Shuling Pagoda Introduction
The creation of the Tree Spirit Tower was due to the Japanese development of forestry in Alishan, which involved extensive deforestation, including many trees over a thousand years old. The Japanese believed that all things have spirits, and thus built the Tree Spirit Tower to worship the tree spirits and provide psychological stability for the forestry workers. The construction of the Tree Spirit Tower reflects the Japanese reverence for nature, which was quite rare at the time. The design of the Tree Spirit Tower is based on an abstracted form of a Buddhist pagoda, consisting of a base, tower body, and tower top. The base is a six-tiered circular structure, where the circular steps represent growth rings, with each step representing five hundred years, making a total of six steps which signify the three thousand years of the sacred tree spirit. The tower body represents a thick tree trunk, symbolizing solidity, and it is directly inscribed with "Tree Spirit Tower" without any additional inscriptions. The base of the tower features three short pillars radiating outwards in varying heights, representing the gaps left by the felled trees, emphasizing the pain inflicted on the trees when they are cut down. This belief in the spirit of all living things cannot be ignored, making it quite rare at that time, thus it has been designated as a county monument.
