County-Designated Historic Site: Tree Spirit Tower

The Tree Spirit Tower was constructed due to the Japanese development of the Alishan forestry industry, which involved extensive logging, including a significant number of trees over a thousand years old. Believing that all things possess spirits, the Japanese built the Tree Spirit Tower to enshrine the tree spirits and to soothe the minds of the forestry workers. The creation of the Tree Spirit Tower demonstrated the Japanese reverence for nature, a sentiment quite rare at the time. The design of the Tree Spirit Tower is based on a modified Buddhist stupa, comprising a base, body, and spire. The base is circular with six steps. These circular steps represent tree rings, with each step symbolizing five hundred years; thus, the six steps signify the three-thousand-year spirit of sacred trees. The tower body represents a thick tree trunk, symbolizing robustness, and the name "Tree Spirit Tower" is directly inscribed on it, without any other epitaphs. At the base of the tower, three small, uneven cylindrical pillars radiate outwards, representing the gaps left after trees were cut down. This highlights the pain of the felled trees and the belief that all things have spirits and should not be ignored. This profound respect for nature was quite uncommon at the time, leading to its designation as a county-designated historic site.