the city, your eyes are always busy dodging traffic and red lights; but on 197 and 11, your gaze can stretch unhindered into the distance—far enough to see the Central Mountain Range and the Coastal Mountain Range flanking the valley on both sides, far enough to see the Pacific’s horizon slicing cleanly across the sky. This feeling of “having your视野 given back to you” may well be the deeper reason so many people return year after year.

10. On Waiting and Slowing Down

A local rider once described the tree-lined section at Guanshan like this: “Elsewhere, you ride past the scenery; here, the scenery wraps around you.” In a sense, this captures the biggest difference between County Highway 197 and ordinary scenic roads—it is not a route where you need to stop and take photos to appreciate the beauty; the beauty is dissolved into the act of riding itself. The temperature under the shade is two or three degrees cooler than outside, and the rustle of wind through the leaves blends with the sound of tires on asphalt, creating an atmosphere that is hard to describe precisely in words yet instinctively makes you ease off your cadence.

This experience of “slowing down” is, in a way, the most precious gift this route gives to riders. In a road-cycling culture obsessed with wattage, average power, and climbing speed, County Highway 197 uses its gentle terrain to remind riders: cycling, beyond chasing numerical progress, can also be simply about enjoying the dialogue between body and land. Whether you ride for training, for competition, or just to find a place to clear your mind, this route is always there, waiting to be rediscovered.

11. For Those About to Set Off

If this is your first time planning to ride Lianlian 197, consider adjusting your mindset to a journey of “getting to know Taitung” rather than just accumulating mileage. Bring plenty of water and portable food, set out on a morning when the wind is not too strong, and give yourself ample time to linger a few extra minutes by the seawall in Chenggong to watch the sea, and to deliberately slow down on the tree-lined section at Guanshan, letting sunlight and tree shadows fall across your body.

When you finish the full 120 kilometers and return to the starting point at the Beinan Irrigation Canal Waterfront Park, watching the stream flow quietly and the distant mountains still standing, you will understand that this route is called “Lianlian 197” not merely because of a catchy, memorable name, but because everyone who has truly ridden it carries in their heart a lingering attachment—one they cannot quite articulate, yet always remember to come back for.

12. Unexpected Surprises: Passing by Hot-Air Balloons and Rice Waves

On Taitung’s tourism calendar, the hot-air balloon festival at Luye Highland is undoubtedly the most eye-catching page of summer. If your ride happens to fall during the event period, even though the County Highway 197 route does not pass directly by the venue, a glance back across the valley from the right angle can still reveal those colorful balloons rising slowly into the sky, set against the layered Coastal Mountain Range behind them—a scene so dreamlike you cannot help but stop and snap a few photos. This sense of “not going to see it, yet stumbling upon it by chance” is a pleasure unique to long-distance road cycling—compared to driving straight to a scenic spot, moving slowly on two wheels makes it easier to catch these fleeting moments.

And if you choose to ride during the transplanting or pre-harvest seasons, the rice paddies flanking County Highway 197 present entirely different expressions. In the faint light of early morning, seedlings still bearing dew glisten softly; toward dusk, grain heads before harvest are dyed gold by the setting sun, and a breeze sends waves rippling through the fields—a sight so beautiful it makes you understand why the Chishang and Guanshan area is always a favorite subject for Taiwan’s photography enthusiasts. These images need no post-processing filters, only a pair of eyes willing to slow down and look.

13. Ways to Keep 197 in Your Heart

Many people who have ridden this route develop a peculiar habit afterward—even after leaving Taitung for a long time, the moment they see a similar rice paddy or coastline, the image of that tree-lined stretch of County Highway 197 automatically surfaces in their minds. This is perhaps the true charm of a great route: it does not disappear when the ride ends, but quietly takes up residence in your memory, becoming the first image that comes to mind every time you think of Taitung.

Whether you come for training mileage or are simply drawn by this gentle name, Lianlian 197 ultimately gives every rider the same gift—a stretch of time in which to feel the warmth of the land anew, and a reason sufficient to make you willingly set out on the journey again, year after year.

14. 197 in the Eyes of Old-Timer Taitung Residents

For people born and raised in Taitung, County Highway 197 has never been a “tourist route” but part of everyday life. It is the farm road farmers use to transport rice, the commuting path for students going to and from school, and the daily scenery of elders taking evening strolls or slowly riding basket bikes to a neighboring village for groceries. This quality of being “a road used by life” is precisely what gives out-of-town riders a sense of authenticity hard to find in touristified attractions—you are not riding a bike path built for sightseeing, but a road that genuinely carries the texture of local life.

Because of this, the residents you meet along the way tend to be especially warm. Farmers working in the fields will occasionally pause and look up to wave at you; the corner-store owner, seeing a sweat-soaked rider stop to buy water, will casually chat about this year’s rice harvest or the weather. These small yet sincere interactions are another kind of scenery that County Highway 197 and Provincial Highway 11 offer riders—not geographic, but human.

15. For the Self Who Will Visit Again

After completing Lianlian 197 once, many people find themselves quietly looking forward to “the next time.” Perhaps it is to experience the changing colors of the rice waves in a different season, perhaps to challenge completing the full route in less time, or perhaps simply to miss that stretch at Guanshan where time seems to slow down, wrapped in shade. This inexplicable pull is the unique charm of Taitung—it does not seize your attention with intensity, but draws you back, time and again, through a gentle, steady current, without you even realizing it.

If you ask me what is most precious about Lianlian 197, I think the answer may not be the figure of 1,028 meters of total elevation gain, nor the tree-lined green corridor dubbed “Taiwan’s New Zealand,” but rather the memory of Taitung—unique to each person—that remains in every rider’s heart after finishing. It might be the Beinan River shrouded in morning mist, the shock of seeing the Pacific for the first time on Provincial Highway 11, or simply that breath at the finish line, mingled with sweat and the salt of the sea breeze. Pieced together, these images are what truly make 197 so hard to let go of.

16. For Those Who Have Not Yet Set Off

If you are still hesitating about whether to plan a journey along County Highway 197 and Provincial Highway 11, perhaps start by asking yourself a simple question: when was the last time you let both body and mind slow down at once, truly savoring the taste of wind, sun, and earth? In an age that prizes efficiency and speed, Lianlian 197 offers precisely the opposite value—it invites you to slow your pace and, in the most primal way—feet pedaling, eyes seeing, ears listening—rediscover the land of Taitung.

Whether you are ultimately drawn by its scenery or moved by its indescribable human warmth, Lianlian 197 is always there, quietly waiting for the next rider willing to slow down, to come and write their own chapter of memory. And when you finally push down on that first pedal stroke, setting off into the morning breeze along the Beinan River, you will discover that what this route ultimately teaches you may not be just how to complete 120 kilometers, but how to relearn, in the slowest and most honest way, to fall in love with a piece of land.

Related Reading

• Deep Riding Through Taiwan’s Rift Valley: Ten Hidden Scenic Routes in the Huadong Valley
• Hualien County Highway 193: Taiwan’s Most Beautiful Flat Ride Through the Valley
• Provincial Highway 9 Through the Huadong Valley: Finding the Purest Meaning of Cycling Between Serenity and Speed
• Cycling Around the Taitung Rift Valley: Slow Riding Experiences and Connecting Scenic Spots on the Huadong Section