Sān Dài Mù and Xiàng Bí Mù Introduction
After the first generation of trees fell, the opened-up canopy allowed more sunlight to penetrate, and with the climate resembling a fog forest, moss could grow on the tree surface to retain moisture. These factors made it easier for seeds landing on the dead cypress wood to germinate, leading to the emergence of a second generation. The second generation grew atop the first, and after several hundred years, they too faced the fate of being felled. The seeds of the third generation grew from the second generation of trees, creating a cycle of death and rebirth that has shaped the forest we see today. Next to the three generations of trees, there is a stump of a tree that was cut down, known as the Elephant Trunk Wood. Viewed from the trail above, it resembles a resting elephant trunk. In fact, these strangely shaped tree stumps are scattered throughout the national forest recreation area. Nowadays, we describe the remains of these cypress trees based on their appearance, but if we look at the position of the stumps, a century ago, Alishan was covered with enormous original cypress forests. The sight of these millennium-old cypress trees growing densely in this area must have been spectacular!
