Jih-yueh T'an Travel Guide

  Magnificent statues
by deeper_blue
 
  • Magnificent statues
      Magnificent statues
    by deeper_blue
  •   Jih-yueh T'an
    by deeper_blue
  • Sun Moon Lake
      Sun Moon Lake
    by chewy3326
  • Sun Moon Lake
      Sun Moon Lake
    by AyurinHiro
  • Wen Wu Temple
      Wen Wu Temple
    by AyurinHiro
 

Explore Jih-yueh T'an

Things to Do  

Paper Factory

Paper Factory, Jih-yueh T'an

 deeper_blue Says:  The Kuanghsing Paper Factory is an interestingday out, where you can see the whole process of making paper the original Chinese way, you can also make your own paper fan and choose a design. 

Chung Tai Chan Monastery

Chung Tai Chan Monastery, Jih-yueh T'an

 deeper_blue Says:  This Buddist Monastery is a beautifully ornate monastery near Puli, you can take a tour accompanied by multi lingual Buddhist guides and learn about the Buddhist faith.The architecture is very impressive. 

Driving around the lake

Driving around the lake, Jih-yueh T'an

 chewy3326 Says:  The twisting and turning road around the lake offers beautiful views and access to all the temples, gardens, pagodas, and towns. Along the road are many restaurants, gift shops, and hotels, as well as the Peacock Garden (which we didn't visit). There are many great views of... 

Xuanzhang Temple

Xuanzhang Temple, Jih-yueh T'an

 chewy3326 Says:  This beautiful temple is a bit farther down the road from Wenwu Temple. Though the views form here aren't quite as beautiful as from Wenwu Temple, this temple is more interesting. It honors Xuanzhang, the lengendary Buddhist monk who journeyed west to ask Buddha for Buddhist... 

Tsin Pagoda

Tsin Pagoda, Jih-yueh T'an

 chewy3326 Says:  You can walk a 557-meter (one-way) trail to the base of this pagoda/tower. The trail is somewhat steep and has markers every 100 meters you walk. At the top, you can climb this (Is it 50 meters?) high tower for views of the lake. Too bad it was cloudy the day I visited, or I... 

Wen-Wu Temple

Wen-Wu Temple, Jih-yueh T'an

 chewy3326 Says:  This temple honors the legendary Guan-Yu, and includes what's said to be his Green Dragon Moon Spear (I also saw one at Shanhaiguan. What's up with that?). The temple itself is quite interesting; but a must see is the view from the observation deck at the back of the temple. 

Shui She

Shui She, Jih-yueh T'an

 Burtty Says:  Shui She is one of the main villages around Sun Moon Lake. It has also one of the major piers around the lake. Mel Ho garden and Hang Bi trail are the good spots to view the lake in Shui She. 

Der Hua She

Der Hua She, Jih-yueh T'an

 Burtty Says:  Der Hua She is another major village around the lake. There are many shops, restaurants and hotels for the tourists in this village. It is also a major pier around the lake. 

Restaurants  

The Lalu (Hang Bi Lou): Buffet in the luxuriours hotel

The Lalu (Hang Bi Lou): Buffet in the luxuriours hotel, Jih-yueh T'an

 Burtty Says:  The buffet offers both the Japanese dishes and the Western dishes. There are also some high quality cakes and fruits. 

Chila Restaurant: Local dishes

Chila Restaurant: Local dishes, Jih-yueh T'an

 Burtty Says:  Chila Restaurant offers the delicious local dishes at the reasonable price. 

Transportation  

Bus to Taipei

Bus to Taipei, Jih-yueh T'an

 deeper_blue Says:  There is no train service to Sun Moon Lake but there are plenty of buses.Both the Green Transit Bus company and the Kuo Kuang Bus company drive to and from Taipei there are also private travel companies that can make itineraries to local tourist spots too. 

Off The Beaten Path  

Tsu An Tower

Tsu An Tower, Jih-yueh T'an

 Burtty Says:  Late President Chiang Kai Shei built this tower to memorize his monther. The top of the tower will provide a good view of the lake. We did not go to the top of the tower after passing a 500-meter-long trail and too many walks in three days. However many people still went up... 

Peacock Garden

Peacock Garden, Jih-yueh T'an

 Burtty Says:  There are some peacocks in this small garden! My past intetesting experience was to see the visitors from Hong Kong to cheer up the peacock to display the features so that they could take the picture with it. 

Shui Wa Tou Trail

Shui Wa Tou Trail, Jih-yueh T'an

 Burtty Says:  There are several trails along the lake. Shui Wa Tou was the one shaded with the trees and led to the lake shore. It was named after the frog (Shui Wa). There were plenty of the frogs in this area before. Now you can only find the statue of the frogs. 

Sports & Outdoors  

Swimming Carnival of Sun Moon Lake

Swimming Carnival of Sun Moon Lake, Jih-yueh T'an

 deeper_blue Says:  Every year around August there is a swimming carnival where thousands of people come to Sun Moon Lake and swim across it (3.3km). There are plenty of rest points along the way, but if you want to go, you'll have to register before and get the right equipment. inflatable,... 

Favorites  

Jade Dragon Moon Spear

Jade Dragon Moon Spear, Jih-yueh T'an

 chewy3326 Says:  Guan Yu, a famous Chinese warrior during the third century AD, was said to wield the Qinlongyianyuedao (Jade Dragon Moon Spear/Sword or something like that), which is supposedly here in Sun Moon Lake's Wenwu Temple (after all, the temple honors Guan Yu). It's probably (well,... 

Enjoying the beauty of the lake

Enjoying the beauty of the lake, Jih-yueh T'an

 Burtty Says:   There are two ways to enjoy the beauty of Sun Moon Lake. The first one is to go around the lake. There are several hiking trails and the viewing spots around the lake. You can visit them one by one to enjoy the view of the lake from different angles.The other way is to... 

Fishing Facilities in the Lake

Fishing Facilities in the Lake, Jih-yueh T'an

 Burtty Says:   The fishermen in Sun Moon Lake used the web fixing under the wooden stuff to catch the fishes. They just needed to go back to the wooden stuff to take the fishes home.At the end of Shui Wa Tou trail, you can see some fishing facilities. 

The Lalu Island

The Lalu Island, Jih-yueh T'an

 Burtty Says:   The Lalu Island was the only land not sunk by the water when the reservoir was built. It was the holy place of Thao tribe. Now it looked like a small island in the lake. 

Home of Thao Tribe

Home of Thao Tribe, Jih-yueh T'an

 Burtty Says:   Sun Moon Lake was the home of the aboriginal tribe, Thao. Most of the Thao people live in Der Hua She today but the population of the whole tribe is only about 300. Some people lent us the clothes displayed in their shop for taking a picture. That is similar to their... 

The Place

Plan a Jih-yueh T'an vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Jih-yueh T'an locals

Experience Jih-yueh T'an
  •   26 Tips and Reviews
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The People

 
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  The Lalu Island was the only land not sunk by the water when the reservoir was built. It was the holy place of Thao tribe. Now it looked like a small island... 

 

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Top 4 Jih-yueh T'an Writers

1

Sun Moon Lake

Burtty profile photo

 Sun Moon Lake is the largest lake in Taiwan. It is in fact a reservoir around the mountains. The water was derived through a underground water chanel from the river which is 10 more kilometers away.... 

2

Turquoise Jewel

chewy3326 profile photo

 Sun Moon Lake is one of the most spectacular places on the island of Taiwan. I visited it on a day trip from Taichung. The lake is very turquoise and beautiful in color. Highlights at the lake... 

3

The big swim

deeper_blue profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Jih-yueh T'an. I'd love to share with you the 5 tips I've written, the 5 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created. 

4

Peaceful and Beautiful Sun Moon Lake :-)

AyurinHiro profile photo

 This set of photos shows our memories of "The Lalu, Sun Moon Lake" hotel. Most of them are the views from our room. Very calm and comfortable.... Hope to come back again. 

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