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 Chiayi County in Taiwan. 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 or Mount Ali (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. Chiayi County (嘉義縣, pinyin: Jiāyì Xiàn) is a county in southwestern Taiwan encompassing Chiayi City and administered as part of Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. ... Tea leaves in a Chinese gaiwan. ... Narrow-gauge railways are railroads (railways) with track spaced at less than the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1. ... Tea leaves in a Chinese gaiwan. ... Binomial name Wasabia japonica Matsum. ...

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. Subtropical (or semitropical) areas are those adjacent to the tropics, usually roughly defined as the ranges 23. ... The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... In geography, temperate latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. ... For the climate of the mountains named the Alps, see climate) for a region above the tree-line. ...

Alishan National Scenic Area covers most, but not all, of Alishan Rural Township in Chiayi County, and also parts of neighboring townships.

• 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.

Dawn view from Alishan, Michael Cannings 2003

Topographical information Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (880x585, 149 KB) [edit] Summary This is a photo taken from Ali Mountain in Central Taiwan. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (880x585, 149 KB) [edit] Summary This is a photo taken from Ali Mountain in Central Taiwan. ...

• 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: The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ...

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

Binomial name Taiwania cryptomerioides Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides) is a large coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, formerly listed in the segregate family Taxodiaceae. ... Species Chamaecyparis formosensis Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Chamaecyparis obtusa Chamaecyparis pisifera Chamaecyparis taiwanensis Chamaecyparis thyoides The genus Chamaecyparis is one of several genera within the family Cupressaceae that have the common name cypress; for the others, see cypress (disambiguation). ... Species Chamaecyparis formosensis Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Chamaecyparis obtusa Chamaecyparis pisifera Chamaecyparis taiwanensis Chamaecyparis thyoides The genus Chamaecyparis is one of several genera within the family Cupressaceae that have the common name cypress; for the others, see cypress (disambiguation). ... Species Cunninghamia konishii Hayata Conservation status: Endangered Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb. ... Species About 115. ... Species About 35; see text. ... Species See text. ... FIR may stand for: finite impulse response (a property of some digital filters) far infrared, i. ... Species Eastern Hemlock Carolina Hemlock Taiwan Hemlock Northern Japanese Hemlock Himalayan Hemlock Forrests Hemlock Western Hemlock Mountain Hemlock Southern Japanese Hemlock Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. ...

History

The Alishan area was originally settled by the Tsou tribe of the Taiwanese aborigines; the name derives from the aboriginal word Jarissang. 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 Rueili (瑞里), Rueifong (瑞峰), Siding (隙頂), and Fencihu (奮起湖). The resulting armed clashes between the settlers and the aborigines pushed the aborigines even further into the mountains. A Rukai village Chief visiting the Department of Anthropology in Tokyo Imperial University during Japanese rule of Taiwan. ... Ming redirects here. ...

Following the cession of Taiwan to Japan at the end of the First 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). Combatants Qing Empire (China) Empire of Japan Commanders Li Hongzhang Yamagata Aritomo Strength 630,000 men Beiyang Army, Beiyang Fleet 240,000 men Imperial Japanese Army, Imperial Japanese Navy Casualties 35,000 dead or wounded 13,823 dead, 3,973 wounded The First Sino–Japanese War (Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Zh... Species Chamaecyparis formosensis Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Chamaecyparis obtusa Chamaecyparis pisifera Chamaecyparis taiwanensis Chamaecyparis thyoides The genus Chamaecyparis is one of several genera within the family Cupressaceae that have the common name cypress; for the others, see cypress (disambiguation). ... Loggers on break, c. ... Binomial name Taiwania cryptomerioides Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides) is a large coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, formerly listed in the segregate family Taxodiaceae. ... Comparison of standard gauge (blue) and one common narrow gauge (red) width. ...

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. Tea leaves in a Chinese gaiwan. ... Binomial name Wasabia japonica Matsum. ...

Attractions & landmarks

• Fencihu (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, also known as bento) which were once sold to passengers on the rail line are also well known.

The Alishan Forest Railway (阿里山森林鐵路) is an 86 km network of narrow gauge (762 mm) railways running up to and throughout the popular mountain resort of Alishan in Chiayi County, Taiwan. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Diversity Around 91 genera and 1,000 species Subtribes Arthrostylidiinae Arundinariinae Bambusinae Chusqueinae Guaduinae Melocanninae Nastinae Racemobambodinae Shibataeinae See the full Taxonomy of the Bambuseae. ... It has been suggested that Obentos be merged into this article or section. ...

See also

• List of national parks in Taiwan

The National Park Act of the Republic of China was passed in 1972 to protect the nature, wildlife, and history. ...

External link

• Alishan National Scenic Area