Alishan (Mt Ali)

Alishan (Mt Ali) is one of Taiwan's best mountain resorts. It is located in Alishan Township in west-central Taiwan's Chiayi County. At 2,200 meters in elevation, the climate here is cool and bracing. The views here are impressive in any direction one would care to look.

In the morning, an favorite activity for local and international visitors is to look out over the famous "sea of clouds" with jagged peaks sticking out like islands. During the daytime, visitors can walk around the beautiful forests and admire the magnificent old cedar trees and pines. There are plenty of cherry blossoms in the spring.

One of the most famous scenic spots in Alishan is the Sister Ponds. The two ponds are about 50 meters apart. The larger pond is 528 square meters in size, with an island on which there is a cypress three stump. The tree stump has been converted into a pavilion and can be reached by a bridge from the edge of the pond. The smaller pond is only 66 square meters in size. To its right is one of the most densely grown natural cypress forests in the whole Alishan area. Legend has it that the two ponds are the manifestation of two aboriginal girls who died for love.

The Shouren Temple is the biggest temple in Alishan. It was reconstructed in 1969. The temple is dedicated to the Jade Emperor, the Earth God, and the Goddess of Birth. According to local folklore, each year during the week before the third day of the third lunar month, three silkworm moths settle before the temple's alter for about a week before flying off again.

The Buddhist Tseyun Temple was built in 1919. It contains a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha that is made of bronze and filled with gold dust. The statue was originally given to the Japanese emperor by the King of Thailand in 1918. The emperor later sent it to Alishan, because Alishan stands opposite the imposing peak of Yushan (MT Jade), a mountain that is higher than MT Fuji in Japan.