Live cameras in Xiulin, Taiwan

Xiulin is the largest township in Taiwan by area, covering more than 1,600 square kilometers of Hualien County north and west of Hualien City. Most of that land is steep mountain, and most of its roughly 17,000 residents are Truku (Taroko) Indigenous people living in a handful of villages near the coast and the river valleys. The township holds the heart of Taroko National Park, with its marble gorge, as well as the Qingshui Cliffs, where the mountains plunge straight into the Pacific, and high peaks such as Qilai and Hehuanshan.

About 150 road cameras from Taiwan’s highway agencies are tied to this place, published through the transport ministry’s open data. Two famous routes explain why. Provincial Highway 9, the Suhua Highway, follows the cliff coast north toward Yilan, while Provincial Highway 8, the Central Cross-Island Highway, heads inland through Taroko Gorge and over the mountains. Cameras along these roads mostly show tunnel mouths, bridges, narrow mountain bends and coastal stretches. Pictures are captured at intervals and refreshed, so treat them as recent snapshots.

Road conditions matter here more than almost anywhere in Taiwan. The magnitude 7.2 earthquake of April 3, 2024, set off landslides that blocked Highway 8 in the gorge, and later storms caused more damage. Since then, sections of the park and the highway have reopened gradually, with restricted hours and traffic controls on some stretches. Check the national park’s road notices before planning a drive, and expect some camera views to show work zones.

Timing your look

Local time is UTC+8. The east coast catches the first light in Taiwan, so mornings are a fine time for the Pacific-facing views. Typhoons usually arrive between summer and early autumn and can close both highways; the plum rains of May and June bring long wet spells, and winter cold fronts may dust the highest road sections with snow.

The radius also covers Hualien City to the south, with its airport and seaside.

Sources: Xiulin, Hualien - Wikipedia · Taroko National Park - Wikipedia · Taroko Gradually Reopens After the Earthquake - Taroko National Park · Taroko Park reconstruction to cost NT$1bn - Taipei Times.