Tree Spirit Pagoda

Why Tree Spirit Pagoda is special ?

Tree Spirit Pagoda (樹靈塔), located on the right-hand side not far away from the front of the Alishan Museum, is a 20m tall stone structure built in 1936 to commemorate and soothe the spirits of the trees that were cut down. The Tree Spirit Pagoda was erected during the Japanese Colonial Era. People gathered here to host worship ceremonies to the Tree Spirit every March and September. The circular steps under the pagoda signify the growth rings of the tree, and the pagoda represents the trunk of the tree. The cedars you see today were grown in a later time. It is famous as an ecology conservation area and has gained in popularity through the years.

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What to explore at Tree Spirit Pagoda?

Tree Spirit Pagoda is one of the landmarks Japanese built in commerating the loss of giant trees and placating the tree spirits. The pagoda was supposed to offer wishful comfort toward those hurt tree spirits suffering from their ruthless logging behavior. The base ground of this building was decorated with many symbolic concentric circles that represented the annual rings (500 years for each ring) of a tree. On its surroundings there are cutting imprints denoting the impression of sawing into the wood.

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How to get to Tree Spirit Pagoda?

Chiayi (嘉義) is the base of Alishan. Visitors can reach Chiayi by plane, train or bus. From there, take the mountain train or buses to Alishan. Buses run at regular intervals. Trains to Alishan are run in the morning only.

Driving from Taipei, there are many routes to follow. Take No. 3 Freeway until Nantou (南投) from there, change to Provincial Route 21, which goes through Tatajia (塔塔加) Visitor Center which is a pat of Yushan (玉山) National Park. Change to Provincial route 18 and follow the road signs, very well marked in English.

Source: http://www.chinapost.com.tw/