One degree of latitude = One kilometer of altitude. This is a crucial equation in the understanding of the potential of the Alishan Mountain as a tourist site. It allows both an ecological and cultural connection between Taiwan and a family of nations via a material argument about culture in the new global society: that new regionalisms can be constructed at all levels of material practice. We propose transforming the Alishan railroad right-of-way into an agricultural strip, supplying a series of specialty restaurants and a microeconomy of taste tourism. The opposition of nature and culture can no longer be conceived of as a simple dialectic. Indeed, models of thought and technique compel us to achieve our goals, paradoxically, through deeper levels of artifice. Agriculture maintains a varied and dynamic landscape of extreme variance. A Journey up the Alishan Mountain is a journey through four distinct ecosystems. We propose to harness this difference and accentuate it, so that the different climactic regions are reflected in a gradient of culture, cuisine, and landscape along the line. What we are proposing is the development of micro-agriculture to support international cuisine tourism along the Alishan train line. Fenquihu siteHistorical inertia has kept this vast public space a trainyard, but in fact, it is more like a piazza. Given the fact that there are only two trains a day passing through it, there is an incredible opportunity to transform the space into a resource for tourists, residents, and travelers. By paving the right-of-way at Fenquihu with Grasscrete and suppressing the tracks, we create a continuous flow of green from the parking areas, bamboo forest, and community center to the station and the town. Bleachers line the edge of the plaza along the natural slope of the topography, creating an amphitheater for performances and events. An arching footbridge forms both an enclosure and gateway. Ervanpin siteRather than assembling functions in a collection of separate buildings, an economical Glulam decking system integrates buildings smoothly into each other and into the landscape. Glue laminated (Glulam) timber beams will serve as the support for an economical and highly flexible decking system which allows for the creation of a long inflected spine along which programs are distributed. The decking Glulam assembly serves both as a structural element and a programmatic element, continuous with the landscape, it creates a wide, sloping boardwalk leading up from the gardens surrounding the building to a sunset viewing platform. The building itself is an openwork, with low appreciable building mass and minimal foundation impact.