We visited the mountains of Alishan during our trip and saw a variety of beautiful scenes, from 15-foot-wide trees to mile-wide valleys. What I found most interesting about this forest was the culture and reverence surrounding it. In Alishan, many of the trees are considered sacred and are thought to bring nourishment to the land and its people. There were numerous trees in this forest, ranging from 500 to even 1,100 years old. It felt different from national parks in the U.S., as there was a palpable sense of respect from all the visitors. There was no trash, no loud noises, and no distractions from the sanctity of the trees.
Within the forest, we encountered a different type of temple than any we had seen in Taiwan so far. Unlike the “city” God temples we had visited, this was a “forest” God. The forest God prioritized the animals, plants, and the health of the forest, whereas the city Gods focused on protecting people. This belief led to the construction of a shrine within the forest, as the locals thought they needed to ward off mischievous and destructive spirits that the forest God couldn’t touch.
Overall, Alishan felt very different from the Redwood forests of California. There seemed to be a shared respect and reverence for the forest, a feeling I’ve rarely encountered in my travels around the world.
