Based on historical records, the name Sun Moon Lake was first seen in the book Traveling the Water by Deng Chuan-An in the first year of Qing Dynasty Emperor Dao-Guang's reign (1821 CE). The book says: “Water, the source of which is unclear, gathers into a lake that grows tens of miles long and with a width a third of that. The water bears two colours – red and blue-green – thus inspiring the name Sun Moon Lake .”

Earlier yet, in the 23 rd year of Emperor Kang-Xi of the Qing Dynasty (1684 AD), the first provincial magistrate of Taiwan government Ji Qiguang mentioned the lake in his book Notes on Taiwan : “Shuishalian, sits halfway up the east mountains …. When it's about to rain, the lake sends out sounds and the water promptly stirs and becomes turbid. The natives use this to predict changes in the weather.”

This is the earliest record mentioning Shuishalian. From this, we can also learn that the Han people had already set foot in Taiwan in the 17 th century.

Earlier legend has it that when the ancestors of the Shao tribe were hunting, they chased after a white deer and discovered Sun Moon Lake . The whole tribe moved to the lake after that. This lovely tale casts a mystical light on the distant past of Sun Moon Lake 's green hills and its crystal clear waters.