The research into Taiwanese nature writing has a few fields to be explored: 1) the writing by aboriginal writers about the nature; 2) the exploration of the perspective of nature and ecological image hidden in the novels or poems; 3) scientists’ writing about science; 4) nature/environmental writing on special or specific topics. This paper is a preliminary exploration on the fourth point. Adopted thinking pattern incorporating “geography,” “literature,” and “environmental ethics,” this study first responds to the basic questions of 1) Is the formation of literature types subjected to the natural environment? 2) How do people learn about the natural environment and express in literature? In the research of Taiwanese literature, the term “sea writing/literature” has been widely accepted. Taiwan is an island with many mountains and rivers, yet “mountain writing/literature” and “river writing/literature” have often been neglected. However, based on the perspectives of geography, economy, society, and culture, the influence of river on the development of Taiwan is also significant. Therefore, discussing and constructing the necessity and rationality of “river writing/literature” from the perspectives of geography, economy, society, and culture is the second goal of this paper. This paper also attempts to define “river writing/literature” in Taiwan, and present literary works as examples to investigate the writing models of “river basin” and “environmental history” and to interpret the three basic “cognitive maps” of river reading in Taiwan--the river as “supporter,” “offender,” and “victim.