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Sun Moon Lake
Taiwan's largest natural lake, Sun Moon Lake, sits at an altitude of 762m in the mountains of Nantou County, Yuchih Township in the center of Taiwan. It receives good weather all year-round, has accessible sights and tons of outdoor activities to offer, so it's not surprising it's one of Taiwan's most renowned tourist top hot spots. It is a beautiful alpine lake that's a popular Taiwan tourist attraction for visitors from all over the world all year round.
The enchanted lake is divided by the small Lalu Island. Lalu is a small island near the middle of the lake named Lalu. This small beautiful island used to be a popular place to get married. However, the massive 921 earthquake sunk most of the island and thus can't be visited today.
The eastern part of the lake is round like the sun and the western side is shaped like a crescent moon, therefore getting the popular name “Sun Moon Lake".
The water of Sun Moon Lake is clear, crystalline, emerald colored green. Well known both at home and abroad, the Sun Moon Lake Scenic Area has become a popular tourist destination for tour groups and individual travelers. But there are a bit of mist when we reach here. However, we do enjoy the view and walk.
The beauty of the lake can be appreciated from dawn to dusk through all four seasons. In the early morning the surface of the lake is covered by a thin veil of mist. When the sun rises over the towering mountains, the vapor misting lifts slowly to reveal the lake's true image, with the lakes surface reflecting images of the giant mountains. Consequently, viewers never tire of looking at in admiration and amazement. The Sun Moon Lake area is also home to one of Taiwan's 11 aboriginal tribes, the Thao.
There are a lot of people enjoy the lake area by renting a bicyle and ride around the road that circles the lake. The road is about 12 kms in distance and passes through villages, in front of temples and gives all different angled views of the lake.
Wen Wu Temple (文武廟)
As you wind your way to Itashao, you can't miss this majestic beauty of a Daoist shrine perched on the mountainside and overlooking the pristine lake.
Wen Wu Temple is a very elaborate and ornate temple complex consisting of three halls. The forward hall is called The Water and Clouds Hall and contains a beautiful glimmering shrine dedicated to the god of scholars and literature. The middle hall, The Martial Sage Hall, is dedicated to Guan Gong, the god of war. The third is called, Da Cheng, which is dedicated to Confucius. It is open all year round.
Chinese guardian lions are common to be seen in front of temple. One is male and the other is female. When looking at the entrance from outside the building, facing the lions, the male lion with the ball is on the right, and the female with the cub is on the left. The lions are always presented in pairs. In Mainland China, there were no lions. They were imported from India. According to tales, our ancestors didn’t know lion well and thought they had spirit power, loved firework, and liked sitting on the ground. Therefore, Chinese guardian lions are regarded as door guardians and some of them sitting beside large censer.
You would not miss this stairs which located opposite of Wen Wu Temple. This stairs have 365 steps which equivalent of the days in our calendar and each step are carved in date (i.e : 31 December).
If you are interested in seeing the lake from a different point of view, boats can be chartered from the harbor in Ita Thao and Shui She.
Passes can be purchased at public ticket booths at Shuishe or Ita Thao pier, or authorized ticket booths (with shuttle boat sign shown on the booths)
The approved fare is NT$100 per stage and NT$300 for the entire lake. Promotional offers from different boat operators are available. Please contact ticket booths for details
Boat services generally runs from 9 am to 5 pm daily, but may vary according to season. You can check here for more information about Sun Moon Lake. It is available in both Chinese and English.
Ticket need to be kept with you all the time. After buying ticket, your hand will get stamp to represent their boat. So they will recognize you by the stamp also, in case you have accidentaly lost your fare ticket.
The boats will take either the forward and reverse routes at the three piers (Shuishe, Ita Thao and Syuanguang Piers). You have to take the same boat everytime, as the ticket that you have bought. Most of the boat operators will allow you to stop at each place as long as you desire. Simply hop back on the boat once you are done with the attraction.
This is the boat that we are taking for our round trip tour.
This is the interior of the boat.
Within minutes, we were on board a boat and set off from Shueishe Pier. The boat ride was relaxing, the tour guide told us more about the origins and history of the lake in Mandarin. He is a very friendly tour guide.
Wen Wan Resort Sun Moon Lake
The Wen Wan Resort Sun Moon Lake is renowned for being the accommodation for Mr Chiang Kai-Shek. However, due to the 921 earthquake, the actual Chiang Kai-Shek Guesthouse was completely destroyed. With a 2 million investment, Wen Wan Resort Sun Moon Lake was built on the original location of Chiang Kai-Shek Guesthouse.
With room rate starting from US $700 per night. the resort is said to be the most expensive accommodation in the area. Sitting at the highest point of Hanbi Peninsula, the rooms offer a panoramic view of the Sun Moon Lake, making it just perfect for a romantic getaway.
Lalu Island 拉鲁岛
In the middle of the lake, our boat passed by a tiny island named as Lalu island, a place of ancestral worship of the Thao aboriginal tribe, who were the original inhabitants.
The island used to be bigger, separating the Sun and Moon lake. People used to live on the island in the past. Today, the size of the island has shrunk considerably due to two events that has happened over the years. The first is the construction of a dam in the 1930s, which resulted in a rapid rise in water level that led to an over-flooding on the entire island. In 1999, the 921 earthquake (also known as Jiji earthquake) sunk a majority of the island, causing its size to shrunk again. Today, the tiny island that we passed by is what is left of Lalu island after floods and earthquake.
Regarded as home to the spirits of Thao ancestors. Lalu island is a sacred place among the Thao people. Unfortunately, the island is off-limits to tourists as it is in a danger of collapsing. Thus, taking a leisurely boat ride around it, is the best way to see the island.
Xuanguang Temple Pier
After a 20 minutes ride, our boat docked at 1st stop which is Xuanguang Temple Pier
Once you are at the entrance of Xuanguang Temple Pier, do not forget to try out the Jin Men Grandma's Tea Egg. The eggs are flavored with assam tea leaves, mushroom and spices. Of course, we will not leave the place without trying these famous tea eggs.
It is a seemingly long queue although it is stil early ,(FYI, we took the 2nd earliest boat) we did not wait for too long to get our tea eggs. The eggs were quite tasty and definitely worth a try. It come in 2 eggs for each packet.
It is advise to take the earliest boat tour as possible to avoid stuck in the packed of people.
Be prepared to climb up the hill to Xuanguang Temple. Please note that Xuanguang Pier is not wheelchair or stroller friendly. So. it might be almost impossible for people with disabilities to visit the temple at the top.
From the top of the hill, we get to enjoy a spectacular panoramic view of the lake with the lush mountains in the background. Sitting in the middle of the lake is the Lalu island.
Xuangzang Temple was built around 1955 where a fragment of the Chinese Buddhist monk, Xuanzang's bone was enshrined. Xuanzang was a famous Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk and a great contributor of Buddhism who was sent to India by the Tang Emperor to seek scriptures.
He returned and brought back more than 650 sutras with him after seventeen years. With the help of his disciples, he translated 75 of these. Xuanzang was famous for his seventeen years journey to India, which provided the inspiration for one of the greatest classical novels of Chinese literature - Journey to the west.
However, there was nothing particularly remarkable about the temple. We left right away after taking a few quick photos.
We made our way down to the boarding area once we were done with the various attractions at the Xuanguang Temple Pier and boarded the ferry to Ita Thao Pier
Ita Thao Pier
Ita Thao, formerly known as Dehua Village, is the last residence of the Thao people at Sun Moon Lake.
The members of Ita Thao tribe are currently concentrated in two village - Ita Thao Village located along the bank of Sun Moon Lake in Yuchih township and Damaopu and Dapinglin Villages in nearby Shuili township of Nantou country.
Following the path, we arrived at Ita Thao Visitor Centre and were really surprised it was not crowded with tourists
This is the ticket counter for buying ticket for the gondola.
The Sun Moon Lake Gondola has become a must do when visiting the lake. Trips to the top take about 20 minutes and the views are spectacular. At the top, visitors can enter the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village which is part cultural village and part amusement park.
For more information regarding the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, you can visit here
