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 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.