Qinshanhe He Doctor Memorial Stone Introduction
In May 1902, Dr. Kawai Sotaro, a forestry professor at the Imperial University of Tokyo, was invited by the Taiwan Governor-General's Office to conduct a survey in Alishan, Chiayi. He discovered that the forest landscape of Alishan was excellent, the quality of the timber was good, and the resources were abundant. His recommendations during the survey report strongly advocated for development, which garnered the attention of the Governor-General's Office. Subsequently, in several important inspections and forestry management plans, Dr. Kawai's opinions played a crucial role in the development of Alishan forestry; he is considered the greatest contributor to this cause. As a result, a memorial stone was erected in his honor after his death, and he was designated as a county historic site. Dr. Kawai Sotaro, a forestry PhD from the Imperial University of Tokyo, was appointed by the Taiwan Governor-General's Office on February 8, 1903, to oversee the development of Alishan Forest and the surveying of the forest railway route. On October 3, 1904, more than 30 officials, including Goto Shinpei, the Minister of Civil Affairs of the Governor-General's Office, and Dr. Kawai Sotaro, formed a large exploration team with 60 food porters, reaching Wansui Mountain in Alishan after three days, thus beginning the push for the development of the Alishan forest. However, at that time, due to financial difficulties caused by the Russo-Japanese War, the project was delayed and only officially started in 1906. Throughout the development process, there were many setbacks; the project, initially undertaken by the private Fujita Group, was halted midway and taken over by the Governor-General's Office for official continuation. Dr. Kawai Sotaro devoted himself to exploration planning as a forestry advisor to the Taiwan Governor-General's Office and made significant contributions to the development of Alishan forestry. On March 14, 1931, Dr. Kawai Sotaro passed away in Tokyo, Japan. To honor his achievements, a monument was erected in Alishan in November 1932, and it was officially unveiled on February 3, 1933.
