Sun Moon Lake

The Sun Moon Lake, located in the middle of Taiwan, with an elevation of 748 meters above sea level, is the only natural big lake in Taiwan. The southern part of Kuang Hua Island is shaped like a new moon, and the northern part is shaped like a sun; hence the name Sun Moon Lake. Scenic resources, the most famous sights around Sun Moon Lake, are the Te Hua House, Kuang Hua Island, the Hsuan Tsang Mosque, the Tzu-En Pagoda, and the Wen Wu Temple and so on. The natural forests bordering these roads are good places for bird watching. There are a lot of birds that live on the mid-elevation, such as the Grey-cheeked Fulvetta, Grap-throated Minivet, Formosan Yuhina, Gray Tree Pie, Bamboo Partridge, Chinese Bulbul, Muller's Barbet, and the Black Bulbul. Colonies of Black-crowned Night herons and Egretta garzettas, and birds such as the common kingfisher and the Green-winged Teal can be seen at the Chu Hu water reservation, situated around the water gate. Besides these birds, fish, wild pigs, raccoons, insects and wild vegetables are flourishing in the region as well. These are all natural resources of the Sun Moon Lake region. The Shao Clan is the earliest clan that lived in the Sun Moon Lake region. The Harvest Festival, Sowing Festival and their special handicraft fair every year, as well as their articles has helped to preserve the particular culture of the Sun Moon Lake region.

Wen Wu Temple

Wen Wu Temple is located at the shoulder of mountain where is on the north of Sun Moon Lake. It was built in 1938. People worried the water of Sun Moon Lake might cover Lungfung Temple and Ihuatang of Shuishotsun, they built Wen Wu Temple. The Wen Wu Temple is 2 (Lungfung Temple and Ihuatang) in 1. It was rebuilt in 1969. Its gate is face to the north. People pray the Civil Saint of Confucius, the Military Saint of Kuankung, and the Established God of two temples at the Wen Wu Temple. The temple is popular among students.

Cih-en Pagoda

Historical Background：Cih-en Pagoda is located on Sha Ba Lan Mountain near Sun Moon Lake. It was built by Chiang Kai-shek in memory of his mother in 1971. The construction was very difficult because the materials had to be shipped over the lake and moved up the mountain. The Cih-en Pagoda is 46 meters in height and has become the famous landmark of Sun Moon Lake. Surrounding the tower are beautiful plants and trees and there are stone tables and chairs for visitors to take a rest. The Cih-en Pagoda overlooks Lalu Island and Sun Moon Lake. Cultural Highlights：Cih-en Pagoda is an octagonal building; the 3 stories at the base are painted in white, while the 9 stories of the main body are painted in golden red. Tourists can appreciate the magnificent scenery of Sun Moon Lake from the Cih-en Pagoda. The tourist tracks as long as 700 meters lead to the Cih-en Pagoda. Alongside the track are beautiful trees and flowers, which make the track easy and comfortable to walk along.

Puli Town

Puli is at the center of Taiwan. With an elevation between 380~700 meters, Puli is a basin surrounded by rising & falling mountains, hills and farmland. The most famous tourist spots include the Puli Brewery Factory, Guangshing paper Manufactory, and Chung Tai Chan Monastery; its special products (fine food) are wild rice stems, passion fruit, red sugar canes, rice-noodles, and Shaushing wine.

Xuan Guang Temple

Monk Xuan Zhuang was the Holy Monk in the Tang dynasty. During the China-Japan War, Japanese took the Monk Xuan Zhuang's remains away from Nanchin to the Tsen Temple of Saidama Ken in Japan. In 1955, the Monk Xuan Zhuang's remains were returned back to the Xuan Guang Temple. In 1965, the Monk Xuan Zhuang's remains were moved to the Xuan Zhuang Temple after the temple rebuilding. There is a bell in front of the main gate of the Xuan Zhuang Temple. The bell is called "wake up bell." If you prefer quiet atmosphere, those temples are the best places for you.

Lalu Island

Located in the center of Sun Moon Lake, Lalu Island was called Kuang Hua Island in the past. Sun Moon Lake is the most famous water reservoir in Taiwan. Lulu Island is known as the island on the water. This area was dwelled by the Shao tribe in the past and the island had been called Lalu until 1946, when the government renamed it Kuang Hua Island. In the severe earthquake in 1999, Sun Moon Lake reservoir was damaged and a historic site of the Shao tribe was discovered. Thus, in 2000, the island was renamed Lalu again. The Shao tribe considers the island a sacred place and thus tourists cannot visit the island; however, you can still learn about the Shao tribe along the tracks surrounding the lake. Lalu Island is said to be a sacred place for the Shao tribe. Witch candidates of the tribe would have to come to the island to seek approval of the ancestors' spirits. The witches are in charge of incantation and rituals. The Japanese also left a stone monument, remembering the development of Sun Moon Lake during Japanese occupation.

The Lalu Hotel

The Lalu is located on Sun Moon Lake’s Lalu Peninsula. In the past, the building served as Chiang Kai Shek’s travel accommodation. With a base area of 10 hectares, the hotel is divided into three buildings: Building ‘A’ houses the guest rooms; Building ‘B’ houses recreation equipment, including the spa, gym, sauna and members club; and Building C houses the villa, meeting rooms, library and parking lot. The Lalu’s total floor area is 26,690 square metres, or about 8,000 pings. With a total investment cost of NT$1.86 billion, Shining Group spent over five years to complete the reconstruction of The Lalu since purchasing it in 1997. Its new style and features were unveiled to the public on March 3rd, 2002.The Lalu’s architectural design centres on the themes of utmost simplification of Zen style and is constructed with four major building materials of wood, stone, glass and iron. Its unique “Ongoing Style” of architecture has impressed the public and alread becomes a model imitated by restaurants, hotels and various personal and business establishments.