The Alishan Museum is a wooden red building located within the Alishan Forest Recreation Area. It houses a collection of tools and utensils used during the early development of Alishan, as well as specimens of high mountain flora and fauna. For those who wish to delve deeper into the history of Alishan, this museum is a must-visit, and it also serves as a place to rest.
The Development Tools section showcases tools used during the early development of Alishan, including models of the early logging machines, planning models of the Alishan Forest Recreation Area, and crosscut saws produced by the United States, England, and Japan in the early days.
The Folklore section features a miniature ‘Wu Feng Temple’ and next to it, there are many exquisite models of houses, gathering places, and warehouses, along with many daily life utensils on display, such as bows, guns, pipes, rice-pounding pestles, harmonicas, and even old-fashioned telephones from the past.
The Fauna and Flora Specimen Hall displays taxidermy specimens and ecological backgrounds of high mountain animals such as Taiwan’s wild goats, wild boars, sambar deer, clouded leopards, and mountain cats, as well as preserved specimens of various birds, snakes, amphibians, butterflies, insects, high mountain rodents, and bats, along with wax leaf specimens of various high mountain plants of Alishan.
In addition, the museum also has a comprehensive collection of specimens, models, and charts on Alishan’s geology, soil, and tree species. For instance, the five main tree species of Alishan—iron fir, red cypress, Taiwan cedar, Taiwan hemlock, and Lantao fir—are all visible here, and the types of soil along the Alishan railway line, as well as rocks and fossils such as sea urchins and bivalves unearthed in Alishan, are also complete.
The entire text is open all year round from 8:30 to 16:30.
