Mar 10, 2018
Celebrating the Alishan Forest Railway
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Imagine riding a train chugging along through a lush and misty forest. On your journey, you pass orchards of exotic fruits, taro fields, waterfalls, and soaring trees over a thousand years old….
This dream is a reality if you’re on board the Alishan Forest Railway, which makes its way through the Alishan National Forest, situated in the heart of Taiwan. Today’s Doodle celebrates the landmark on what is known as kickoff day for the Alishan "Cherry Blossom Season". Starting today, numerous visitors will take the forest rail up to the mountains to enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms of Alishan.
The train travels from Chiayi (a city on the west coast) to Fenchihu (a village high in the mountains), which takes about 2.5 hours. The Alishan Forest Railway is one of the Five Wonders of Alishan, and has even been proposed as a possible World Heritage Site.
Built in 1912, the railway’s original purpose was transporting timber out of the vast forest. Today, it whisks travelers along a scenic journey up to 2216 meters above sea level, traversing narrow zigzagging paths. Unique switchback tracks allow the train to move both forwards and backwards to climb especially steep mountain terrain. Along the route lies Zhaoping Park, one of the best spots for taking in cherry blossoms, particularly now and throughout the springtime season.
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