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Trip to Central Taiwan

 

 

Nantou Sun Moon Lake

The Sun Moon Lake, located in the middle of Taiwan, with an elevation of 748 meters above sea level, is the only natural big lake in Taiwan. The southern part of Lalu Island is shaped like a new moon, and the northern part is shaped like a sun; hence the name Sun Moon Lake.

Scenic resources
The most famous sights around Sun Moon Lake are the Itashao, Lalu Island, the Xuanzang Temple, the Ci-en Pagoda, and the Wenwu Temple and so on. The natural forests bordering these roads are good places for bird watching. There are a lot of birds that live on the mid-elevation, such as the Grey-cheeked Fulvetta, Grap-throated Minivet, Formosan Yuhina, Gray Tree Pie, Bamboo Partridge, Chinese Bulbul, Muller's Barbet, and the Black Bulbul.

Colonies of Black-crowned Night herons and Egretta garzettas , and birds such as the common kingfisher and the Green-winged Teal can be seen at the Dazhuhu water reservation, situated around the water gate. Besides these birds, fish, insects and wild vegetables are flourishing in the region as well. These are all natural resources of the Sun Moon Lake region.

The Shao Clan is the earliest clan that lived in the Sun Moon Lake region. The Harvest Festival, Sowing Festival and their special handicraft fair every year, as well as their articles have helped to preserve the particular culture of the Sun Moon Lake region.

Guangxing Paper Mill

What brand of paper is so good that it makes the calligrapher Hou Chi-liang exclaim, “The best paper is from Taiwan”?

Crossing the Ailan Bridge, our car enters the Ailan Plateau, the gateway to Nantou County’s Puli Township and the only locale in Taiwan now producing handmade paper. Of the passing tour buses full of elementary or junior high school students, eight or nine out of ten are on fieldtrips bound for the Guangxing Paper Mill.

Seventeen years ago, the Guangxing Paper Mill became Taiwan’s first tourist factory making handmade paper. Today it attracts 200,000 visitors a year and has become Puli’s newest calling card.

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