The Tree Spirit Pagoda (受鎮宮) stands atop the enormous stump of an ancient cypress tree in the Shenmu area, built as an offering to the spirit of the felled tree. The structure is small and unpretentious — a simple multi-tiered pagoda planted on what was once living wood — but the story behind it has an unusual poignancy.
The pagoda sits close to the main Sacred Tree trail and is easily included in any walk through the ancient forest area. The stump beneath it is vast — the tree it honours was centuries old when it was cut — and the combination of pagoda and decaying wood creates an image that captures something of Alishan's layered history: ancient forest, colonial logging, folk religion, and contemporary preservation all in one small spot.