Taiwan has higher mountains than Alishan, including Mount Morrison at 3997 meters, the highest peak in Southeast Asia, but it has no rivals for mountain scenery, fresh air and mild weather. Taiwan people say "If you don't go to Alishan, you will never know Taiwan's beauty." Yet how many foreign visitors have any idea of what they can find on a trip to that beautiful mountain?
Getting to Alishan isn't all that difficult. First you go to Chiayi City, either four hours on one of Taiwan's fast and comfortable trains, or a bit faster by car running south on the beautiful super highway linking North and South Taiwan.
Once in Chiayi, your next means of transportation is the Forest Railway. It used to be a steam train which transported lumber, but now a powerful diesel engine pulls the cars, and tourists have taken the place of trees as passengers.
The journey itself is a unique adventure. The "spiral staircase" climb around Mount Independence is breathtaking, as is the zigzagging ride up the slopes of Alishan. In all, the train passes through fifty tunnels and over eighty bridges.
On the way to Alishan the train passes through four different forest zones. Below eight hundred meters, passengers see the lush tropical zone forest where longan, banyan, acacia and the betel nut palm thrive. Gradually, above a thousand meters, evergreen broadleaves such as oak, camphor and cinnamon make their appearance. Firs and cypress follow over eighteen hundred meters. At the top of Alishan you are in the "frigid zone" where a variety of conifers takes over. The three thousand-year-old "Deity Tree" near the Alishan railway terminal is one of such extraordinary ancient trees.
In all, Alishan has "five wonders"--the Forest Train, the different forest zones, sunrise over the peaks and sunset at nearby Mount Pagoda, and the "sea of clouds" which can be seen mornings by looking down from the top of Alishan. But then, in addition to the five wonders, there are the so-called "eight scenes"--Sister Pond, the Shou Cheng Temple, the Tse Yun Temple, the Alishan Deity Tree, the Three Generation Tree, the Forest God's stele, the Mountain Museum and the Botanical Gardens. Folk legends are associated with several of the eight scenes.
For example Sister Pond consists of two natural bodies of water, one large, one small, where, according to legend, two sisters belonging to the Ts'ao tribe committed suicide in order to remain chaste in the face of an outside invasion. The god worshiped at the Shou Cheng Temple is considered to be particularly efficacious as seven pairs of butterflies come to rest on his robes on his birthday each year. Previously known as Alishan Temple, the Tse Yun Temple contains a thousand-year-old Japanese Buddha and an image of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, presented by the King of Thailand. This temple is built entirely with woods from the Alishan region.
Visitors to Alishan have a choice of schedules. You can take the morning train from Chiayi arriving at Alishan about lunchtime. Then you'll be able to while away the afternoon looking around the recreation area, see the sunset, get a few hours rest at one of the lodges in the area, get up early for the sunrise, and then catch the early train back to Chiayi. Or you can set off from Chiayi at midday, arrive at Alishan in the late afternoon, explore the scenes near your lodge, rest, see the sunrise, rest or wonder about a bit and then take the second train of the day back to Chiayi.
When you visit Alishan, be sure to take something warm to wear. The year round temperature averages about ten degrees Celsius, (50 degrees Fahrenheit) and while in summer the temperature can go as high as twenty-four degrees, the summer average is fourteen degrees. Winter is very cold, with the temperature ranging from a high of six degrees down to minus two degrees celsius. Winds are seldom strong, but rain falls some two hundred and eight days a year. The best time to visit Alishan is after September, for then the air is clear and the scenic vistas limitless. But whatever you do, if you come to Taiwan, make sure to keep time in your itinerary to visit this magic mountain. Its a mountain for all seasons.
[Picture Caption]
1. Predawn moment on Alishan. 2. The spectacular scene of sunrise is the biggest tourist attraction in Alishan. 3. A sea of clouds is formed in the mountain valleys.
1. How about a snap shot in front of Sister Lake! 2. Cherry blossoms in March bring the good news that spring is near. 3. Tse Yun Temple is one of the eight must see scenes in Alishan. 4. This tree is called an elephant trunk tree for its resemblance to an elephant's nose. 5. The 3,000-year-old tree was struck by lightning once. New life grew on the tree trunk afterwards.
1. Mount Alishan. lodging area. 2. Strolling on paths covered with tree shade is a special delight. 3. Alishan is a favorite touring area for people of all ages. 4. Mustard is a special local product. 5. The mountain climbing locomotive. 6. A local resident. 7. Newly built Alishan train station. 8. The Alishan railroad also serves to transport lumber.
1.2. Alishan is a favorite camping place for young students. 3.4. Students staying at the state sponsored Youth Corp lodging often establish a quick friendship with the counselors there. 5.6. The sunset scene on Alishan is just as spectacular as the sunrise.
The spectacular scene of sunrise is the biggest tourist attraction in Alishan.
A sea of clouds is formed in the mountain valleys.
How about a snap shot in front of Sister Lake!
Tse Yun Temple is one of the eight must see scenes in Alishan.
This tree is called an elephant trunk tree for its resemblance to an elephant's nose.
The 3,000-year-old tree was struck by lightning once. New life grew on the tree trunk afterwards.
Cherry blossoms in March bring the good news that spring is near.
Mount Alishan. lodging area.
Strolling on paths covered with tree shade is a special delight.
Alishan is a favorite touring area for people of all ages.
Mustard is a special local product.
The mountain climbing locomotive.
Newly built Alishan train station.
The Alishan railroad also serves to transport lumber.
Alishan is a favorite camping place for young students.
Alishan is a favorite camping place for young students.
Students staying at the state sponsored Youth Corp lodging often establish a quick friendship with the counselors there.
Students staying at the state sponsored Youth Corp lodging often establish a quick friendship with the counselors there.
The sunset scene on Alishan is just as spectacular as the sunrise.
The sunset scene on Alishan is just as spectacular as the sunrise.
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