LAKESIDE STORY

Foggy on some days, and clear and pristine on others, the legendary Sun Moon Lake is an icon to those familiar with Taiwan and yet still under the radar to the rest of the global jet set. Journey with us as we discover more of this natural jewel.

- MAVIS TEO

I can't see the sun, the moon, or the lake, much less the banks in the distance. On this wet day, mist is rising from all around me, blurring the divide between water and land, and anything else before me. The damp air clings onto my hair, clothes and skin.

The scenery that surrounds me, in monochromatic blobs of varying shades of grey amid patches of white, reminds me of an ink painting - more specifically, a work by Hong Viet Dung, an artist renowned for his abstract interpretations of his country's Ha Long Bay.

Instead, I am on a cruise across the legendary Sun Moon Lake in Yuchi Township of Nantou County in Central Taiwan. The eastern side of the alpine lake is round, like the sun, while the western side is indented like a crescent moon, giving it its name: Sun Moon Lake.

To some, the shape is a natural representation of the Taoist concept of yin and yang. And to these people and some others, the lake is a deeply spiritual place. To the Thao minority, the earliest inhabitants in this area, four aways away from Taipei by car, it certainly is.

TALE AS OLD AS TIME

Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan's largest inland body of water spanning 7.93sqkm with an elevation of 748m above sea level, is the stuff that folklore is made of. Nestled deep within the region's most fertile agricultural areas, the banks surrounding this unique geological beauty is the home of the Thao tribe, which is the smallest aboriginal ethnic group in Taiwan.

Legend has it that Sun Moon Lake was discovered by Thao hunters who were chasing a white deer through the surrounding mountains. Deep into the heart of a flatland, the deer leapt. Water suddenly sprang forth and rose quickly, forming a lake. The waters quickly filled with fish, while vegetation on the banks that encircled the lake flourished. And this is how the Thao tribe's heritage began.