When the new Paiyun Cabin for Yushan opens (if that ever happens!) there’ll be a new policy of charging foreigners $700 to stay there. Locals will continue to pay the usual $220 as before. I’m very much against this as I think it’s unfair and it will damage Taiwan’s reputation.
The reason given for the increase is to pay for the new English services, but a blanket charge for foreigners will affect those coming from non-English speaking countries too. How do they benefit? I also worry that we’ll see no changes to the poor English on the website/signs in the park etc.
In addition to this change it is also rumoured that when the cabin opens, foreigners will no longer have the option of climbing Yushan as a single day ascent, regardless of experience. I can only think that this is because the park wants foreigners to stay in the cabin to extract money from them.
If you too are against this, Richard Saunders has set up a petition for anyone who would like to sign it.
Online Petition
Also you can email the national park directly to ask about the new pricing policy.