Puli sits almost exactly in the middle of Taiwan, in a green basin between the western plains and the Central Mountain Range. Many travellers pass through on the way to Sun Moon Lake, but the town has enough of its own character to reward a day: clear spring water, paper workshops, Buddhist architecture, and low hills on every side.
The strongest sight is Chung Tai Chan Monastery, a vast modern Buddhist complex north of town. It is not an old temple, but its scale is extraordinary, and the nearby Chung Tai World Museum adds a serious collection of Buddhist art. On the other side of Puli, the Paper Dome tells a different story: a temporary church from Kobe rebuilt here after Taiwan's 1999 earthquake.
Puli is also a craft and food town. Kuang Hsing Paper Mill keeps the handmade-paper trade visible through tours and simple workshops, while the old brewery in the centre explains why Puli's clean water became tied to Shaoxing wine. The town is not polished, and its traffic can feel workaday, but it has a useful rhythm if you are crossing Nantou or want a quieter base near Sun Moon Lake.