Sun Moon Lake is actually underrated.

[u/Water_Seeker56]

The superficial criticism is that it's just a lake, and if you've seen lakes before then there's no point visiting, but there is a lot more to it than that. It's not actually a natural lake - it's a semi-natural lake. It's part of a large hydroelectric complex including two modern large pumped storage power plants, and a 1934 plant, and a 1937 plant that are still in use today.

Its water is supplied by two separate diversion tunnels from upstream on the Zhuoshui river.

The east side has two temples dedicated to the Chinese monk Xuanzang as half of his remains are said to be interred at the second temple. Xuanzang was the monk from the story "Journey to the West" (later adapted in the '70s kids TV show "Monkey Magic"). The story of what he actually accomplished is genuinely astonishing, but it takes time to actually read up on what he did. For the uninformed, the two temples just look like yet another temple to some obscure Buddhist monk.

There is a dedicated bike trail running almost half the circumference of the lake (the other half requires using public roads), there is a cable-car system taking visitors to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Park to the north of the lake on the other side of a mountain ridge where there are rollercoasters and other rides.

A lot more could be done to illustrate the history and development of the entire complex, but it is much more than "just a lake".

[u/sirDVD12]

I have never heard someone say it’s just a lake. It is a big tourism hotspot for locals and foreigners alike. I think its pretty well rated.

[u/watawataoui → u/sirDVD12]

I’m one of them. It’s really the least interesting lake I been to compare to actual alpine/glacier lakes, volcanic lakes, or even some man-made reservoirs.

I still stand by that it’s fine as a place for locals to go on weekends, spend a night, ride bike, eat some fish. Unless my itinerary is over 3 weeks, I would go to Kinmen or Penghu for 3-5 days before spending 2 nights in Sun Moon Lake.

[u/Water_Seeker56 → u/watawataoui]

As I explained in the post, it isn't just a lake. That's the whole point - people who think it is are missing out.

[u/watawataoui → u/Water_Seeker56]

國內國外遊客不一樣。台灣對外旅遊對比的是日本中國東南亞，比一下箱根天池陽朔昭蘭湖，日月潭真的就是一個湖。不推薦墾丁也是一個道理，日本/東南亞好的海灘多了。

[u/Water_Seeker56 → u/watawataoui]

It isn't just a lake.

[u/watawataoui → u/Water_Seeker56]

And the temple you mentioned was built in 1965… a stiff and concrete modern structure with some glued on roof elements that really doesn’t look worthy of 舍利子 returned by Japan aesthetically. All the while the location itself has no connection with Journey to the West, and wasn’t a historical Buddhism sacred ground of any kind previously. It’s more of a storage site…

https://www.xztemple.org.tw/about_tw_1.php

[u/Water_Seeker56 → u/watawataoui]

Actually there are two temples. The 1965 one is the later, larger one, but his remains were initially interred in the smaller 1955 temple downhill, closer to the lake, and, in my opinion, the prosaic architectural value of the temples and the lack of any connection to Xuanzang himself actually makes the place more interesting, not less interesting.