Yangming: More Than Just a Mountain – Decoding Taiwan's Multiverse of Yangming, from Shipping to Philosophy

On a spring day in Taipei, nothing draws a crowd quite like the Yangmingshan Flower Festival. Weekends or weekdays, you'll always see families and couples heading up Yangde Avenue, hoping to catch a glimpse of the cherry blossoms and azaleas blanketing the hills. But for those of us who've been knocking around Taipei for decades, the name 'Yangming' means a whole lot more than just a mountain.

Mention 'Yangming', and the first image that pops into my head is those massive container ships with 'YANG MING' boldly printed on the side. That's right – Yang Ming Marine Transport. As a kid, you'd always see their vessels down at Keelung Harbor. Back then, with Taiwan's economy taking off, a career at sea was a solid gig. The shipping industry has had its ups and downs since, but Yang Ming is still a major global player, its fleet crisscrossing the world's ports – a different kind of 'point of pride' for Taiwan.

Heading up Yangmingshan, you'll find a top-tier university tucked away on the hillside – National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. Following the recent wave of university mergers, Yang Ming and Chiao Tung tied the knot to form NYCU. The older generation might still call it by its old name, Yang Ming Medical College, given its medical and life science programs are among the best in the country. Whenever I pass that campus and see students in white coats hurrying by, I'm reminded that this mountain offers more than just great views; it's steeped in knowledge.

Speaking of Yangming, you can't leave out the philosopher who left such a deep mark on Eastern culture – Wang Yangming. Sure, he was from the Ming Dynasty, but his 'School of Mind' philosophy still has its followers in Taiwan's intellectual circles. That motto of his, 'the Unity of Knowledge and Action', is practically a mantra for many entrepreneurs. Interestingly, the names Yangmingshan, Yang Ming Marine Transport, and even Yang Ming Chiao Tung University are all, in one way or another, connected back to him. Yangmingshan was originally known as Caoshan (Grass Mountain); it was renamed by President Chiang Kai-shek, an admirer of Wang Yangming's teachings. When you think about it, the name 'Yangming' really does weave its way through our daily lives, our culture, and our very thoughts.

If you're planning a trip up the mountain soon, here are a few local favourites you might want to check out:

• Lengshuikeng (Cold Water Pit): Skip the crowds at Qingtiangang. The reflection of the reeds in the ecological pond at Lengshuikeng looks like a postcard, no filter needed.
• Zhuzihu (Bamboo Lake): Sure, the calla lily season is famous, but on a regular weekday, Zhuzihu is far more serene. Find a local chicken farm restaurant, order some wild veggies and sweet potato soup – that's how the locals do it.
• Hsiaoyukeng (Little Oil Pit): Standing right next to the steaming fumaroles, feeling the geothermal heat rise up – now that's what I call getting close to nature.

A trip up Yangmingshan will show you that Yangmingshan National Park is more than just Taipei's backyard; it's a living museum. From the volcanic terrain churned up from the ocean floor, to the sulfur mining relics from the Japanese era, and on to today's university town and research hub – layers of history are etched into the mountainside. And down in Keelung Harbor below, Yang Ming's container ships are still busy loading and unloading, sending Taiwanese products out to the world.

'Yangming' – these two syllables in Taiwan have come to mean so much more than just a person's name or a place. It's a piece of our cultural legacy, a symbol of industry, and a way of life. Whether you're heading up the mountain for the flowers, diving into academic research, or just keeping an eye on global shipping, you'll find that Yangming is everywhere.