Pagoda of the Tree Spirit

Every year, tourists flock to Alishan, a mountainous cloud forest in the heart of Taiwan, famous for its stunning “sea of clouds.” Among the many visitors, few people stop to look at this unique monument.

In 1935, the Japanese colonial government in Taiwan erected the Pagoda of the Tree Spirit to honor the souls of 77 loggers who died on the job, as well as to placate the spirits of 100,000 felled trees.

Each concentric circle around the base symbolizes 500 years of tree growth. Notches on the sides symbolize saw cuts. Towering cypress trees surround the monument, creating an eerie image when shrouded in the forest’s daily fog.