With the story line of the exhibition site, the humanities of the Shao ethnic group are presented in the exhibition, and the guiding relationship between the ethnic group and the tools and the field is conveyed in the exhibition venue with knowledgeable information, and the insight into the daily life of the Shao ethnic group is informed.

The Shao people are distributed in the area around Sun Moon Lake, which is the place formerly known as Shuisha Lian. According to legend, when the ancestors of the Shao tribe were chasing a white deer, they accidentally came to Sun Moon Lake and found that the surrounding scenery and resources were fertile, and it was a place where future generations could survive, so the family moved here.

Because they live on the banks of Sun Moon Lake, they have developed an industrial culture of both land and water, and the Shao people's production methods are mainly fishing, hunting and mountain field reclamation.
Due to the transformation of modern life economy, Sun Moon Lake has become a famous tourist attraction at home and abroad, and other reasons, due to the close relationship between Sun Moon Lake and the Shao people, the Shao cultural industry has become a part of the life of the Shao people due to the combination of business and tourism.

Introduction of the Shao tribe County and city: Yuchi Township, Nantou County Ita Shao tribe Tribal characteristics: One of the few tribes in the Shao tribe that still exists, it is also the climbing trailhead of the Shuisha Mountain.

Languages spoken: Shao, Chinese,

Hokkien Religious beliefs: ethnic traditional beliefs, Taoism

The predecessor of the Shao people is the Zou people who lived in the Alishan Mountains - also known as Alishan (Taiwan's national tea place). 

According to legend, during the hunting and gathering process, they were led to Sun Moon Lake by a deer (this deer is particularly white), but they got lost! 

And they discovered a large freshwater lake and chose Sun Moon Lake as their place to live today.

Very historical, to Sun Moon Lake to play, you should understand the indigenous people here,

Because of this, when we get on a yacht in Sun Moon Lake, we will see a small island called Lalu in the center of the lake,

On the island, there will be a statue of a white deer – the mascot that helped them discover the good land here. 

LALU Island used to be large, however, after the historic earthquake of 1999, LALU was so small.

And today, tourists are not allowed to set foot on the island - in order to preserve the island's ecosystem.

The story of deer and natural reishi

In addition to helping the THAO people discover their residence at Sun Moon Lake, this deer brought many other good signs to the THAO people.

We stand here - Nantou District, the only district in Taiwan's 21 district that does not face the sea. 

Therefore, people's livelihood activities are related to hunting and gathering activities in the forest and a small commercial street in Sun Moon Lake.

While hunting and gathering, they found that animals, especially deer, often licked their stump when injured, after which the wound healed faster.

After observing for a while, they found that it was licking Ganoderma lucidum. 

After this trip, we hope that we can distinguish between what is a natural reishi and what is an artificial reishi.

Reishi is naturally large, and after cutting, it still sticks to the wood. Meanwhile, artificial reishi is usually smaller, smoother and more striking in color – it grows in plastic bags in greenhouses for 3-6 months after harvest. Both are true reishi, but natural reishi will contain more spores – the main nutrient of reishi.

Natural reishi mushrooms are usually best used within 2 to 8 years of age. After the age of 8, the amount of spores on the surface is gone, and it will turn completely into wood - no longer reishi. 

Therefore, when buying natural Ganoderma lucidum, it is important to know how old the Ganoderma lucidum is? How to know? Look at sliced reishi – each one is one year old and has a different color.It is also important to note that there are more than 250 varieties of natural Ganoderma lucidum in the world. But only 6 of them have been tested non-toxic and available. So, wherever you go, don't pick reishi if you don't know about them. 

Shao demographic characteristics

A striking feature is the very small population of the Thao. By the end of 2022, the tribe had only 283 purebred people (there were about 800 at their peak).

Therefore, the government has a lot of policies to support them in terms of livelihoods and population growth.

We stand here is the Ma Wang Store. This is part of the government's policy to support the livelihood of the THAO people – helping them introduce their culture and promote unique products.

According to legend, in 1950, President Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang's wife Soong Meiling visited Sun Moon Lake. Friends who are interested in Taiwanese history may know that Ms. Song Meiling has a history of asthma and some skin history. When visiting Sun Moon Lake, Mao Wang Ye introduced her to drink deer placenta powder. After a while, her asthma and skin problems were almost completely gone. Then, Mao was awarded the title of royal by President Chiang Kai-shek—the highest office in the history of the nation.