The Alishan National Scenic Area is situated in the central hilly areas and eastern mid-to-high altitude mountain areas of Chiayi. It is located to the east of the Yushan Mountain Range in Nantou County, adjacent to the Tsouling Area in Yunlin County to the north, near the urban areas of Chiayi to the west, and borders the Namaxia District of Kaohsiung City to the south. Covering an area of 41,520 ha, it encompasses 17 settlements of Han people in the mountainous areas of Meishan, Zhuqi, and Fanlu townships; and 5 settlements of Han people and 7 indigenous tribes in Alishan Township. Since our establishment, the Alishan National Scenic Area Headquarters (hereinafter referred to as the Headquarters) has been oriented towards building the best leisure and travel spots for the people of our nation. In upgrading our infrastructure, our focus is on enhancing the planning and construction of scenic spots, visitor centers, and service areas. On the software front, we not only deliver comprehensive travel advisory services, prioritize travel safety, promote ecological conservation, and offer educational guided tours, but also adopt a systematic and institutional approach to progressively promote environmental cleanliness. Our goal is to provide our citizens with the highest quality of travel advisory services.
The Greater Alishan Area possess abundant natural resources and rich cultural heritage of Tsou people. To effectively manage this extensive land, the central and local governments collaborated on the launch of the "Greater Alishan Special Scenic Area" plan. In March 2001, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) recognized it as a national scenic area, and on June 14, announced the management scope of the Alishan National Scenic Area. This encompasses Chiayi County's Alishan Forest Recreation Area; the Ruili, Ruifeng, Fengshan, Laiji, Fengqihu scenic areas; and other recreational spots such as Dabang, Tefuye, Lichia, Shanmei, Shimei, and Chashan, totaling 32,700 ha. On July 13 of the same year, the Executive Yuan approved the establishment of the Headquarters by the Tourism Bureau (today's Tourism Administration), and the Headquarters commenced operations on September 4, playing a pivotal role in the development, construction, and operational management of the region. Subsequently, responding to requests from the Chiayi County Government and local communities, the Executive Yuan expanded the scope of this special district in May 2004 to include Taiping, Taixing, Wenfeng, and Jinshi. This successful inclusion extended the total area of the special district to 41,520 ha. With the trust of all sectors in assigning important tasks, the Headquarters has redoubled our efforts to comprehensively enhance the conservation and management of natural resources, the development and construction of tourism facilities, and the provision of travel advisory services.