The Changhua County Government held the commencement ceremony for Phase Two construction of the hot springs experience facility at the Qingshuiyan boy scout camping ground in Shetou Township on the 17th. A total of NT$138.2 million will be invested to develop the conference, dining and business areas including: open air hot springs area, men/women nude pool, public pool and children’s pool as well as the surrounding environmental landscape. According to County Magistrate Cho, Phase Two construction will take 320 working days and is slated for completion on August 9 next year. By then, the outstanding “Beauty Hot Springs” experience facility in Changhua will be even more sophisticated, therefore it can be included as a destination for 1~2 day tour itineraries to visit various scenic attractions along the Baguashan Mountain route. As a result, the project will generate tourism industry developments in Changhua.
　　County Magistrate Cho suggests that the first hot springs experience facility was completed and opened to the public free of charge in springs this year, opening a new chapter in the hot springs industry of Changhua. Phase Two construction will make the hot springs experience more complete; together with the THSR Changhua Station in Tianzhong scheduled for opening in July next year, the tourism resources in Beidou, Tianzhong and Shetou will be integrated to generate flourish tourism developments in the respective regions. In addition, 1~2 day tour itineraries can be devised by incorporating scenic destinations along the Baguashan Mountain route such as the Ershui bicycle path, Tianzhong’s Gushan Temple, Shetou’s Qingshuiyan, Huatan’s Hushan Temple, Baozang Temple in Fenyuan and Baguashan Mountain in Changhua in order to stimulate the local tourism industry.
　　During his briefing, the Director of Department of City and Tourism Yo Wen-Xiang pointed out that “Phase Two Construction of the Hot Springs Experience Facility in Changhua” is set to expand the development of hot springs resources in Baguashan Mountain. The brand new “Phase Two Construction of the Hot Springs Experience Facility in Changhua” is designed by a prominent Japanese open air hot springs designer and includes the conference, dining and business areas, open air hot springs area and the surrounding environmental landscape. The total area of phase two project is 8,848m2, but only 985 m2 will be developed with the goal of seamlessly fusing artificial facilities with natural landscapes. Consequently, the overall landscape design draws inspiration from wooden open spatial structures, and the wooden structure is combined with glass roof to shield against the sun, rain, and serve functions such as lighting and aesthetics. The Phase Two construction project includes major facilities such as men/women nude pool, open air hot springs and restaurant. The winning bid price for the project is NT$138.2 million, and the construction requires 320 working days to complete.
　　Since antiquity, “hot springs” has been a natural resource used by people for stimulating health and conducting hydrotherapy. Developing Changhua County’s tourism resources and increasing the local tourism characteristics has always been the administrative policy of the Changhua County Government. According to Changhua County Annals, the hot springs industry in Baguashan Mountain, Changhua County was once a thriving industry; to this day, there are still roads and parks named after hot springs in the county. In order to resurrect the Baguashan Mountain hot springs industry, the County Government has actively surveyed, explored and developed the local hot springs resources. The sodium bicarbonate springs inside the Qingshuiyan boy scout camping ground is praised as “Beauty Soup” and has a water temperature of 41°C, making it a medium temperature hot springs. The “Beauty Hot Springs” is not only comparable to its Japanese counterpart but also surpasses other major hot springs in Taiwan. “Phase One Construction of the Hot Springs Experience Facility in Changhua” includes public facilities such as foot spa pool and gazebo, which were officially inaugurated on April 18. The facility is open to the public free of charge so that people can come to Shetou to experience hot springs.
After “Phase Two Construction of the Hot Springs Experience Facility in Changhua” was commenced today, Phase One of the project will still be open to the public free of charge; therefore, visitors from all over Taiwan are welcome to embark on a journey of ecological tourism and hot springs recreation in Changhua.
Courtesy of Changhua County Government official website