Sun Moon Lake (; Thao: ''Zintun'') is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in Yuchi Township,

Nantou County Nantou County (; Hokkien POJ: ''Lâm-tâu-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Nàm-thèu-yen'') is the second largest county of Taiwan by area, located in the central part of the country. It is also the only non-coastal county in Taiwan. Its name derives fro ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. It is the largest body of water in Taiwan. The area around the lake is home to the Thao tribe, one of

aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

tribes of Taiwan. Sun Moon Lake surrounds a tiny island called

Lalu Lalu may refer to: People * Lalu Muhammad Zohri, an Indonesian sprinter *Lalu Prasad Yadav, an Indian politician * Shahidul Islam (Lalu), the youngest Bangladeshi to receive the Bir Pratik award * Polly Bemis, born Lalu Nathoy, a Chinese American p ...

. The east side of the lake resembles a sun while the west side resembles a moon, hence the name. Sun Moon Lake is located above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

. It is deep and has a

surface area The surface area of a solid object is a measure of the total area that the surface of the object occupies. The mathematical definition of surface area in the presence of curved surfaces is considerably more involved than the definition of arc ...

of approximately . The area surrounding the lake has many trails for hiking. While swimming in Sun Moon Lake is usually not permitted, there is an annual 3-km race called the ''Swimming Carnival of Sun Moon Lake'' held around the

Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival (Chinese: / ), also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Similar holidays are celebrated in Japan (), Korea (), Vietnam (), and other countries in Eas ...

each year. The Sun Moon Lake Swimming Carnival was launched in 1983 and is listed among the Top 50 Open Water Swims in Asia and the Top 100 Open Water Swims of the World. Everyone over 10 years old and with the ability to swim long distances can join, regardless of nationality. In recent years, the participants have numbered in the tens of thousands. Other festivities held at the same time include

fireworks Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...

, laser shows, and

concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or musical band, band. Concerts are held in a w ...

. The lake and its surrounding countryside have been designated one of thirteen national scenic areas in Taiwan.

Wen Wu Temple A Wen Wu temple or Wenwu temple () is a dual temple in China venerating the two patron gods of civil and martial affairs in the same temple complex. In southern China the civil god or Wéndì () is Wenchang (), while in the north it is Confuciu ...

was built after rising water levels from building a dam forced several smaller temples to be removed. Tzu-En Pagoda () was ordered constructed by late President

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

in 1971 in memory of his mother. Other temples of note include Jianjing Temple, Syuentzang Temple () and Syuanguang Temple ().

History

In older English literature, it was commonly referred to as Lake Candidius after the 17th century Dutch missionary

Georgius Candidius Georgius Candidius (1597– 30 April 1647) was a Dutch Reformed Church missionary to Dutch Formosa from 1627 to 1637. He was the first missionary to be stationed on the island. Name Candidius's Latinate first name is sometimes Germanified to Geor ...

. In the middle of the lake is the

Lalu Island Lalu Island (Thao language: Lalu; ) is a small island in Sun Moon Lake, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. The island used to be much bigger, separating the lake into a part shaped like crescent moon and another part shaped like a round sun ...

, which is considered holy ground by the Thao tribe. In legend, Thao hunters discovered Sun Moon Lake while chasing a white deer through the surrounding mountains. The deer eventually led them to the lake, which they found to be not only beautiful, but abundant with fish. Today, the white deer of legends is immortalized as a marble statue on Lalu Island. Txu-pclmaps-oclc-6550512-hori-2218-i

Under Japanese rule, the island was renamed . After

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

Government moved to Taiwan, the island was renamed ''Kwanghwa Island'' () and in 1978 the local government built a pavilion where annual weddings took place. In 1999, the

921 earthquake The Chi-Chi earthquake (later also known as the Jiji earthquake) (), also known as the great earthquake of September 21 (), was a 7.3 ML or 7.7 Mw earthquake which occurred in Jiji (Chi-Chi), Nantou County, Taiwan on Tuesday, 21 Se ...

destroyed the pavilion and sank most of the island. In recent years, due to increasing social and political awareness, more deference and recognition are being given to

Taiwanese aborigines Taiwanese may refer to: * Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien * Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa) * Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan * Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan * Taiwanese people, ...

. As a result, after the 921 earthquake, the island was renamed in the Thao language as "Lalu". Several

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

power plants have been built in the Sun Moon Lake since 1919, including

Mingtan Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant The Mingtan Dam () is a dam that spans the Shuili River about downstream from the outlet of Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan with a height of about . It forms Mingtan Reservoir which is the lower reservoir for the Mingtan Pumped Storage Hydro ...

and

Minhu Pumped Storage Hydro Power Station The Minghu Dam (, renamed the Takuan Dam, is a concrete gravity dam on the Shuili River located north of Shuili Township in Nantou County, Taiwan. The reservoir formed by the dam serves as the lower reservoir for the Minhu Pumped Storage Hydr ...

. When the first hydroelectric plant was finished in 1934, it was considered to be one of the most important infrastructure constructions of the time.

Wujie Dam Wujie Dam () is a concrete gravity dam on the Zhuoshui River in Ren'ai Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. The dam was built in two stages, from 1919 to 1922 and 1927–1934, and serves primarily to divert water from the Zhuoshui River to a storage ...

, also completed in 1934, diverts water from the

Zhuoshui River The Zhuoshui River, also spelled Choshui or Jhuoshuei River, () is the longest river in Taiwan. It flows from its source in Nantou County up to the western border of the county, subsequently forming the border between Yunlin County and Changhua ...

to increase hydroelectric generation at the lake. The

Jiji Line The Jiji Line () is a branch line of the Taiwan Railways Administration, located in Changhua and Nantou Counties in Taiwan. The length of the line is 29.7 km. History The line was originally built by Taipower in 1922 to facilitate the co ...

railroad was built to facilitate the construction.

Transportation

There are three ferry piers on the lake to serve ferries on the lake; they are

Shuishe Pier The Shuishe Pier () is a pier at Sun Moon Lake in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. Destinations The pier serves for destinations to Ita Thao Pier and Xuanguang Pier at the other perimeter sides of Sun Moon Lake. Transportation The pie ...

Xuanguang Pier The Xuanguang Pier () is a pier at Sun Moon Lake in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. History Due to the continuing drought which caused water shortage in the lake in early 2021, the pier had to be temporarily closed starting 1 April 2021 ...

and

Ita Thao Pier The Ita Thao Pier () is a pier at Sun Moon Lake in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. Architecture The pier features the Ita Thao Visitor Center which also houses the ticketing counter. Destinations The pier serves for destinations to Shu ...

. There is also a local bus service that goes around the lake with stops at major points along the perimeter of the lake. The lake is accessible by bus from

Taichung HSR station Taichung HSR () is a railway and metro station in Wuri District, Taichung, Taiwan. It is served by Taiwan High Speed Rail and the Green Line of the Taichung Metro. The station is adjacent to Xinwuri Station of Taiwan Railway Administration. ...

Taichung TRA station Taichung station () is a railway station in Taichung, Taiwan served by Taiwan Railways Administration. It is served by all TRA services along the route. History The station was originally constructed in 1905 in a wooden building architectural ...

. It is also accessible by bus from near

Checheng railway station Checheng () is a railway station on the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) Jiji line located in Shuili Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. History The station was originally established on 14 January 1922 as Waichecheng Station (). It was then ...

on the Jiji branch line. Pier at Sun Moon Lake

The

Sun Moon Lake Ropeway The Sun Moon Lake Ropeway () is a gondola lift in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. History The construction of the ropeway took around 18 months. On 14 December 2009, it passed the inspection of Nantou County Government. The soft openin ...

, located at the edge of the lake, connects it with the

Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village The Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village () is an amusement park in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan which has been in operation since 1986.giant snakehead ''Channa micropeltes'', giant snakehead, giant mudfish or toman harimau, is among the largest species in the family Channidae, capable of growing to in length and a weight of . It is native to the fresh waters of Southeast Asia (South Indian popu ...

pose a challenge to the ecological balance of the lake and are a threat to native fish and shrimp species. The Nantou County Bureau of Agricultural Affairs has in place an eradication program for the species which attempts to

electrofish Electrofishing is a fishing technique that uses direct current electricity flowing between a submerged cathode and anode. This affects the movements of nearby fish so that they swim toward the anode, where they can be caught or stunned.

schools of juvenile fish.

PRC passport

The depiction of Sun Moon Lake is featured in the newly-issued

People's Republic of China passport The People's Republic of China Passport (), commonly referred to as the Chinese passport, is a passport issued to citizens of the People's Republic of China (PRC) for the purpose of international travel, and entitles its bearer to the protecti ...

in 2012, a move that has triggered protest from

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Climate

References

External links