A little-known piece of Taiwan's history is back in focus: Alishan's "Tree Spirit Pagoda," a memorial built during Japanese rule to mourn both the workers and the ancient forest lost to logging.

• Japan cut down Alishan's old-growth forest during its rule over Taiwan, and the brutal working conditions killed many loggers.
• In 1935 Japan built the 20-meter stone pagoda to honor 77 Taiwanese and Japanese workers who died, and to comfort the "spirits" of 100,000 giant trees that were cut.
• A yearly memorial rite started in 1934 and continued after World War II, but it shifted from a Japanese Shinto thanksgiving ceremony to a Taoist offering.
• The rites stopped for good after 1969, when logging in Alishan ended and the industry moved on.
• The pagoda's design is symbolic: a round base for tree rings, each layer marking 500 years of age, and grooves on the sides standing for saw cuts.

Outlook: Now listed as a county heritage site and Taiwan's only monument of its kind, the pagoda will remain a quiet landmark of Alishan's logging past.