Taiwan's Famous Urban Legend - The Yushan Little Airman

Deep within Yushan, Taiwan's highest peak, when thick fog rolls in or a torrential rain is imminent, what hikers fear most isn't a black bear, but the legendary 'Yushan Little Airman'. One blustery afternoon, a climbing team was challenging the scree slope of Yushan's South Peak when they were suddenly engulfed by a dense, all-encompassing fog. Visibility dropped instantly to just a few meters, and the team members could only grope their way along the treacherous path towards Paiyun Lodge, battling the cold and their fear. Just as they were about to lose their way completely, three figures vaguely appeared in the mist ahead. They were all wearing identical yellow one-piece raincoats, large bamboo hats, and moved with light steps along the steep cliff edge. Relieved, the lost hikers thought they had encountered local guides and quickly called out, following them. However, as they got closer, the lead hiker suddenly broke out in a cold sweat – beneath the hats of those three 'people' was nothingness; there were no heads or faces at all. Even more bizarrely, they made no sound as they moved, merely extending pale hands to point towards a seemingly flat fork in the path that actually led straight to a bottomless abyss. Fortunately, the team leader was experienced and abruptly snapped back to reality, pulling his team back. In the blink of an eye, the three yellow-clad figures dissolved into white mist and vanished. Folklorists believe they are vengeful spirits of those who died in mountain accidents or traditional Taiwanese 'demon spirits' (魔神仔), deliberately taking the form of 'Little Airmen' to lure exhausted travelers to their doom. This fleeting yellow figure, swaying in the wind and rain, remains the most revered mountain taboo in Taiwan's climbing community to this day.