Hi, Wings Of Fire fans! If you’re a huge bookworm like me, the second you hear the words "Jade Mountain," you probably think of Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland. You’re probably picturing the Jade Mountain Academy where Clay, Tsunami, and the other Dragonets of Destiny set up a school to stop all the dragon tribes from shredding each other. You might expect to see a massive mountain shaped like a dragon with its wings spread out, full of secret caves, a giant library, and NightWings flying around.But the real-world Jade Mountain in Taiwan is totally different, though still completely epic. There are zero dragons (sadly), no animus magic, and no classroom caves. Instead of being a fictional school for magical reptiles, Taiwan’s Jade Mountain—which locals call Yushan—is a real, massive chunk of rock made by tectonic plates smashing together millions of years ago. It’s a sanctuary for real nature instead of fantasy adventures! When it comes to height, the real Jade Mountain is an absolute beast. It stands at a mind-blowing 3,952 meters tall. That is over 12,900 feet!To put that into perspective, it is actually way taller than Mount Fuji in Japan, which is super famous but loses by about 200 meters. This makes Jade Mountain the literal king of Northeast Asia because it’s the tallest peak in the whole region. It’s so high up in the sky that during the winter, the top gets blasted with freezing snow. When the sun hits the snowy peak, it glows and looks exactly like a giant, shiny piece of green-white jade stone, which is exactly how it got its awesome name. Even though there aren't any RainWings or MudWings hiding in the trees, the wildlife on Jade Mountain feels like it belongs in a fantasy movie anyway. Because the mountain is so insanely tall, climbing it is like walking through different worlds.At the bottom, it's super warm and green, full of crazy thick forests and ancient trees like the giant Taiwan hemlock and twisted alpine junipers that look like something out of a haunted woods. But the animals are the coolest part. If you’re hiking, you might get pranked by a Formosan rock macaque, which is a super smart monkey, or see a Formosan serow, which looks like a magical goat-antelope hybrid jumping across the cliffs. Plus, the deep woods are home to the legendary Formosan black bear. They have this awesome white "V" shape on their chest that makes them look like furry superheroes. So, whether you are reading about a magical dragon school in a fantasy book or looking at pictures of a giant mountain poking through the clouds in Taiwan, Jade Mountain is just a cool name for a cool place. Taiwan's real-life Yushan is a massive natural wonder that people from all over the world dream of climbing. It protects some of the rarest animals on earth and stands proud as the highest point in its part of the world. It proves that real life can be just as wild and amazing as the stories we read.
Pics from google!
