Alishan Forest Railway

The Alishan Forest Railway (阿里山森林鉄道) is an 86-kilometer network of 762mm narrow-gauge railways ascending through the mountains of Chiayi County in central-southern Taiwan. Originally constructed by the Japanese colonial government for logging operations, it has often been promoted as one of the "world's three great mountain railways" — a label without an authoritative basis — and has been designated as Taiwan's first national-level cultural landscape.

Origins and Japanese Colonial Construction

The story of the Alishan Forest Railway begins with Japan's colonial ambitions in Taiwan. After Japan acquired Taiwan in 1895 following the Treaty of Shimonoseki, colonial officials recognized the extraordinary timber resources of the Alishan mountain range, which harbored vast stands of Taiwanese hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana) and Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides) — among the most valuable timber species in East Asia. Preliminary surveying of the Alishan forests was conducted in 1900, and route planning began in 1903 under the direction of the Taiwan Governor-General's Office. However, the project was temporarily shelved in 1904 due to the Russo-Japanese War.

Construction began in 1906 by the Fujita-gumi company, on the basis of surveys by the forestry scholar Kawai Shitarō (河合鈰太郎), who had studied forestry in Germany; after Fujita-gumi withdrew, the Government-General took the project over in 1910. The lowland section from Chiayi Station to Zhuqi Station was completed in 1908. The immense engineering challenge of ascending from near sea level to over 2,400 meters through dense tropical and subtropical forests required innovative solutions, including Z-shaped switchbacks (known as "switchback" or 折返式 in Japanese) where trains reverse direction to gain elevation, and a spiral route section. By October 1912, the line reached Erwanping (二萬平) at kilometer 67.1, and in March 1914, the railway was extended to Numanohira Station (沼の平, now Zhaoping 沼平), completing the mainline at 71.4 kilometers.

Logging Operations and Wartime Resource Extraction

The railway's primary purpose was the extraction of Alishan's precious cypress timber. The colonial forestry bureau established an extensive network of branch lines penetrating deep into the mountain forests, with the total network eventually reaching approximately 86 kilometers. Shay-type geared steam locomotives, manufactured by Lima Locomotive Works in Ohio, USA, were employed for their superior climbing ability on steep grades — the railway ascends from 30 meters at Chiayi to 2,451 meters at its highest point.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Alishan timber production was enormous. The hinoki cypress was prized for its rot-resistance, fine grain, and aromatic properties, making it the material of choice for shrine construction, military facilities, and high-quality buildings throughout the Japanese Empire. The timber supported construction of Shinto shrines across Taiwan and Japan, with many of the giant logs used in shrine architecture in Japan carried out over this railway.

Following the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 and the subsequent Pacific War, timber extraction intensified dramatically. Alishan's forests supplied wood for military barracks, airfield construction, shipbuilding components, and fortifications across Japan's expanding empire. The railway operated at maximum capacity to meet wartime demand, with additional branch logging lines extended deeper into previously untouched forest areas. The strategic importance of the timber resource made the Alishan forestry operation a significant component of Japan's wartime resource mobilization in Taiwan.

Passenger Service and the "New Takayama" Station

In 1920, passenger service was inaugurated alongside the continuing logging operations, opening the spectacular mountain scenery to tourism. In 1933, the railway was extended to Niitakaguchi Station (新高口), named for its proximity to Mount Niitaka (新高山, now Yushan/玉山), which at 3,952 meters was the highest peak in the entire Japanese Empire — higher even than Mount Fuji. The phrase "Niitakayama Nobore" (新高山登レ, "Climb Mount Niitaka") was famously used as the coded radio signal to launch the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Post-War Transition and Heritage

Following Japan's surrender in August 1945, the Alishan Forest Railway came under the control of the Republic of China government in October 1945. The Forestry Bureau of the Taiwan Provincial Government assumed management of both the railway and the forest operations. Commercial logging continued under the new administration but at a gradually decreasing pace. In 1963, the government officially ceased large-scale commercial logging in the Alishan area, recognizing the ecological importance of the remaining old-growth forests.

The railway transitioned fully to a tourism and heritage role. Since the 1980s the Alishan Forest Railway has frequently been described in Taiwan as one of the "world's three great mountain railways", though this title has no verified source. On July 9, 2019, Taiwan's Ministry of Culture designated the entire railway as the nation's first national-level Important Cultural Landscape, acknowledging its extraordinary engineering achievement and its role as a witness to Taiwan's colonial forestry history. The railway continues to operate passenger services, with the Zhushan Line sunrise viewing train being particularly famous among domestic and international tourists.