After alighting at Zhaoping Station, I went to the direction of Alishan Gou Hotel.  It's one of the hotels within the forest recreation area (the other being Alishan House Hotel).  This hotel may or may not have been used in the TW drama Wish to See You Again.  I've actually known of Alishan through this drama.

Alishan Gou Hotel

Alishan Gou Hotel

Past the hotel is an entrance to the trails.  A map of the area is available here.

Area Map

Green Shower
Forests are usually called the "Lungs of the Earth".  They can absorb carbon dioxide, hot air, and noise, emitting oxygen and fresh cold air by filtering out dust particles.  You can bathe yourself in air filled with the odorous smell of Phytoncide, and you will feel very comfortable and relaxing.

Pond-shore Boardwalk
This boardwalk goes through cypress stands and around the pond is about 186 meters long.  Walking along the trail, you will the enjoy the beautiful reflection in the pond and the scenic surroundings while having a fresh breath provided by the forest bath tour.

The Sister Pond

The Three Brothers  These are three straight-up Taiwan red cypress trees growing side by side on top of some remaining stumps.  They all looked quite similar to each other, and people nicknamed them the "Three Brothers".

The Four Sisters After one big cypress was felled, four seeds of the same species happened to be air-delivered on top of the stump.  The seeds grew into four intimate trees side by side which remind people of four endearing sisters.

Pig-shaped Old Stump Even though the rest of the trees have fallen, the old tree stumps still firmly grab on to the soil with their roots.  This has a significant ecological function because it helps to prevent soil erosion.  Conservation of old stumps is good for ecology.  The old stumps are vivid witness of Alishan forestry history.

The Wheel Stamen Tree The distribution of the Wheel Stamen Tree is limited only to Taiwan, Japan and Okinawa.  It is a species to survive the Ice Age here and is considered a living fossil.  In evolution, it is characteristic of a more primitive type of evergreen hardwood.  Its bloom season is from April to May.

Love Forever
Two old Taiwan red cypress stumps have naturally grown intertwined with their roots, developing into a big heart shape.  The intriguing shape has been interpreted as a symbol of eternal love.

Downhill path to Magnolia Garden

Magnolia Garden
Magnolia trees belong to Magnoliaceae.  They are one of the existing and more primitive families in plant evolution.  One characteristic of the magnolia is its heady scent.  The magnolia belongs to a type of deciduous trees with extremely large, six petal blossoms.  In spring, the blooming flowers are at their most vivid and brilliant stage.  There are white and purple species mixed in this area.

Magnolia Garden

Continuing on to the trail, I reached Shouzhen Temple.  It is the largest temple within the Alishan area and indeed, it is also the highest altitude temple in Taiwan (2150m). Since the reconstruction in 1969, it has become one of the most popular temples for the locals. (Source: Sinotour)

Wasabi plant sold around the temple

Shouzhen Temple

Around Shouzhen Temple

Scented Woods and Arch Bridge There are emerald green mountains, luxuriant and well-spaced trees, arch bridges and flowing water.  As you stride across the stream and look back, you would feel like you are in Kyoto, Japan.

The Three-Generation Trees The aged tree roots lying on the ground were the first generation of 1500 years old tree.  The roots were withered for about 250 years and sometime there was a seed dropping on the roots occasionally.  By means of absorbing nutrients from the withered tree roots, the seed came into leaf and grew up as the second-generation tree.  After passing the period of 300 years, the second-generation tree roots were aged and the stem became hollow.  In spite of the disadvantages, the roots still got alive and grew up as the third-generation tree.

Stump Looks like Elephant's Trunk
Look closely at this aged red cypress stump.  Can you see that the shape of the stump is similar to an elephant's head, eyes and trunk?  If you think the stump is exactly the same as an elephant, take a snapshot with the stump.  You may find it more like a mammoth because it covers a large layer of mosses.

A school within the forest

Alishan Museum
Alishan Museum was built in 1911.  The museum constructors mainly adopted Taiwan cypresses as the construction materials.  Displays in the exhibition hall of the museum include various alpine animals and plant specimens, forest management planning, as well as aboriginal costumes and the cultural heritage of the Tsou Tribe.

At Cihyun Temple

Pagoda of the Tree Spirit The intent of building a monument devoted to sacred trees was to appease the tree spirits.  The base of the monument is made of a series of concentric circles representing the annual growth rings of a tree.  Each step is for 500 years of growth, commemorating the 3000 years of the Alishan Sacred Tree.

Dr. Kawai Memorial This memorial was erected in 1933 to dedicate forest investigation by Dr. Kawai Ichitaro and his contributions to local development.  He was a forestry professor of Tokyo University.  His inventory in 1903 indicated more than 300,000 Taiwan red cypress and Taiwan cypress were available such that logging operation was performed accordingly.

Thousand Year Cypress

Alishan Sianglin Sacred Tree
To pass down the legacy of the now fallen Alishan Sacred Tree, the Forestry Bureau, Chiayi County Government, and the Tourism Bureau co-organized the "Balloting Campaign for Alishan Sacred Tree II," through which this giant tree received most votes and was thus given the name "Alishan Sianglin Sacred Tree" on January 1, 2007.

Giant Trees Boardwalk - 1
Giant Trees Boardwalk one is about 600m in length.  It was built for conservation of the ecosystem using elevated boardwalks such that people will not trample on the soil and roots, and the precious giant trees can be protected.  Along the path you will encounter the 20 remarkable giant trees.

After almost 2 hours of walking, I got to the Sacred Tree (Shenmu Station).  I was happy I got there before 4PM, that means there's still a train going back to Alishan Station.  It was also a relief I took the Alishan-Zhaoping-Sacred Tree-Alishan route, as the path from Zhaoping Station to Sacred Tree is mostly downhill.  Had I done it the other way around, I would have sore legs and might not even be able to catch the last train from Zhaoping Station.

Down to Sacred Tree Station

Additional information on Alishan is available in the wikitravel site and here.

Forest Railway Alishan Station

Alishan Station is situated on the upper part of the town center.  This station is being used by the trains going into the forest recreation area.  Cherry blossoms can also be seen here.

Alishan Station

Ground Floor of Alishan Station

Alishan Station

Alishan Station

Alishan Station

Map of Alishan Forest Railway

During the day, the ticket counter on the 2nd level is used.  One-way ticket, either going to Zhaoping/Chaoping or Sacred Tree/Shenmu station cost NTD50; a round-trip ticket cost NTD80.  The staff at the counter, though they do not know much English, told me to use the round trip ticket using Alishan-Zhaoping (since it's the next train out) then Sacred Tree-Alishan.  I could walk inside the forest recreation area to go from Zhaoping to Sacred Tree station.

2nd Level of Alishan Station
Tickets can be bought at the counter on the left

Forest Train Schedule

Artwork at the 2nd level of Alishan Station

I was able to hop on the 13:30 train.  It's a scenic 10-minute ride going to Zhaoping Station.

Alishan Station

Going to Zhaoping Station

Zhaoping Station

After getting out of the train, I followed the trail and made sure I'll end up in Sacred Tree Station before 4PM.  My next post contains the sights within the forest area.  I got to my destination just in time for the 3:30PM train back to Alishan Station.

Sacred Tree Station

It was a 10-minute train ride back to the town center.  When I got there, the fog is already starting to envelop the area.

Fog and cherry blossoms at Alishan Station

FYI: Before leaving the station, I bought a ticket for the next morning's sunrise trip.  They pre-sell these tickets from 2:00-5:00PM.  Round-trip ticket cost NTD150 (NTD100 for a single trip).  Check their board as they would also have there the time of the sunrise and the departure of the last train from Jhushan.  These information would most likely be available in the hotel's reception area as well.

Alishan's Town Center

Alishan town is a small town (or village) on top of the mountain.  Here is where one could find the bus and train stations, souvenir shops, food/delicacy stores, the 7-11 convenience store, some local restaurants and the post office.  The hotel area is on another street just behind the (supposedly location of) Visitor Center.  Not a lot of people speak English here but the signs are both in pinyin and English.

Map of Alishan

Characteristics of Alishan Forest Railway

The building on top is on the left of 7-Eleven

The main transportation going to the forest area is the train.  There is, however, a tourist bus as an alternative for that (Contract Period: 07/29/2011-07/29/2013).

Trip	Single Trip	Round Trip
Route	1. Tourist Service Center -> Parking Lot -> Zhaoping Station 2. Tourist Service Center -> Parking Lot -> Shouzhen Temple 3. Shouzhen Temple -> Tourist Service Center ->Parking Lot 4. Zhaoping Station -> Tourist Service Center ->Parking Lot 5. Shouzhen Temple -> Zhaoping Station	Tourist Service Center ->Parking Lot -> Entrance of Forest Trail ->Shouzhen Temple -> Tourist Service Center ->Parking Lot
Cost	NTD50	NTD80

Mt. Ali Tourist Bus Tickets

Shops and restaurants in the town center

Temperature shown in the LED display is 14C

On the road to the left of 7-Eleven would be the Post Office (looks like a temple to me) and the Jhushan Trail 1 Traffic Control (which temporarily houses the Visitor Center).

Post Office

Going to Jhushan Trail 1 Traffic Control

Jhushan Trail 1 Traffic Control

Jhushan Trail 1 Traffic Control

I dropped the insurance stub at the visitor center and asked for an English map from them.  On the way back, I saw the forest train passing by.

Forest Train

Next stop: Alishan Station