Shenzhen Airlines of China donated NT$10 million (US$302,000) to Taiwan Monday, saying that it hopes the money will be used to help restore the Alishan scenic area, one of the most popular tourist attractions among Chinese visitors to Taiwan. Shenzhen Airlines President Li Kun presented the donation during a cocktail party held to celebrate the company's establishment of a branch in Taiwan. Tourism Bureau Director-General Janice Lai accepted the money and thanked the donor on behalf of the Taiwan government. Lai said Taiwan is as beautiful as ever, despite the devastation wrought by Typhoon Morakot, which triggered massive flooding and landslides last week in southern Taiwan and caused devastation in many mountain villages that were popular among local sightseers. However, most of the areas that foreign tourists find attractive were untouched by the storm, she said, noting that the Alishan forest recreation area, at an altitude of 2,200 meters to 2,500 meters in the greater Alishan National Scenic Area, was one such site. Although the 1,400-hectare forest recreation site was spared by the typhoon, there was heavy damage to the roads, the popular alpine railway that serves the area, and some of the sightseeing spots along route. According to the Directorate General of Highways, the heavily damaged Alishan Highway -- the main road to the forest recreation area -- will not be able to accommodate traffic again until late September. Parts of the highway have caved in and the roadbed has been eroded in many spots. Also, sections of the Alishan Railway have been washed away by floods, some tunnels on the line have caved in, and some road beds have disappeared completely. Yen Mao-sheng, the official in charge of railway construction at the Chiayi Forest District Office, has estimated that it would take at least a year to repair the railway. Alishan is one of the must-see sites for visitors from China, and has attracted several thousand Chinese tourists a day since March. Two other Chinese carriers -- China Southern Airlines and Air China -- have also made donations to help with Taiwan's relief work in the aftermath of the typhoon. 