Jhiben Hot Spring
The Jhiben Hot Spring (Chinese: 知本溫泉; pinyin: Zhīběn Wēnquán; Wade–Giles: Chīh-pěn Wēn-ch'üán) is a hot spring in Beinan, Taitung County, Taiwan. It is one of the most famous Taiwanese hot springs. In its literature the local Taitung tourism authorities spell the name of the area Chr ben[1]
History
The Puyuma people, which inhabited in the area, learned that the Jhiben Hot Spring was healthy to the human body. During the Japanese rule era, the government set up public baths using water from the hot spring. Jhiben was complimented as the "Number One View in Eastern Taiwan" (台湾東部一の美景). On August 8, 2009 Jhiben was one of many places in Taiwan to be badly hit by Typhoon Morakot (2009) and made international news headlines when an eyewitness filmed the collapse of a riverside hotel undermined by flood waters.[2][3] However, Jhiben's infrastructure was very rapidly restored[4] and as of autumn 2009 the main spas are once more operational and easy to reach from Taitung City.