Chiayi

Chiayi County (嘉義縣) wraps around the independent city of Chiayi in southern Taiwan, stretching from the flat western coast across the fertile plain and up into the high mountains of the island's central spine. It is one of Taiwan's most geographically varied counties: oyster farms and salt flats on the Taiwan Strait coast at Budai, rice and fruit country on the lowlands, hot springs in the foothills at Guanziling, tea plantations and cypress forests in the highlands around Meishan and Ruili, and — at its mountainous heart — Alishan, Taiwan's most-visited national park.

The county's signature draw is the Alishan National Scenic Area, reached by the historic narrow-gauge Alishan Forest Railway and famous for its cloud-sea sunrises over Yushan, its 2,000-year-old red cypresses and its spring cherry blossoms. But the county rewards exploration well beyond Alishan: the mountain railway village of Fenqihu, the tea-and-mist scenery of Ruili, the mud hot springs of Guanziling, and the coastal seafood and salt heritage of Budai. The county seat sits at Taibao, home to the Chiayi High Speed Rail station.

For travellers, Chiayi County is a place to climb from sea level to the clouds. It suits hikers, train lovers, hot-spring soakers, tea enthusiasts and anyone chasing one of Asia's great sunrises — usually visited from a base in Chiayi City or with an overnight in the mountains.

Chiayi County spans a huge altitude range, so timing depends on where you are headed. The lowlands and coast are most comfortable from October to April; summer (June–September) is hot and humid, with the plum rains of May–June and typhoon season roughly July to October. Alishan and the high mountains are a cool escape in summer, with daytime highs of just 14–24°C, and considerably colder in winter; mountain weather changes fast, typically clear mornings giving way to mist and afternoon storms.

The standout season is spring (March–April), when crowds flock to Alishan for the cherry blossoms — book trains and rooms well ahead. Summer brings orange montbretia blossoms to the Alishan slopes. Note that Typhoon Morakot in 2009 severely damaged the Alishan Forest Railway, and sections of the mountain line have at times been limited; check current operating status before relying on the full route.

The Chiayi HSR station at Taibao puts the county on the high-speed line between Taipei and Kaohsiung; the Chiayi BRT links it to Chiayi City and the TRA mainline. The county's headline rail experience is the narrow-gauge Alishan Forest Railway from Chiayi City's TRA station up through Fenqihu towards Alishan — as of recent schedules, roughly one through train a day in each direction, plus a Fenqihu-only service; trains are crowded in peak seasons and should be booked ahead.

Buses are the workhorse for the mountains. Routes 7322 (from Chiayi TRA station) and 7329 (from Chiayi HSR station) run frequently to Alishan, taking 2–2.5 hours for around NT$240–290; keep your bus ticket for an NT$150 discount on the Alishan entrance fee. Buses also serve Guanziling from Chiayi's Zhongshan Road terminal. Mountain roads are winding and drivers can be aggressive — those prone to motion sickness should take care, and outside bus hours a taxi to Alishan costs around NT$1,600.

• Alishan — the county's crown jewel: Taiwan's most-visited national park, with cypress forests, cloud-sea sunrises and the historic forest railway.
• Fenqihu — the atmospheric mountain railway village halfway up the Alishan line, famous for its old street and railway lunchboxes.
• Budai — the Taiwan Strait coastal town, known for oysters, seafood, salt heritage and ferries to Penghu.
• Meishan — a highland township of tea plantations and mountain scenery on the approach to the Alishan range.
• Ruili — a misty tea-country village near the Alishan line, a quiet base for mountain walks.
• Guanziling — a noted hot-spring town in the foothills, celebrated for its rare muddy thermal water.
• Taibao — the county seat, home to the Chiayi HSR station and the gateway to the wider county.

Chiayi County's food shifts dramatically with the landscape. On the coast at Budai, the speciality is fresh seafood, above all oysters from the tidal farms. In the highlands, the county is prime high-mountain tea (高山茶) country, with Meishan and the Alishan slopes producing some of Taiwan's most prized oolong. Mountain meals lean on locally grown wasabi, bamboo shoots, mountain vegetables and freshwater fish. Fenqihu is famous for its railway lunchboxes (鐵路便當), a tradition born of the long forest-railway journeys. Across the county, the influence of neighbouring Chiayi City's turkey rice (火雞肉飯) is felt. Vegetarians are well served by Taiwan's Buddhist vegetarian (素食) tradition, with dedicated 素食 eateries in the towns.

Chiayi County's culture is layered. The mountains are the historic home of Taiwanese Aboriginal peoples, who have lived in the Alishan area since time immemorial; the indigenous Tsou people maintain their own culture and seasonal ceremonies in the highland villages. The county's lowland and foothill towns carry the Japanese colonial legacy of the forestry industry — the Forest Railway, completed in 1912, and the national-park designation of Alishan in 1937. Temple festivals on the lunar calendar animate shrines across the county.

• The Alishan Forest Railway — riding the historic narrow-gauge train from the Chiayi plain up through Fenqihu and the cypress groves, one of the world's great mountain railways.
• Sunrise over Yushan — joining the predawn train (or walk) to Jhushan in Alishan to watch the sun rise over a sea of clouds and Taiwan's highest peak.
• Soaking at Guanziling — bathing in Guanziling's rare muddy hot-spring water, one of only a handful of mud springs in the world.
• Walking the giant cypresses — strolling the boardwalk trails of the Alishan National Scenic Area among 2,000-year-old red cypresses.
• Coastal oysters at Budai — eating just-harvested oysters and seafood on the Taiwan Strait coast, with the option of a ferry onward to Penghu.