An Adventure on a Breath-taking Secret Trail

Wu Feng Memorial Park

Wu Feng Memorial Park

The park, where Alishan Visitor Information Center is located, pays tribute to a legendary martyr of racial harmony, Wu Feng, despite the questionable historical veracity. A masterpiece of the acclaimed architect Han Bao-de, the southern Fujian-style architecture is complete with delicate oriental details, notably a Chinese-style landscaped garden that provokes thoughts of a long-forgotten history. The paved Barite stones, roofed corridor with red columns, octagonal pavilion and beautiful trails make the park even more impressive.

Tanaiku Ecological Garden

As it's name in the Tsou tribal dialect suggests, the "care-free valley" of Tanaiku is situated upstream of the Zengwen River. A famous national attraction with significance in ecological and environmental education, the eco-park is praised for impressive achievements in preserving fish species in the Zengwen River, notably the Onychostoma barbatula, Zacco pachycephalus and Candida barbata. Undaunted by natural disasters that wreaked havocon their way of living during the development project, the Shanmei Villagers' effort in it's restoration was a true testament to the Tsou people's die hard spirit.

Fumei Suspension Bridge

Praised as "the most elegant arc in Alishan," the Fumei Suspension Bridge donated by the Fujian chapter of the Red Cross Society of China is Taiwan's longest hammock-style suspension bridge (aka "ladder to heaven") measuring over 175-meters long. Local students who used the signature colors: red, blue and black of the Tsou Tribe colorfully adorned it with indigenous-styled paintings. The pavilion, at one end of the bridge, features myth-inspired mosaic decorations and offers commanding views of the newly built Shanmei Bridge, the Tanaiku Suspension Bridge and the Tanaiku Ecological Garden.

Chashan Tribal Village (Cayamavana)

Originally called Cayamavana in the Tsou dialect, meaning "hillside plain", the village was renamed Jiayama by the Japanese colonial rulers, as Jia has a similar sound to the Japanese word for tea, while yama is the Japanese word for mountain. "Tea Mountain" in Chinese is pronounced as Chashan, and the village name was thus altered by the Nationalist government. According to the tradition of the indigenous Taiwanese, dead family members are buried in their house and worshiped alongside deities, with outdoor celebrations held in hunting or harvest seasons. The pavilion, which stared out as a shelter from the scorching sun or heavy rain, is now a crucial spiritual symbol of the Tsou people. The village is also famous for "Shui-Huo-Tong-Yuan," the amazing fire-and-water cave in the valleys nearby, as well as a massive mountain wall that is tilted at 30 degrees and is over 400 meters in height.