Alishan

The Alishan National Scenic Area (阿里山國家風景區) is a mountain resort and natural preserve located in the mountains of Taiwan's Chiayi County. It is 415 km² in area. It includes, among other things, mountain wilderness, four villages, waterfalls, high altitude tea plantations, a narrow gauge railroad and several hiking trails. The area is popular among tourists and mountain climbers, and Alishan (阿里山) itself has become one of the major landmarks associated with Taiwan. The area is also famous for its production of high mountain tea and wasabi.

Geographic information

Climate

Alishan National Scenic area spans a broad range in altitude. Lower elevations share the same subtropical and tropical climate as the rest of southern Taiwan, while the climate changes to temperate and alpine as the elevation increases. Snow sometimes falls at higher elevations in the winter.

• Average temperatures

Low elevations: 24 °C in the summer, 16 °C in the winter.

Medium elevations: 19 °C in the summer, 12 °C in the winter.

High elevations: 14 °C in the summer, 5 °C in the winter.

Topographical information

• Number of peaks above 2000 meters: 25
• Highest point: Da Ta Shan (大塔山), 2,663 meters.
• Average height of Alishan Mountain Range: 2,500 meters.

Vegetation and wildlife

Important trees in the area include:

• Taiwania cryptomerioides
• Chamaecyparis formosensis
• Chamaecyparis taiwanensis
• Cunninghamia konishii
• Pinus taiwanensis
• Picea morrisonicola
• Pseudotsuga sinensis var. wilsoniana
• Abies kawakamii
• Tsuga chinensis var. formosana

History

The Alishan area was originally settled by the Tsou tribe of the Taiwanese aborigines. Ethnic Chinese settlers first settled on the plains near modern day Chiayi as early as the late Ming Dynasty (around the mid 17th century), but did not move into the mountains until the late 18th century, establishing the towns of Ruili (瑞里), Ruifeng (瑞峰), Xinding (隙頂), and Fengihu (奮起湖). The resulting armed clashes between the settlers and the aborigines pushed the aborigines even further into the mountains.

Following the cession of Taiwan to Japan at the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese expeditions to the area found large quantities of cypress (檜木, or hinoki in Japanese). This led to the development of the logging industry in the area and the export of local cypress and Taiwania wood. A series of narrow-gauge railways were built in the area during this time to facilitate the transportation of lumber from the mountains to the plains below. Several new villages also began to sprout up along the railway lines. It was also during this time that the first tourists began to visit the area. Plans were even drawn up to incorporate the area into a new national park (新高阿里山國立公園).

With the exhaustion of forest resources by the 1970s, domestic and international tourism overtook logging to become the primary economic activity in the area. The tourism industry continued to expand with the completion of the Alisan highway in the 1980s, displacing the railroad as the primary mode of transportation up the mountain. To combat the problems associated with the growing crowds of tourists, expanding tea and wasabi plantations the area was declared a national scenic area in 2001.

Attractions & landmarks

• Fengihu (奮起湖)

Small town of low wooden buildings built into the mountainside at 1,400 meters, midpoint of the Alishan Forest Railway . Famous for natural rock formations, mountain streams, forests, and ruins of a Shinto temple in the vicinity. Also famous for its production of high altitude food products such as bamboo shoots and aiyu jelly (愛玉). The local box lunches (奮起湖便當, a.k.a. bento) which were once sold to passengers on the rail line are also well known.

See also

• List of national parks of the Republic of China

External link

• Alishan National Scenic Area