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Travel + Leisure
6 days ago
- Travel + Leisure
This Scenic Train Climbs Nearly 13,000 Feet Through Mountain Forests—and Crosses 4 Different Climate Zones
In the mountainous heart of Taiwan, you'll find Alishan, a misty, dreamlike haven. Considered to be one of Taiwan's most beautiful mountain ranges, it's said to be home to five wonders: a sea of clouds, sunrise, sunset glows, a sacred tree, and the railway—the latter offers one of the best ways to see the area. Taiwan does have lightning-fast, high-speed rail lines that can zip passengers from Taipei to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, at speeds of up to 186 miles per hour. But, while most of the island's train technology feels like it was ripped from the future, you'll want to hop on the slow train to take in the area properly, specifically, the Alishan Forest Railway, one of the world's most underrated scenic trains. After closing for a few years due to earthquakes, typhoons, and landslides, the narrow-gauge railway reopened to travelers in the summer 2024—and it's back better than ever. The red train with cream-colored highlights departs from the city of Chiayi, and travels nearly 44 miles through the townships of Zhuqi and Meishan, to Alishan National Forest Recreational Area. Most of Taiwan is considered a subtropical climate, but the Alishan Forest Railway takes passengers through some of the most diverse terrain on the island. The ride begins at just 131 feet of elevation and travels through a myriad of climate belts—tropical, subtropical, temperate, and frigid—to reach 12,965 feet. During the ride, you'll be able to see a variety of verdant coniferous forests dominated by fresh, fragrant cedar trees, Chinese fir, incense cedar, and oak. But the Forest Train isn't just a journey through Taiwan's outdoors—it's also a living monument to Taiwanese history. The railway was built during the Japanese colonial period, in 1912, and was initially used as a way to transport lumber to and from the coast for export. However, Indigenous communities have lived in the Alishan region for thousands of years. When the train was built, it became deeply important to the people who lived in remote areas of the mountain. However, the Forest Train is no quick out-and-back journey, and snakes through some of the island's most challenging terrain. To navigate it, the railway required 50 bridges and 77 tunnels, including spirals and switchbacks, earning its Dulishan Spiral a Guinness World Record title as the world's longest spiral railway, a title it still holds today. Today, the five-hour rail route is one of the most popular train rides in Taiwan, and locals especially love it for the nostalgia. When it reopened in 2024, 68-year-old factory worker Peng Hsiao-chi, who grew up near Chiayi, Taiwan, told The New York Times , she woke up at 4 a.m. and drove two hours to experience the revamped ride. 'This railway is one of the reasons that brings me home,' she said in the 2024 interview.
Associated Press
09-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Meishan Emerges as a New Hub for the Satellite Industry: Global Experts Gather at the 3rd Meishan Satellite Application Industry Development Conference
CHENGDU, China, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On June 9, the 3 rd Meishan Satellite Application Industry Development Conference officially opened in Meishan City, Sichuan Province, China. Experts in remote sensing technology, aerospace, and related fields, along with representatives from international cooperation organizations, gathered in Meishan for an in-depth discussion on technological innovation, coordinated industrial chain development, and international cooperation models in the satellite industry, contributing insights and suggestions to help advance Meishan's satellite sector to a higher level. A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available in this link. The conference was sponsored by the China Association of Remote Sensing Application and the People's Government of Meishan City, organized by the Meishan Management Committee of Sichuan Tianfu New Area, and co-organized by Meishan Tianfu New Area Xingchan Investment Group Co., Ltd. At the opening ceremony, the China Association of Remote Sensing Application released the 2025 Blue Book on the Development of China's Remote Sensing Application Sector. Keynote speeches were delivered by Li Deren, photogrammetry and remote sensing scientist and professor at Wuhan University; Zhu Ninghua, microwave photonics expert and director of the Institute of Intelligent Photonics at Nankai University; and Xu Ying, Beidou navigation system scientist and researcher at the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Huantian Wisdom Technology Co., Ltd., the leading enterprise in Meishan's satellite industry, unveiled its platform 'StarView Horizon', which integrates over 40 core spatiotemporal algorithms at the opening ceremony. It also signed cooperation agreements with Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, Kazakhstan Kazaerospace, and Malaysian Karuna Group for promoting satellite application projects. In the past three decades, China's space industry has rapidly advanced. As a result, numerous cities known for their related industries have popped up across the country. In the realm of satellite technology, regions beyond traditional strongholds like Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an are now making significant strides in this sector, cities such as Meishan have emerged as new hubs for the satellite industry. In recent years, Meishan City has seized the opportunity of commercial aerospace development, taking the lead in laying out the satellite application industry in Sichuan Province, and promoting the application of satellite remote sensing data in high-standard farmland, disaster prevention and reduction, resource survey, environmental protection, smart cities, and other fields. At present, Meishan has become the city with the largest number of commercial remote sensing satellites in Southwest China, ranking fourth in the country overall. Meishan unveiled its satellite industry development plan (2024-2030) last year, outlining a strategic roadmap to build a globally competitive satellite industry cluster by 2030, targeting an industrial scale exceeding 10 billion yuan (about 1.39 billion U.S. dollars). To achieve this ambitious goal, Meishan is actively advancing the development of key industrial projects. On December 30, 2024, the Western China Satellite Industrial Park, located in Meishan Tianfu New Area, officially began full operations. During this conference, nine new enterprises signed agreements to join the park, and one new science and technology innovation platform was introduced. To date, the park has attracted a total of 26 satellite-related enterprises and five scientific research platforms. By 2028, the scale of Meishan's satellite industry is expected to exceed 5 billion yuan. On the other side, the Huantian Cloud Smart Computing Center -- the largest data center dedicated to the commercial satellite sector in Southwest China -- is about to be put into operation. It aims to address three major bottlenecks hindering the development of the sector: insufficient computing power, limited storage capacity, and low application efficiency. 'It is expected to complete the last piece of Meishan's aerospace industry layout, making the city one of the few places in China with comprehensive capabilities in satellite research and development, monitoring and control, application, and data transmission,' Yang Zhenyu, deputy general manager of the Huantian Wisdom Technology Co., Ltd., owner of the new infrastructure, said. Source: The Meishan Management Committee of Sichuan Tianfu New Area Contact person: Ms. Hou, Tel: 86-10-63074558.
Globe and Mail
06-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Wanhua Chemical and ElevenEs signed a strategic agreement for battery materials: Collaborate to create a localized supply chain of battery cathode materials in Europe
MEISHAN, China , June 5, 2025 /CNW/ -- Recently, Wanhua Chemical Battery Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Wanhua Chemical") and ElevenEs, a leading European manufacturer of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, successfully signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Meishan, Sichuan . Mr. Wang Xiaoxing, General Manager of Wanhua Chemical Battery Technology Co., Ltd., and Mr. Nemanja Mikać , Founder and CEO of ElevenEs, attended the signing ceremony. This collaboration aims to establish a comprehensive supply and technical partnership covering products such as LFP cathode materials, PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) binders, NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone) solvents, etc., to promote the sustainable development of both parties in the new energy industry. Wanhua Chemical, with its industrial chain advantages and decades of experience in process development and engineering research, has established a battery material integrating battery material technology development, equipment process technology development, and battery cell application technology research. The company has also established a complete technical platform for cathode and anode materials, binders, and solvents. Under the agreement, the parties express their intention to cooperate on LFP and other high-quality raw materials. At the same time, both parties will jointly form a technical team, exchange technical and market information, and accelerate the development of their products and markets. Wanhua Chemical will utilize its production bases and global supply chain to support ElevenES battery production in Serbia. Mr. Wang Xiaoxing, General Manager of Wanhua Battery Company, stated: "This strategic collaboration with ElevenEs marks a significant step in Wanhua Chemical's localization of battery material supply chains in Europe . We will leverage our strengths in material R&D, production processes, and global footprint to provide ElevenEs with high-performance LFP cathode materials and integrated solutions, jointly advancing the sustainable development of Europe's new energy industry." Mr. Nemanja Mikać, Founder of ElevenEs, stated: "Wanhua Chemical's profound expertise in battery materials and global production capacity will significantly support ElevenEs in achieving our localized supply chain goals. This partnership not only strengthens our raw material security but also accelerates innovation through technical synergy, delivering more competitive LFP battery products to the European market." In the future, both parties plan to deepen cooperation in areas such as electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems (ESS), continuously expand cooperation in battery materials, cell products, product and technology development, market expansion, and other fields, and jointly create a win-win situation for both parties to reinforce their leading positions in the global new energy industry. About ElevenEs ElevenEs is a development and industrial investment of Al Pack Group, an international leader in aluminum processing with over 30 years of high-precision manufacturing expertise – including processes closely aligned with the production of electrodes, the active component of LFP batteries. ElevenEs is recognized and supported by EIT InnoEnergy, a leading global investor in sustainable energy. The establishment of a state-of-the-art Research and Development laboratory and center is operational since June 2021 . Following the successful completion and commissioning of the pilot production line in mid-2023, ElevenEs is on track to build the initial Megafactory with a capacity of approximately 1000 MWh (1 GWh) during 2025 and 2026. This will be followed by the first phase of the Gigafactory, targeting an annual production capacity of 8GWh and the second phase of the Gigafactory in Europe and the USA , targeting the total annual production capacity of 40GWh (20 + 20) by 2031.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Finger Lakes Treehouse resort is the ultimate NY getaway. Take a peek
Scrolling through social media or flipping through home design television stations, you may come across exquisite fairy-tale-like getaways that seem far out of reach. But this private resort hidden within the trees is right on Lake Ontario. Down a gravel road in Sodus, Wayne County, sits a serine 48-acre retreat called the Finger Lakes Treehouse. The resort, surrounded by trees and nature, features five elevated a-frame "treehouse units" each with its own wood-burning hot tubs and fire pits, a communal sauna in front of a little pond, a communal workspace and clubhouse, Meishan pigs and of course, Curry the goat. Darrel Maxam and Patrice Coney-Maxam built their first treehouse resort in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2016. They plan to build 20 treehouse hotels worldwide, and Belize is the next stop on their list. Darrel Maxam is a combat veteran who fought in Afghanistan in 2010. He came home from serving with what he calls "invisible scars," including PTSD and a traumatic brain injury. "I used that kind of as a fuel to calm my mind down, and I started building so I turned myself literally into a carpenter," he said. Maxam began studying carpentry and woodworking and then began building tiny home treehouses in Atlanta, Georgia, which would become the first resort property for Maxam Hotels. Two years later, the couple purchased the 48-acre property in Sodus, as it had always been a dream of Coney-Maxam's mother for them to build in Upstate New York, where Coney-Maxam grew up. "So we brought it back home and we started the business," Maxam said. "We got a lot of support from the local community." The resort became a major hit, and now the couple is working on expanding to add five more two-person villas, tents, and tiny homes. Each villa comes in a pre-manufactured kit designed by Maxam and shipped from Finland. Once they clear customs and arrive on the property, Maxam said it will take his team about three weeks to get them up and running. "No one builds as fast as we do," he said. "We work roughly 13 to 15 hours a day, we take no lunch breaks, and we work seven days a week." These pre-manufactured kits designed by Maxam can also be purchased for customers interested in starting up their own getaway. The couple and their four children are currently living in Malaysia but plan to move to Panama soon. Maxam arrived back at the upstate New York property to begin the expansion process. In the future, they hope to have resorts in Tenessee, the Carolinas, Colorado, Utah, Washington, and even globally, with their next build starting in Belize soon. Curry, a white fluffy goat, wears bells so that Maxam and the maintenance guy, who holds the fort down when the Maxams are away, know where she is. She likes to roam around like the queen of the resort. She often greets guests when they arrive at the clubhouse, the first stop for guests when they arrive at the property. The clubhouse, or communal workspace, is where guests can purchase snacks, get work done, and rent a buggy to transport their belongings to their treehouse unit. Each unit is an a-frame stock cabin six feet in the air that can sleep two people. It has a bedroom, a bathroom, and a small kitchenette and comes with its own wood-burning hot tub and fire pit, surrounded by the peaceful sounds and sights of nature. "The experience is just to hang out, chill, relax, to be in nature, because we are surrounded on 40 acres of land," Maxam said. The property also includes two airstreams, a tiny home, and a barn where they host weddings and will soon have tents for the summertime. Maxam said another enjoyable experience for the guests is getting to hang out with the Meishan pigs, a Chinese breed of domestic pig known for their high-quality pork, in the back of the property. The pigs, most of which are babies that Maxam is raising, have free roam of a seven-acre fenced-in space with their own small a-frame huts. "They just love life," he said. "They just eat and dig up the entire land for bugs and grubs, and the guys on the maintenance team here take really good care of them." Guests can hop the fence in the summer and winter to hang out with the pigs when it's not too muddy. Though the Finger Lakes Treehouse is busiest in the summer season, it's open every day year-round and stays booked 50 percent of the time in the winter, according to Maxam. It is about eight minutes away from Lake Ontario, so in the summer, guests can enjoy all of the water activities and trails within the area. Booking prices range roughly from $250 a night during the week to $350 and up on weekends and holidays. Some of the units also allow pets. Maxam said that the units tend to book up fast in the summertime, and the majority of them are already booked for the remainder of April. To check upcoming availability and to book your stay, visit "It's pretty much just like a landscape hotel," Maxam said. "This is a place to just to disconnect, a place to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or even other special occasions." — Madison Scott is a journalist with the Democrat and Chronicle who covers breaking and trending news for the Finger Lakes Region. She has an interest in how the system helps or doesn't help families with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@ This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Finger Lakes Treehouse resort is the ultimate NY getaway. Take a peek
