A Day in Town: Puli, Guoxing, Renai, Yuchi (Nantou County)

 

I just completed my eleventh trip under "A Day in Town," my multi-year backpacking plan of spending a day in each of the approximately 350 townships in my country. My destination this time was Nantou County, which borders Taichung City to the north, Changhua County to the west, Yunlin County to the southwest, Chiayi County to the South, Kaohsiung City to the south east, and Hualien County to the east. Nantou County, along with Chiayi City, are the only two landlocked sub-national adminitrative regions in Taiwan. Situated in the center of Taiwan, Nantou County is home to the magnificent landmarks of the Jade Mountains and the Sun Moon Lake, and the origin of  Taiwan's longest river - the Zhuoshui River. There are 13 townships in Nantou County, and I visited four of them on this trip: Puli, Guoxing, Renai and Yuchi, the adjoining areas that form the northeastern quarter of the county. During the trip, I stayed at a hostel in Puli Township.

I spent my first day in Puli, a township named after the Puli tribe, an indigenous people that had inhabited the area for centuries. Despite Qing Dynasty's rule over Taiwan beginning in the late 17th century, Puli remained part of the two thirds of Taiwan where the indigenous peoples inhabited beyond Qing control. With immigrants, both Han Chinese and other indigenous tribes, flocking in to settle in Puli, the Qing administration finally built a city wall and an agency dedicated to the affairs of indigenous peoples in Puli in 1878, marking the beginning of the expansion of Qing rule into the traditional lands of Indigenous peoples in central and eastern Taiwan. To this end, Puli was in the forefront of such efforts in both the Qing rule and the Japanese rule that followed, and has remained the economic, political, cultural, and tourism center of northeastern Nantou County. Puli administers 33 villages, and during my day there I visited 13 of them. 

I first took a HSR (High Speed Rail) train to Taichung HSR Station, and transferred to a bus bound for Puli city center. From there, I explored around on foot for hours, before checking into my hostel in late afternoon. In the background of the left side of this merged photo is Meixi, a major river flowing through Puli with historical significance and a complex history. Puli was the traditional habitat of two indigenous peoples, with the Atayal dwelling in the north of the Meixi River, while the Bunun, the so-called Puli tribe lived in the south of the river. Sadly, in an incident orchestrated in deception and staged by illegal Han Chinese settlers, more than half of the Puli tribe were massacred, with their properties all plundered. The sharply declining Puli tribe would never return to prominence, and had to invite other indigenous tribes, mainly the Taokas in coastal central Taiwan, to join them in rebuilding their new home, which led to the 1823 Migration of Indigenous Peoples to Puli. On the right side of the photo is a temple near the river, built in memory of a martyr: an indigenous woman who married a Han Chinese settler. In the midst of mediating a land dispute that her husband was involved, she was mistakenly killed by her indigenous countrymen. The dispute between the indigenous people and the Han Chinese settlers was immediately resolved following her martyrdom, and ever since she has been worshipped by both sides as the guardian of the land.

On the right side of the merged photo is one of the two stone lion statues erected at the entrance of Xinglin Temple, a landmark perched on a hill near Ailan Bridge, the major gateway into downtown Puli. This seemingly ordinary pair of stone lion statues are of historical significance: they were created 150 years ago as part of the establishment of the indigenous affairs agency under Qing rule in Puli; so they were originally located within Puli's city wall. Under Japanese rule, the city wall was completely demolished and the pair became the only remnants of the once magnificent city wall of Puli. On the other end of Ailan Bridge stood a monument, as shown on the left side of the photo, commemorating another significant chapter in history. It was erected in memory of the Ailan Battle that took place in the neighborhood as part of the nationwide anti-government uprising in the February 28th Incident of 1947, a pivotal moment in Taiwan’s modern history.

I spent my second day in Guoxing, a township named after Koxinga, a Southern Ming general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century and ended the 38 years of Dutch rule in Taiwan. Guoxing Township is unique in being surrounded by a total of ten townships─the most I have experienced so far─of which six belong to Nantou County and four belong to Taichung City. Moreover, with 70% of its population descending from Hakka settlers who migrated from Dongshih, Taichung City, Guoxing is the only Hakka township in Nantou County. On this day, I visited six of the 13 villages administered by Guoxing Township.

I first took a bus to Chung Tai Chan Monastery in Puli. From there, I started exploring on foot northward into Guoxing Township, passing several villages, and finally reached Ganzelin Village on its west end. From there, I took a bus back to downtown Puli. Shown on the right side of the merged photo is Chung Tai Chan Monastery, the tallest and one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in both Taiwan and the world, with a height of 136 meters. In the background of the left side of the photo is Nuomi Bridge, which literally means "sticky rice bridge", a masonry arch bridge in Guoxing, completed in 1940 and known for its use of sticky rice mortar, historical construction technique.

After walking for about five hours, I reached Guoxing Village, the administrative center of Guoxing Township. On the right side of the merged photo is a giant statue of Koxinga, whose army once camped near Guoxing while fighting against indigenous tribes in the 17th century. The first Han Chinese settlers arrived in the mid-19th century and named the area Guoxing after Koxinga. The old street they built is still extant, stretching behind the landmark statue. On the left side of the photo is an ad displayed on the old street promoting Guoxing Coffee, a locally produced specialty and signature agricultural product of Nantou County.

On the third day, I visited Renai, one of the two Mountain Indigenous Townships in Nantou County. As part of the Central Mountain Range, Renai is the third largest township in Taiwan─larger even than Taoyuan City or Changhua County. I started by taking a bus to Cuifeng, the last bus stop at an altitude of 2300 meters above sea level. From there, I explored on foot downhill to Renai Bridge, approximately 1000 meters above sea level, and took a bus back to downtown Puli. Administering 16 villages, Renai is such a vast township that I visited only two of the 16 villages, despite walking about 25 kilometers during my day there.

Among its many tourist attractions, Qingjing is arguably the focal point. It all started with the Qingjing Farm that was built in 1961 as the settling place for the demobilized soldiers and their dependents who had recently arrived from border regions in Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand. The farm spans over an area of 760 hectares, with iconic recreational facilities like Green Green Grasslands and Sky Walk, and features a unique blend of minority cultures, including Taiwanese Indigenous, Burmese, Thai, and the Dai people from Yunnan Province, China. On the right side of this merged photo is the entrance of Qingjing Farm, an ideal spot for hiking. On the left side is the entrance to "Fraternity New Village", one of several settlements built for the discharged soldiers and their families.

After walking for about four hours, I arrived at Wushe, the site of both the township administration and a historical event. It was the major scene of the Musha Incident, also known as the Wushe Rebellion, began in October 1930 and was the last major uprising against colonial Japanese forces in Japanese Taiwan. In response to long-term oppression by Japanese authorities, the Seediq indigenous group in Musha (Wushe) attacked a school, killing 134 Japanese and two Han Taiwanese children. In response, the Japanese led a counter-attack, killing 354 Seediq in retaliation. On the right side of this merged photo is the statue of Mona Rudao, the leader of the Seediq in the Musha Incident, which stands in Wushe Incident Memorial Park. On the left side is another historical site─about five kilometers down the road─called "Renzheguan", which literally means "no-entry gate"─the point where crossing by the Han Chinese was banned during Qing rule. What made it even more legendary is this: the Seediq famously defeated Japan's modern, well-trained armed forces in a battle taking place here in 1905.

On the fourth day, I visited Yuchi Township, home to the Sun Moon Lake, an internationally renowned tourist attraction in Taiwan. The name Yuchi literally means "fish pond" because the area was once an enormous lake. Later, the lake dried up, but water remained in lower areas, forming many small ponds, hence the name "Yuchi", meaning "fish pond".  Administering 13 villages, Yuchi borders Puli to the north, Renai to the east, Xinyi to the south, and Guoxing and Shuili to the west. I started by taking a bus to Wuden Village, the southernmost Yuchi bordering Shuili. From there, I explored on foot northward, passed the iconic Sun Moon Lake, and reached Yuchi Village, the administrative center of Yuchi Township. From there, I took a bus back to Puli. Along the way, I visited five of the 13 villages in Yuchi.

As soon as I got off the bus, I stumbled upon the signs shown on this merged photo. On the left side is "Chongguei", the old name of the village, now known as Wuden. "Chongguei" literally means "gun rack", which tells its history of being the storage place for firearms used by the Han Chinese settlers during conflicts with indigenous peoples. On the right side is “Shui Sha Lian Old Trail”, a road that linked the inland, primitive Yuchi and Puli areas─which at the time was still beyond Qing control and collectively known as Shui Sha Lian─to the more developed and populous coastal areas in western Taiwan. I stood in front of the signs and reflected for a while, imagining the moment when the first Han Chinese settlers encountered the indigenous people who had lived here for centuries.

About two hours later, I reached the Sun Moon Lake, which occupies about half of the combined area of Shuishe Village and Sun Moon Village. I walked on the lakeside bikeway and felt both refreshed and fulfilled as I was about to conclude another meaningful backpacking trip that aligned with my personal vision over my beloved motherland.

My hostel was located in downtown Puli, with only a 10-minute walk to Puli Bus Station, where I caught a bus to a different destination each day. One of my must-visit spots in Puli was the Geographic Center of Taiwan. It is located at Mount Hutou, only a 15-minute walk from my hostel. Sadly, however, the scenic spot was closed for renovation. "I'll have to return some time to see its new face," I thought.