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After passing by the Alishan Hotel, and strolling through a forest of Taiwan Cypress, on the left side you can see a crystal clear pond, which is the smaller of the two ponds known as Mermaid Sisters' Ponds or "Mei Tan". The ponds are made up of two mountain lakes of different sizes. According to legend, the ponds were formed at a place where two aboriginal sisters once took their own lives for love; hence the name. Mei Tan is shaped almost like a circle and measures about 20 pings in area and is surrounded by a lush forest of Taiwanese red cypress. The Taiwanese red cypress forest around Mei Tan was replanted by the Japanese via natural seeding in 1930; currently it is one of the areas with the densest growth of Taiwan red cypress in the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area. The larger sister pond, known as "Zee Tan" is rectangular in shape with an area of about 160 pings. In the center of the pond, two pagodas called Xiang Si Pavilion sitting on two cypress trees connect to the shore via a wooden bridge forming a beautiful scene. The two ponds are about 50 meters apart. The water in the ponds is clear and green; looking like still mirrors. A well-planned path surrounds the Mermaid Sisters' Pond, providing tourists a relaxing stroll to admire the beautiful high mountain lakes and feel their serene and refined natural scenery.