Shuling Tower Introduction
The construction of the Tree Spirit Tower was initiated due to Japanese development of the Alishan forestry, which involved significant deforestation, including the felling of trees that were over a thousand years old. The Japanese believed that everything has a spirit, thus they built the Tree Spirit Tower to honor the tree spirits and to provide psychological comfort to the forestry workers. The creation of the Tree Spirit Tower reflects the Japanese reverence for nature, which was quite rare at the time. The shape of the tower is designed based on a transformed pagoda, composed of a base and a body with a pinnacle. The base is a six-tiered circular platform, with the circular steps representing annual tree rings; each step signifies five hundred years, and the six tiers symbolize the three thousand years of the divine tree spirit. The body of the tower represents a thick tree trunk, embodying a robust symbolism, and the tower's body directly reads "Tree Spirit Tower" without any additional inscriptions. The base features three short pillars of varying heights radiating in different directions, representing the gaps created by the felled trees, emphasizing the pain caused by the destruction, and reminding us that all things possess a spirit. This perspective was quite rare at the time, leading to its designation as a county-designated historic site.
