Giant Tree of Alishan Introduction
The Alishan Sacred Tree is a red cypress that has two trunks intertwined and is over 3,000 years old. It once held the title for both age and girth as the largest tree in Asia. Located beside the Alishan Railway at the 69-kilometer mark, it is renowned alongside Alishan's sunrise, sea of clouds, high mountain railway, and cherry blossoms, collectively known as the "Five Great Wonders." In 1906, Japanese engineer Tomijiro Ogasawara discovered a grove of giant trees in Alishan, with an average age of around two to three thousand years. Eventually, due to plans to build a forest railway through the area, around 300,000 towering cypress trees were nearly completely felled. This old red cypress was left untouched because its heart had been completely consumed by lotus root fungus, making it "useless," and it was even revered and celebrated. The solitary sacred tree was struck by lightning in 1953, which caused fire to spread along the hollow trunk to the ground, but it continued to cling to life. However, in 1956, it was struck by lightning a second time, which ultimately removed its upper branches, leading to its complete death. In July 1997, the entire tree collapsed under the relentless winds and rain, breaking into four large pieces and damaging the nearby Alishan Forest Railway. The Forestry Bureau decided on June 6 of the following year to manually lay the tree down in its original place, allowing visitors to pay homage to the remains of this towering giant. To commemorate the year 2007 and to showcase Taiwan's resilient spirit, a voting event for the second-generation Alishan Sacred Tree was held. The tree, originally named "Guangwu Cypress," was selected during a contest organized by the Chiayi County Government, the Alishan National Scenic Area Administration, and the Chiayi Forest District Office, receiving a total of 13,846 votes. It is over 2,300 years old, stands 45 meters tall, has a diameter of 3.92 meters, and a circumference of 12.5 meters, making it impressively large and upright. As a result, it was chosen as the second-generation sacred tree and was renamed "Alishan Xianglin Sacred Tree" on January 1, 2007.
