Stories and legends of Taiwan
Once upon a time, on a ravine to the north of a bald mountain, there lived a young man named Ali who made a living by hunting.
One day, Ali went hunting on the northern hillside. Suddenly, he saw an eye-catching tiger chasing two flower-picking girls at the foot of the mountain. Ali hurriedly ran down the hillside, jumped on the tiger's back, raised the knife in his hand, and heard a "click" sound. The tiger's head was cut off and fell to the ground, rolling down the hillside. The two flower-picking girls were saved.
When he was about to go back to hunt on the northern hillside, he saw an old man with a white beard falling from the sky holding a dragon-headed crutch. The old man smiled and pulled the two girls by their arms towards the south hillside. . Ali was a good young man who was brave enough to do justice. When he saw that the two girls had just escaped from the tiger's mouth and were teased by the bad old man again, he felt bursts of anger in his heart.
He shouted: "Stop!" Then he rushed to the bad old man, snatched his faucet crutch, and hit the old man hard on the forehead. The old man screamed with a headache, let go of the two girls, and saw a big pimple on his forehead. He flicked his sleeves, flew into the air, and disappeared in a blink of an eye.
Not long after, thunder rang out on a sunny day. The thunder came closer and closer, getting louder and louder. The two flower-picking girls were trembling with fright. They said anxiously: "This It’s terrible, it’s terrible now!”
Ali asked strangely: “What’s going on?”
The two girls said: We are from the Heavenly Palace. Fairy, I heard that Taiwan Island has beautiful scenery, so I secretly came here. I didn’t want to, but I met the evil tiger. Thanks to you for saving both of our lives. Unexpectedly, because I was greedy for the beautiful scenery here, I missed the time to go back.
The Jade Emperor sent the old longevity star down to arrest us and bring us back to the Heavenly Palace for punishment. We are afraid of the Jade Emperor’s punishment and are unwilling to return to the Heavenly Palace. When the old birthday boy was pulling us, you ran over and beat him away. He told the Jade Emperor about this, and the Jade Emperor was furious and ordered the God of Thunder to burn all the creatures in the area to death with thunder and fire.
Ali was shocked when he heard what they said. He did not expect that his good deeds would bring great disaster to the creatures in this area, so he said anxiously: "Is there no way? "Save the creatures in this area?"
The two fairies said: "Yes, there is, but there needs to be someone who is willing to sacrifice his life and go to the top of the bald mountain in the south to divert the thunder and fire away. , Only by preventing the thunder and fire from spreading can we save the lives in this area. Brother, please hide in a safe place. We will go to the top of Bald Mountain to draw out the thunder and fire."
Ali shook his head and said: "No, I was the one who beat up the old birthday boy. I was the one who caused the trouble. How can I let you go? You'd better let me draw the thunder and fire!" After that, he picked up the dragon-headed crutch and hurriedly walked toward the bald building in the south. Run up the mountain. After a while, he climbed to the top of Bald Mountain.
He raised his head and shouted to the sky: "Thunder God! It was my Ali who killed the old birthday boy, it was my Ali who set those two fairies free, it was my Ali who caused all this trouble. It's all caused by me and has nothing to do with anyone else. Hit me, Ali, with your thunder and fire!"
At this time, the God of Thunder happened to be over Bald Mountain. He raised the thunder drill and flash hammer, and heard a "bang" sound. A heavy thunder smashed Ali's body to pieces, and the thunder fire burned on the bare mountain. Seeing that the fire was on fire, the God of Thunder turned around and went to the Heavenly Palace to deliver a message. Because the mountain was bare, with no trees, flowers or grass, the thunderous fire went out on its own before it reached halfway up the mountain.
Although Ali was struck to death by thunder and fire, shortly after his death, trees grew all over the bare mountain. People say that these trees were transformed from Ali's flesh and hair that were shattered by thunder and fire.
What about the sacred tree? It is said that it was transformed into the dragon-headed walking stick of the old longevity star. The two fairies were deeply moved when they saw this scene. They made some calculations and said: "Brother Ari died for us and everyone. After his death, his skin, flesh and hair turned into trees, benefiting people." . The two of us became flowers and plants, so that we could keep company for Brother Ari and benefit people." From then on, this bare mountain became filled with trees and flowers, and the mountains and fields were covered with lush green trees and floating flowers. fragrant. In order to commemorate this good young man who sacrificed himself for others, people renamed the mountain Alishan.
Extended information:
Alishan is located 75 kilometers east of Chiayi City, Taiwan Province. It is located at an altitude of 2,216 meters and its coordinates are 23 degrees 31 minutes north latitude and 120 degrees 48 minutes east longitude. , close to Yushan, the highest peak in Taiwan, to the east. Due to the mild climate in the mountainous areas, it is still refreshing and pleasant in midsummer, and the lush forests make it the most ideal summer resort in Taiwan and a famous tourist attraction in Taiwan Province.
The Alishan and Yushan Mountains are adjacent to Yushan Park. The average temperature is 10.6 degrees Celsius, with an average temperature of 14.3 degrees Celsius in summer and 6.4 degrees Celsius in winter. Alishan Forest Recreation Area borders the Chianan Plain to the west, Yunlin and Nantou County to the north, and Kaohsiung and Tainan Counties to the south, with a total area of 1,400 hectares.
Alishan is famous for its Five Wonders, namely mountaineering railway, forest, sea of clouds, sunrise and sunset. The sunrise, sea of clouds, railway, forest and sunset are collectively known as the Five Wonders of Alishan. They are not only the most representative scenery in Taiwan, but their reputation has spread far and wide at home and abroad.
Baidu Encyclopedia—Alishan