Nine Dragons Pass: Sun Moon Lake has many dragon related names, such as Lunlong Ridge, Qinglong Mountain, and Erlong Mountain, etc. The place where Provincial Highway 21 enters is called Jiulongkou (九龍口). Where Provincial Highway 21 enters Sun Moon Lake, it is called Jiulongkou.
Wenwu Temple: Established in 1932, the Wenwu Temple is located on the north side of Sun Moon Lake and is named after Guan Di, who is the main worshipper, as well as Confucius and Yue Fei. The temple is mainly golden in color and stands tall. And its situation is steep, if the boat can be moored at the foot of the cliffs, 365 steps up the stone steps can be climbed. In front of the temple, there is a stone sculpture of two dragons getting a pearl. Climbing up the hill behind the temple, you can see the sun and moon lake view.
Peacock Garden: A miniature zoo, established in October 1968, specializing in peacocks, is located next to the lakeshore highway. There are about 200 peacocks in the park, mainly blue peacocks, but also white and green peacocks, as well as other valuable birds, such as golden pheasants, silver pheasants, blue finches and white birds originating from the mainland. In fact, there is a butterfly herbarium in the Peacock Garden at Sun Moon Lake, displaying a variety of butterfly specimens, along with textual explanations for visitors to understand the ecology of butterflies.
Youth Activity Center: The Sun Moon Lake Youth Activity Center is a recreational resort on the shore of Sun Moon Lake, with forest cabins and general guest rooms for about 320 people. There is also a vast cedar forest area that can be used by social groups as a wilderness exploration training site.
Ida Shao (Dehua She): Formerly known as Dehua She and Huafan She, the Shao tribe was originally known as Baraw-baw, and the Shao tribe mainly resided here, making it the most populous village by Sun Moon Lake. Back then, Chiang Kai-shek's favorite place to watch the Thao songs and dances on a boat was here, thus making this community an important aboriginal cultural park in Sun Moon Lake. Nowadays, Dehua Shea is inhabited by Thao, Atayal and Han***, and there are art stores, restaurants and hotels in the village. Every year around the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, the Thao people here hold a grand festival.
Xuanzang Temple: Xuanzang Temple was built in 1965 to house the relics of the bones of Xuanzang, who had been brought back from Japan, and it is now the place where the bones are worshipped. The temple is one of the best places to see Sun Moon Lake and Lalu Island.
Ci'en Pagoda: Built by Chiang Kai-shek in honor of his mother, Mrs. Wang. Built on a hill 954 meters above sea level, the top of the tower is exactly 1,000 meters above sea level. You can enjoy a panoramic view of Sun Moon Lake from it. Ci'en Pagoda was partially damaged by the Nantou Earthquake on November 5, 2009, and the main building was closed for repairs from November 9, 2009, until August 26, 2010, when renovations were completed and it was reopened.
Xuan Guang Temple: Xuan Guang Temple was built in 1955 to temporarily house the relics of Master Xuan Zang's bones, which were brought back from Japan, and was later transferred to Xuan Zang Temple in 1965. Xuan Guang Temple is very close to the edge of the pool, the scenery is beautiful.
The Xiangshan Administration and Visitor Center: The Xiangshan Administration and Visitor Center is located near the Shuishe Tunnel on Provincial Highway 21, and the building itself is quite unique. The front building is an office and the back building is a visitor center. The exhibition space of the Visitor Center includes the "Easy Tour of Shuisalian - Industry Pavilion", "Sunrise and Moonrise - Art Gallery", "Tam Love, Sun and Moon - Nature and Humanities Pavilion", and the "Multimedia Audio and Video Playback Room".
Shuishe Visitor Center: Shuishe is the transportation center of Sun Moon Lake, and also a concentration of hotels and stores. The Shuishe Pier has a good view of the lake, and events are often held there. Shuishe Visitor Center*** has four floors above ground and one underground floor, with a pioneer culture square on the first floor, a visitor center on the second floor, and food and beverage departments on the third and fourth floors.
Meiho Garden: Meiho Garden is located at the entrance of Hanbi Trail, which was the guard post of Chiang Kai-shek's military police when he visited Sun Moon Lake, and was planned as a scenic overlook after the 921 Earthquake, and has been opened to the private catering industry for light meals and bars since 2011.
Laru Island: Located in the middle of Sun Moon Lake, Sun Moon Lake is divided into Sun Lake and Moon Lake with Laru Island as the boundary. After the Nationalist government came to Taiwan, it was renamed Guanghua Island, and after the 921 earthquake, it was renamed Laru Island, which is the resting place of ancestral souls in the legend of Taiwan's aboriginal Thao tribe. Due to the 921 Earthquake, many of the buildings on the island were damaged and the whole island was partially submerged in water; restoration work began in 2007.
Jesus Church: Jesus Church is a white Roman columnar style building, solemn and elegant, and was the exclusive church where Mr. and Mrs. Chiang Kai-shek worshipped in Sun Moon Lake. With the end of the authoritarian era, it has been removed from its mysterious veil and opened to the general public.
Maohuangshan Tea Improvement Farm: Located on the north side of Sun Moon Lake at an altitude of 1,020 meters, Maohuangshan is an ideal place to overlook the panoramic view of Sun Moon Lake. The mountain is planted with tea trees, and halfway up the mountain is the office of the Fuchi Branch of the Tea Industry Improvement Farm. There is a three-story wooden building in the Tea Improvement Farm, an old factory left over from the Japanese rule era, elegant and quaint, a historical building designated by the county government. Next to it is a newly constructed tea culture exhibition building that displays various information about tea.
Cat Londonderry Mountain Trail: The Cat Londonderry Mountain Nature Trail is a 4.7-kilometer trail located next to Myeongtan Junior High School in Shuishe Village (kankwan/tsui-sia). Located in the upper reaches of the Dalin River in the fukaz basin, at an elevation of 670-700 meters, the trail leads to the tea plantations of the Yuchi Branch of the Tea Industry Improvement Farm, as well as the Taiwan cedar forests that fill the mountains. Climbing to the top of the mountain, one can get a bird's eye view of Sun Moon Lake, and look around at Shuishe Dashan, Jiji Dashan, and other mountains, with sunrise on Sun Moon Lake being the best place to see it.
Neihu Mountain Trail: The Neihu Mountain Trail is located next to the old Taiwan 21 highway in Zhongming Village and is about 560 meters long. The trail has green stone stairs and wooden stacks, and you can see Sun Moon Lake from the observation deck. The ecology is rich, with fireflies in late spring and early summer being the most characteristic.
Revelation of the Xuanji Temple (Kongming Temple): originally named Revelation of the Xuanji Temple, built in 1901, is a Chinese-style temple building, covers an area of more than 400 ping, backed by the Mingtan Pine Ridge, in front of the temple, the vast field, the temple next to the verdant forest, the scenery of the fields, quite interesting, with the "Crouching Dragon Terrace", "Kongming Pavilion," and the entire Taiwan's tallest statue of Zhuge Kongming (height of more than three zhang) is the characteristics of this temple, the spectacularly magnificent temple gate pagoda, located in the middle pool about one kilometer away from the temple. About one kilometer from the temple Zhongtan highway (Taiwan 21 line provincial highway) side, the temple worship Zhuge Kongming, heavenly mother, XuanTianGod, which scolded the third prince.
Other attractions around the lake:
Sun Moon Museum (Golden Boat, Observation Deck): Sun Moon Museum is located in the Sun Moon Lake Hanbi Peninsula at the highest point for the old Hanbi House Chiang Kai-shek Pavilion alteration, the original site of the land belonging to the Nantou County Government, 921 earthquake, the old building dumped, the Nantou County Government in order to effectively utilize the land, it is the planning of the hotel BOT case, the bidding for the outside world in 2007, there are Tongkuo Mai, Guo Guojian God, which scolded three Princes. In 2007, the bidding was open to the public, and there were six companies competing for the project, including Kirin Mak, State Guest, Lide, Lukfook, Unimao, and Hsianglin, and finally Kirin Mak won the bid to build a six-star high-level hotel, the "Sun and Moon" hotel, with the appearance of a corner of the Sun and Moon Lake, there is a similar Dubai Sailboat Hotel ship mast modeling, with a curved length of 61 meters, a straight column length of 12 meters, a total of 73 meters, and the appearance of the 999 gold, which became a new landmark of the Sun and Moon Lake. It is especially worth mentioning that this gold ship mast set a gold world record and became the center of international attention. On the top floor of the Sun Moon Museum is designed to be comparable to the Grand Canyon of the United States of America's high-altitude transparent walkway observation deck, the 60-meter high transparent air walkway, is the only Sun Moon Lake can be 270-degree overview of the sun and moon two pools of scenery.
Sun Moon Lake Cable Car: The Sun Moon Lake Cable Car (Sun Moon Lake Youth Activity Center - Nine Tribes Cultural Village) was opened on December 28, 2009, offering a high view of the scenic beauty of Mingtan. Currently planning for the second cable car system - Sun Moon Lake Xiangshan Checheng Cable Car System (Xiangshan Administration and Visitor Center - Shui Li Checheng)
Sun Moon Gushing Springs: From the Dazhu Lake Trail, you can get close to the spectacular view of the Sun Moon Gushing Springs, which is the main source of water injected into Sun Moon Lake, taking the water of Wanda Creek, from the Wujie Dam to intercept the stream, and flowing to Sun Moon Lake from the water tunnel, as the Wujie Dam is the only place where the stream can flow to the Sun Moon Lake, because of the Wujie dam. The water from the Wujie Dam is intercepted and flows to Sun Moon Lake through the water crossing tunnel. Because the terrain in the Wujie area is higher than that of Sun Moon Lake, the water outlet produces the phenomenon of gushing springs.
Hanbi Building: Hanbi Building was built in 1916 (Taisho 5) during the Japanese rule in Taiwan by the Japanese Ito family, and was originally the residence of the Ito family. [12] During the Japanese rule period, Hanbi House was one of the highlights for officials and dignitaries from all walks of life who visited Sun Moon Lake for recreation. Later, due to the construction of the Sun Moon Lake Water Conservancy Project, the Taichung State Office rebuilt the building on a new site and used it as a guest house. It is said to have been used as a guest house for Prince Hirohito of the Oriental Palace when he visited Taiwan,[2] but he did not come. It was also the guesthouse of former President Chiang Kai-shek,[13] and was privately operated in 1998, but after the 921 Earthquake in 1999, the old guesthouse was almost completely razed. After reconstruction, it was converted into a tourist hotel by the central region builder Xianglin Construction Group. It was once penalized for polluting Sun Moon Lake with wastewater.
Longfeng Palace (Temple of Santa Claus under the Moon): Tourists who visited Sun Moon Lake in the early years were left with a deep impression of a small island, Guanghua Island, in the water pool, but after the 921 Earthquake, the small island was severely damaged and disappeared, and in order to maintain the historical background of the island to be able to recreate the statue of the Santa Claus under the moon, the relevant unit was relocated to the "Longfeng Palace", a small island on Sun Moon Lake's Zhongshan Rd. The "Dragon and Phoenix Palace", which is the center of faith in the area, was returned to the original holder, the Siao clan, to manage the island due to the convenience of transportation and the large number of young men and women believers.
Chaowu Wharf: Chaowu Wharf is the largest of the three wharves in Sun Moon Lake, so the annual Sun Moon Lake crossing begins here. This is also because the parking lot at Chaowu Wharf is vast, and the steps down to the water are long and wide, so even if it's not the time for the Sun Moon Lake crossing, it still attracts a lot of swimmers to come and have a swim in the morning, so if you come here a little earlier in the morning, you might be able to follow the swimmers. If you come here early in the morning, you may be able to join the swimmers.
Shuishe Trail: Shuishe Nature Trail The Shuishe Nature Trail is a forest trail that winds through the Hanbi Peninsula, with a length of about 1.5 kilometers. The trail is about one to five kilometers long, and the steps are made of rustic red bricks. When you walk along the trail in the early morning, you can see birds such as the five-colored bird, mountain redhead, and the embroidered-eye paintbrush active in the forest. Walking to the pier by the pool, you can have a great view of Ci'en Pagoda, Lalu Island and the mountains and green water.
Shuishe Dam Dike Park: Shuishe Dam is the guardian deity of Sun Moon Lake. Without Shuishe Dam defending the only exit from the Sun Moon Lake basin, Sun Moon Lake would have long been a dry lake bottom. The green grass on the weir embankment is a mecca for photography for the people in the neighborhood. It is a quiet switch in the morning and evening, and a good place for stargazing at night. Local people say, Shuisheba weir embankment park's most beautiful moment, is in the rainy afternoon, the rain and fog with the sun's face disappears, was hazy everything, clean and clear up, the air is still a little wet
Dazhu Lake Trail: Dazhu Lake Trail is located in the southeast of Sun Moon Lake, in the Songbai Lun and Buji Mountain between the Sun Moon Lake shore waters, the trail is about eighty meters long. In the twenty-third year of the Republic of China (Showa 9) for the Sun Moon Lake water storage and power generation project, the construction of 15.1 kilometers of underground waterway, from the Wujie sand barrage to draw the turbid water stream to become the water source of Sun Moon Lake. Because of the long years of sand and silt, water plants grow, creating a habitat for herons, geese and ducks, and other water birds, and is also a wonderful place to see the springs and the sunset.
Tuting Chai Trail: Located at 9.5 kilometers from the Taiwan 21 A-Line Around Lake Highway, the trail is about 600 meters long, with a difference of about 80 meters in elevation, along the undulating, curved terrain, and at the end of the trail there is an outlook building where you can look out over the mountain and water scenery.
Songbailun Trail: Located at 1.95 kilometers along the Taiwan 21A route around the lake, the trail runs between the Wenwu Temple and the Peacock Garden.
Water Frog Head Trail: Located at 4.9 kilometers along the Taiwan 21A Ring Road, between the Dazhu Lake Trail and Ida Shao, the trail is paved with logs and wood glue boards and is more than 500 meters long, with a difference in elevation of about 60 meters. It is a healthy and pleasing trail, with a gentle slope and a variety of wildflowers along the way, and the ferns are the most visible spots in Sun Moon Lake.
Sun Moon Lake Bicycle Trail: Ranked among the world's 10 most beautiful bicycle trails in 2012, including: "Lakeshore Iron Horse Ride" (30 kilometers of Sun Moon Lake Loop Road), Moon Lake Bicycle Trail, Toushe Bicycle Trail, and Shuishe Mountainward Bicycle Trail, among others.