First time visiting Alishan and luckily it's cherry blossom season. Upon arriving at the national scenic area, we noticed there was also a magnolia garden. I was actually hoping to see some flowers, but when we searched before, those gardens were always located in the north of Taiwan. We didn't have much time to explore, only three hours. We visited the cherry garden, magnolia garden, sister ponds, and then returned to the parking area. Next time, we hope to stay overnight to witness the sunrise and visit the places we missed this time. The journey was really beautiful with a lot of cherry trees along the way.
One of the attractions in Alishan is the Sacred Tree, located at Shenmu Railway at an elevation of 2000 meters above sea level. Shenmu is said to be 3000 years old. This giant tree is surrounded by many other old trees and is considered one of the five must-see Alishan Sceneries. In this area, there are more than 36 notable giant trees that are 1000-2000 years old.
The tree is a red cypress and has been guarded by the Tsou people for generations. It stands 53 meters tall, making it the tallest tree in Taiwan. The trunk has a diameter of 4.66 meters and a circumference of 23 meters. In 1956, the tree was struck by lightning and suffered internal burning. In 1998, the Forestry Bureau decided to cut and lay the giant tree due to its slant. A pavilion was built alongside the sacred tree.
On the way to the sister ponds, there is also a Magnolia Garden. It was originally a sika deer garden that raised sika deer. Magnolia is known as "Dulan" because of the fragrance of its flowers, and "Mulan" because of the shape of the flowers. The park is home to many types of magnolia, including purple magnolia or Japanese Xinyi (white flowers).
Jiemei Lakes (Sister Lakes) are two ponds of different sizes that connect together. The ponds are known as the Elder Sister Pond and the Younger Sister Pond. The Elder Sister Pond has a size of 530 square meters, while the other one is 120 square meters. According to the story, two sisters from the Tsou tribe fell in love with the same man. They didn't want to ruin their sisterhood and couldn't have the man for themselves. The sisters decided to jump into the two ponds and end their lives.
The largest temple in Alishan is the Shouzhen Temple, also the highest altitude temple in Taiwan, located at 2150 meters above sea level. After its reconstruction in 1969, it became the most popular temple for locals. The temple is home to the God of Justice (Syuantian Emperor), God of Commerce (Fude God), and the Goddess of Fertility (Jhusheng Goddess). According to legend, every year on the third day of the third lunar month, a group of Alishan Kuciouluowun Moths lands and stays on the statues of the gods for 15 days.
See also: Alishan Cherry Blossom
Another place to visit are Jiemei Lakes (Sister Lakes). Those ponds are two different sized ponds which connects together. Those ponds are known as Elder Sister Pond and Younger Sister Pond. The Elder Sister Pond's size is 530 square meters, the other one 120 square meters.
The story says that two sisters of Tsou tribe fell in love with the same man. They didn't want to ruin their sisterhood and wasn't able to have the man themselves. Sisters decider to jump into two ponds and end their lives.
The largest Temple is Alishan is Shouzhen Temple. It's also the highest attitude Temple in Taiwan laying 2150 m above sea level. After reconstruction in 1969 it became the most popular Temple for locals. The Temple is a home to God of Justice (Syuantian Emperor), God of Commerce (Fude God) and the Goddess of Fertility (Jhusheng Goddess).
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