Alishan is located in the northeast of Chiayi County and is a branch of the Yushan Mountains.

Alishan, Taiwan

The Alishan that most people are familiar with mostly refers to the Alishan Forest Recreation Area. It is said that 250 years ago, a Zou chief named Abari came here to hunt alone. After returning with a full load, he often brought his tribe here. People named it after him as a mark of respect. In fact, Alishan is composed of 18 mountains and is a branch of Yushan. It faces the main peak of Yushan across Fuxi. Now the new Zhongheng Highway has connected Alishan and Yushan Scenic Area. The sunrise, sea of ??clouds, sunset, forest, and mountain railway are collectively known as the five wonders of Alishan. The cultural resources of the Tsou Aboriginal people add to its tourism charm.

Sunrise

The four famous sunrise seasons in Alishan have different locations and times (caused by the rotation of the earth). Standing on the Zhushan Sun Viewing Tower, at 5 a.m. on the summer solstice (June 22 in the Chinese calendar), the sunrise location is between Shaoda Mountain and Xiuguluan Mountain, and is the northernmost point of Alishan sunrise. At 7 a.m. on the winter solstice (December 22 in the Chinese calendar), the sunrise location is on the south side of the main peak of Yushan Mountain, which is the southernmost point of the sunrise in Alishan. At six o'clock in the morning on the spring and autumnal equinoxes (March 21 and September 23 in the Gregorian calendar), the sunrise location is between Xiugu Mountain and the north peak of Yushan Mountain. To get to Zhushan, you can take the Zhushan Sunwatch train at Alishan Railway Station or Numing Station (the journey takes about 25 minutes) or climb the stairs from the Numing Park Sunwatch Trail archway (it takes about 40 minutes to walk, there are signs along the way). In front of the Sunwatch Building Plaza, there are the boundaries of Chiayi and Nantou counties, as well as details of the sunrise.

Sea of ??Clouds

The Sea of ??Clouds in Alishan is one of the eight scenic spots in Taiwan. It usually appears at sunrise or dusk when the weather is clear and cloudy; layers of clouds and undulating waves cover the nearby peaks. , like an island emerging from the vast sea. The best season to watch the sea of ??clouds is autumn. The best places are Erwanping, Alishan Forest Recreation Area Ciyun Temple, Alishan Hotel, Alishan Railway Station, Numing Park, Zhushan Sun View Tower, and the First Parking Lot. It’s a good viewing spot.

Sunset

The reason why the sunset in Alishan is gorgeous is because in the high mountain area with an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, the air is thin and the solar radiation is strong, resulting in strong ultraviolet rays in the air, making the sky blue. It is more beautiful than the plains, and the sunset is relatively gorgeous. Ciyun Temple, Alishan Hotel, Alishan Railway Station, Numing Park, Zhushan Sun View Tower and the First Parking Lot are the best viewing spots.

Forest

Alishan is rich in forest resources, among which the alder virgin forest is the most precious. Affected by altitude, the plant distribution in Alishan shows tropical, warm, temperate and cold zones. The area from the flatland to Independence Mountain at an altitude of 800 meters is a tropical forest. The most notable plants in this area are longan, acacia, fir, Ma bamboo, and Osmanthus bamboo. From Independence Mountain to Pingzana at an altitude of 1,800 meters, it belongs to the range of warm zone forest. Representative tree species include camphor, paper towel, and nanmu. The cedar forest around Fenqi Lake and the intersection is a special flora in this area. Temperate forest refers to the area from

Pinchner to an altitude of less than 3,000 meters. Hemlock, Platycladus arborvitae, Huashan pine, Taiwan fir, and compound leaf maple (sacred tree) are mainly distributed here. As for the cold forest area above 3000 meters to below 3500 meters above sea level, Taiwan fir mainly grows.

After the Japanese discovered the Alishan Forest in 1899, this virgin forest was turned into an important forest farm. After the liberation of Taiwan Province, the Taiwan Provincial Government banned logging for conservation purposes and developed it into a forest recreation area. During the Alishan flower season from mid-March to mid-April every year, the entire mountain is decorated with beautiful and colorful flowers, such as mountain cherry, Yoshino cherry, double-flowered cherry, etc. Walking among the towering old trees on the boulevard, you can not only learn from the forest, but also listen to the beautiful songs of thrushes, warblers, finches, thrushes and other birds (Alishan is one of the top ten best bird watching sites in Taiwan Province One of the areas, belonging to the mid-altitude bird area). Even the local felled thousand-year-old trees are worth admiring

. Of course, attractions such as Sister Lake cannot be missed.

Alpine Railway

The Alishan Forest Railway, the Darjeeling-Himalaya Railway in India, and the Andes Railway from Chile to Argentina are known as the only three mountaineering railways in the world. The Japanese plan to transport timber with a track gauge of 762mm, a maximum slope of 6.25, and a minimum radius of curvature of 40m. In 1912, the 66.6-kilometer section from Chiayi to Erwanping was opened to traffic. In 1914, it was extended to Alishan and branch lines were gradually added, with a total length of 71.4 kilometers. The entire route climbs from Chiayi, which is 30 meters above sea level, to Alishan, which is 2,216 meters above sea level. It passes through 49 tunnels and 77 bridges, and you can enjoy the changes in plant species in different forest zones such as heat, warmth and temperature, as well as the beautiful mountains and valleys along the way

. The Alishan Forest Railway is divided into two sections, namely the flat section and the mountain section. The former refers to the section from Chiayi to Zhuqi (14.2km), and the latter refers to the section from Zhuqi to Alishan (57.2km). When the train reaches Independence Mountain in push mode, in order to adapt to the steep mountain shape, it must circle around Independence Mountain (about 5 kilometers long and 200 meters high) and reach the top of the mountain. When you turn up the mountain, you can see Zhanghuoliao Station still at the bottom of the mountain, and then the railway leaves Independence Mountain in a figure-8 shape. However, the railway zigzags from Pingzhen South Station to the first lane. After passing through three lanes, the train was sometimes dragged forward, sometimes pushed backward, and finally reached Alishan, so it was called "Alishan Train Hits the Wall".

The Alishan Forest Railway was built in the past to collect wood and transport daily necessities. Now it has become a sightseeing railway train for the development of forest tourism. In 1984, after the "Alishan" express train with a journey time of only 3 hours and 15 minutes was added, the original steam trains and scrap cars were decorated into a unique long-distance motel and ancient steam train exhibition area, located in Numping Next to the station, tourists can stop and watch.

In 1986, the independently developed Zhushan branch line was opened to traffic, with a total length of 6.25 kilometers. Starting from Alishan New Station, it winds between mountains with an altitude of 2216-2451 meters, and then turns Gaoyue to Zhushan through the through lane. This is the first alpine railway built by the Chinese, specifically for one-day trips to Zhushan.

As for the 9.2-kilometer Sleeping Moon branch line, it was opened in 1983. The train winds through mountains more than 2,000 meters above sea level. After seeing a huge stone more than 10 meters high and shaped like a monkey, we arrived at the terminal "Stone Monkey Recreation Area".

The White Forest is a wonder at the Stone Monkey Recreation Area. After forest fires, stunted vegetation is burned away, leaving only tall pines and firs dry. After exposure to wind, sun, rain, dew and frost, the burned wood turned white and became an eye-catching landscape. Arrange a one-hour walking tour to see ancient camphor tree pits, bamboo shoots and charcoal kilns in the recreation area, and learn about their production techniques through interpretive boards. As for the Lingfeng Pavilion, Wangxiang Pavilion, Qixia Pavilion and other pavilions, they are good places to listen to the pine waves or overlook the scenery of the grass ridge. In addition, the "Taiwan Province - Orchidaceae Plant Exhibition Area" displays the ecological history of rare wild orchids in Taiwan Province. Plane grass grows in Alishan and blooms from February to April every year. It is named because there is only one leaf growing under the flower.