You may be surprised to learn how the water of the Zengwun River flows into the Coral Lake, and that is how amazing ‘Sikou Little Switzerland’ is. Sikou is known as ‘Little Switzerland’ for its grassy lawns, and is an ideal place for picnicking and camping. The most famous feature is the‘Whirlpool’ which is essentially an artificial facility that is an inlet of the Coral Lake for water from the Zengwun River. This unusual and wondrous scene is also considered a fascinating feature of the natural landscape.
’Sikou Little Switzerland’ is situated upstream from Coral Lake, and is now already a well-known scenic spot. Take ‘County Highway No. 174 (Liujia-Nansi)’ to the intersection, and then follow the trail westbound to arrive at the destination.
Zengwun Reservoir can be reached by crossing Wushan Ridge from Sikou, known in hiking circles as the ‘Dong-Si-Kou Hiking Trail’. Dongkou refers to the Dongkou (East Opening) of Zengwun Reservoir, which is located on the riverbank opposite the Zengwun Youth Center. During the period of Japanese rule, Japanese engineer Hatta Yoichi, renowned as the ‘Wizard of Hydraulic Engineering,’ excavated a 4-kilometer catchment on the hillside of Wushan Ridge to introduce water from Zengwun River via Dongkou, which could then flow to ‘Sikou Little Switzerland’ and enter the Coral Lake. Due to the tremendous gap for water flowing from the Zengwun River to ‘Sikou Little Switzerland,’ the river quickly swirls downward from the circular cave. Such a special scene is known as the ‘Swirlpool.’ Later the river passes by the dam and gushes through the ‘swift river outlet’ to form a spectacular waterspout over a dozen meters long.
