Along with the Gods: The Hidden Tea Country Realm Is in Chiayi

"This is a hidden-realm journey you must not miss." No guide is needed to lead the way; Chiayi's stunning hidden tea-country realms are right there in "Chiayi"! Chiayi County's mountain-town scenery is all-encompassing, rivaling classic scenes from the movie "Along with the Gods." Whether it is forests, giant boulders, waterfalls or dark starry skies, everyone can be the star of their own movie and enjoy it to the fullest. The Chiayi County Government has combined the distinctive tea-country experiences and launched the Along with the Gods hidden tea-country itinerary, inviting people from all over Taiwan to come to Chiayi's mountain towns and journey with the gods.

Territory of the Gods - The Hidden Realm of the Tsou People's Sacred Mountain

Laiji Village lies at the foot of the Tsou people's sacred mountain (Tashan), a holy land watched over by the sky god Hamo. The land is fertile and the water pure, and it retains the most pristine Tsou ways. Entering the tribe, you see Tsou people in traditional dress, warm and hospitable, welcoming visitors from everywhere with elder-led blessings, welcome firecrackers and traditional dance. After experiencing Tsou culture and myths, visitors can taste dishes specially prepared by Hanna, a daughter-in-law from South Africa who married into Laiji, then sip wild-boar organic black tea and feel this land blessed by the gods.

Starry Sky of the Gods - Ruili's Hidden Tea-Tasting Realm

Chiayi's mountain area has little light pollution and wide-open views. Looking up, you can see a sparkling, multicolored, flowing Milky Way much like in the movie "Along with the Gods." At many distinctive guesthouses you can stargaze right from the courtyard, and the deeper into the mountains you go, the more vivid the constellations become. Ruili's famous spot, the "Green Tunnel," is just such a place for stargazing. Beside the trail, the tea gardens and the cicada-singing tunnel grow even more tranquil after nightfall, and the river of stars seems to flow along with your footsteps. Beneath the starry sky and among the tea gardens, sipping the golden liquor brewed from Chiayi high-mountain tea is pure contentment.

Vision of the Gods - Looking Out Over Sunrise, Waterfall Wonders and the Earth

By night, watch the stars; by day, watch the sun. Sunlight emerges amid vast seas of cloud. At the 1314 Lookout on Haishu Mountain in Ruifeng, besides the romantic-latitude confessions, the brilliance of the sunrise is also utterly captivating. At the top of the mountain, you can gaze over terraced tea gardens and also take in 360-degree, no-blind-spot high-mountain scenery that is endlessly healing. The waterfall wonders of Leiyin, Longgong and Shuilian Dong: the Ruifeng Zhukeng River Trail is home to one of Taiwan's top ten waterfalls for negative ions. Passing through tea gardens and crossing primeval forest like something out of Jurassic Park, what unfolds before your eyes is a majestic waterfall spectacle, and you can even walk through the Shuilian Dong beneath the falls, cool and invigorating.

Hsu Yu-jen, director-general of the Chiayi County Cultural and Tourism Bureau, said that "Chiayi Find Tea Fun" is not only about drinking good tea; it also lets you experience the distinctive scenery of all **Chiayi and is great fun, with Tsou tribal culture, tea tasting under dark starry skies, 360-degree no-blind-spot tea-garden sunrise views, one of Taiwan's top 10 negative-ion waterfalls, the divine view of the Taiping Suspension Bridge, and many hidden local specialty foods. People from all over Taiwan are welcome to come to Chiayi to find tea and feel the beauty of Chiayi's mountain towns in all four seasons. For event details, please visit the "Chiayi Meishan Han Road Cultural and Tourism Festival" Facebook fan page or event page, where all information will be provided and updated at any time. Other related information can also be found on the Chiayi County Cultural and Tourism Bureau website.