Shulin Tower Introduction
The Tree Spirit Tower was created due to the development of forestry by the Japanese in Alishan, which involved extensive logging, including many trees over a thousand years old. The Japanese believed that all things possess a spirit, so they built the Tree Spirit Tower to honor the tree spirits and ease the minds of the forestry workers. The construction of the Tree Spirit Tower reflects the Japanese reverence for nature, which was quite rare at that time. The design of the Tree Spirit Tower is based on a transformed pagoda, consisting of a base, tower body, and tower top. The base is a six-tier circular platform, where each tier represents the rings of a tree, with each tier symbolizing 500 years, totaling six tiers, which signifies the 3,000 years of the sacred tree spirit. The tower body represents a thick tree trunk, symbolizing strength. The words "Tree Spirit Tower" are inscribed directly on the body without any additional inscriptions. At the base of the tower, three short pillars of varying heights extend outward in three directions, representing the gaps left by the felled trees, emphasizing the pain of tree cutting and the belief that all things possess a spirit, which should not be overlooked. This was notably rare at the time, thus it was designated as a county-level historic site.
