I am interested in going to Taiwan and read about Mt Jade/Yushan and since I've never done any climbing before l was wondering if it was

a) Challenging
b) Doable without climbing experience
c) That steep

Since I am not a climber l do not know any terminology. When a mountain can be climbed does that mean like rock climbing? Or can it mean just a steep hike? I am assuming that if it is a steep hike you do not need prior experience

Has anyone conquered the mountain and cares to tell the tale?

Check out the SummitPost link for info on this mountain, which has a number of different approaches, some easy, some intermediate, & some hard technical ones. If u have no experience at all with mountaineering, & u just want to get up there, take the trail on the East Face. It is 14.6 miles with about 9,000' gain, & u will need a few days for the round trip. Because the summit is almost 13,000' high, you're likely to get altitude sickness, so u might want to take a while to get acclimatized as u go up. Spend the night at the meadows at 9,800 feet. Do not try this unless u r fit. 9,000' gain is a lot even for experienced mountaineers.

If u go the shorter route on the West Face, the gain is about 4,500', & a 6.3 mile trail will get u to a hut, after which it becomes a class 3 rock scramble to the top. Again, if u r fit, u can do this, & probably is not dangerous (class 4 is where it becomes life-threatening), although twisted ankles r common for exhausted climbers. You will still probably have the same problem with altitude sickness, so spend the night at the hut first.

If you're intrepid enough, & bring a backpack with food & gear for overnight stays, u probably can do it, even if u have no prior mountaineering experience. Go during the warm months, because snow & ice makes it dangerous for inexperienced climbers.

For future reference, check out the wiki on the Yosemite Decimal System, so that u will know what those ratings mean. And I've never brought a rope for class 3 climbs, & even for some class 4 climbs, although l would advise against free climbing anything harder than class 3. The difference between 2, 3, & 4 climbs is that while 2 risks very little, however strenuous, 3 can result in sprains & even broken bones in particularly bad falls, & 4 can result in death.