Explore Sun Moon Lake

Sun Moon Lake is the largest body of water in Taiwan, lying 748 metres above sea level in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, around the small island of Lalu, which is sacred to the Thao people. Boats link the piers of Shuishe, Ita Thao and Xuanguang Temple, a ropeway climbs into the hills, and paths and a cycle route follow the shore past temples and pagodas.

Wen Wu Temple stands on the hillside above the north shore of Sun Moon Lake. It was formed in 1938 when two lakeside temples, threatened by the rising water of a hydroelectric dam, were moved here and merged, and was rebuilt in 1969 in northern Chinese palace style. Its three halls honour Guan Yu and Yue Fei, the God of Literature and Confucius.

Xuanzang Temple is a Buddhist temple on Qinglong Hill above the south shore of Sun Moon Lake, built in 1965 in Tang dynasty style to honour the monk Xuanzang, who travelled to India in the 7th century. Its three-storey main hall keeps relics of Xuanzang returned from Japan, and a memorial hall shows objects related to his journey.

The Xiangshan Visitor Center is the administration building and visitor centre of the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area, on the lake's west shore. Designed by the Japanese architect Norihiko Dan and opened in 2010, it is built of bare fair-faced concrete in two curving wings, with a grass-covered roof walk and a shallow pool facing the lake.

The Sun Moon Lake Ropeway is a gondola lift opened in 2010 between a station on the east shore of Sun Moon Lake and the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village. The 1.9 km line, built by Doppelmayr, crosses the Buji hills on 16 towers, reaching about 1,044 metres, and its 86 red, yellow and blue cabins look out over the lake and the Puli basin.

Ita Thao is a village on the south-east shore of Sun Moon Lake and the main home of the Thao, one of Taiwan's indigenous peoples; its name means 'we are people' in the Thao language. Its pier is a stop for the lake boats, and the streets behind it are lined with shops, food stalls and small hotels, with Thao crafts and performances near the waterfront.

The Ci En Pagoda is a 46-metre octagonal pagoda on Mount Shabalan, 954 metres high, above the south shore of Sun Moon Lake. Chiang Kai-shek had it built in memory of his mother, Wang Caiyu, and it was completed in 1971. A forest path leads up from the lakeside road, and stairs inside rise to a top-floor balcony overlooking the lake.

The Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village is a theme park in Yuchi Township, opened in 1986 in the hills east of Sun Moon Lake. Its hillside Aboriginal Village Park rebuilds traditional houses of Taiwan's Indigenous peoples, with dance shows and craft demonstrations, beside an amusement area with rides, a European garden and a ropeway down to the lake.

The Paper Dome is a church hall built from 58 cardboard tubes, designed by Shigeru Ban in 1995 for Kobe's Takatori Catholic Church after the Great Hanshin earthquake. In 2008 it was rebuilt in Taomi, Puli, about 9 km north of Sun Moon Lake, as a sign of recovery after Taiwan's 1999 earthquake, and stands in an ecological park with ponds.