Taipei, Sept. 15 (CNA) Taiwan's highest peak, Yushan, also known as Jade Mountain, needs continuous promotion even though it was not one of the winners of a recent "New 7 Wonders of Nature" contest, according to a foundation dedicated to the promotional efforts Saturday.

The Taiwan Jade Mountain Interchange Association, which was established earlier in the week, said it will keep introducing the 3,952-meter peak to the world because it is an iconic image of the country.

"Taiwanese are people with lofty ideals and we hope that the mountain can help us deliver this image to the world," said Sung Ming-chi, chairman of the foundation, which currently has some 80 members.

In a worldwide four-stage competition begun four years ago to choose the world's "New Seven Wonders of Nature," Yushan failed to squeeze into the final list in the last round held in 2011.

Despite this setback, Sung said, the foundation will use other ways to publicize the mountain, including launching exchange programs with international heritage institutes and developing education materials for schools.

For instance, Sung said, the foundation will join the Beijing-based China Great Wall Society in a marathon to be run near the Yellow River next January.

The "New 7 Wonders of Nature," which were chosen by over 100 million voters across the world, are: the Amazon River in South America; Halong Bay in Vietnam; Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Brazil; Jeju Island in South Korea; Komodo Island in Indonesia; the Puerto Princesa Underground River in the Philippines; and Table Mountain in South Africa.

(By Lee Hsin-Yin)
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