paiwan

The Danlin Hamlet is located on the foothill platform on the right bank of Laiyi River, above the southeast side of the Danlin Suspension Bridge in Laiyi Township, Pingtung County. It is about 140 meters above sea level. In the early post-war period, the Paiwan tribe of the Danlin group moved here collectively. Later, some people from the Laiyi group and Taiwu group also migrated here. The traditional Paiwan name of this place is Boraberuwan, which is the name of a tree specie. In fact, the old tribe of Danlinshe is located on the slope of Mount Wuwei on the south side of the confluence of Neishe River and Dahou River. It is about 530 meters above sea level. During the Japanese occupation, 53 households with 168 people were under the jurisdiction of Laiyishe police post.

The Chizhi Slope of the old Dalai Hamlet in Sandimen Township, Pingtung County is located on the left bank of Ailiao North River. Due to the stream, the only way to enter the hamlet was through the Dalai suspension bridge. The name Chizhi Slope (Chizhipuo) literally means resign slope. There is a saying that many civil servants who were assigned to work here ended up resigning because of the steep terrain, and that this was the only passage to the old Dalai Hamlet.

Today, with the administrative support of the Pingtung Forestry Bureau, the hamlet began the restoration of Chizhi slope in 2015. With the help from volunteers of Taiwan’s Thousand Miles Trail Association, and using traditional wisdom of Paiwan people, the restoration was finally complete.

Lili Hamlet (Lalekeleke) is located on a slope in the North-eastern side of  Mount Lili, between 600 and 750 meters above sea level. The hamlet was composed of the large Kinajian tribe in the north and the small Contres tribe in the south. According to the survey conducted during the Japanese occupation, the Lili Hamlet has a large population of 261 households with 1,058 residents. A police post was set up above the large tribe. Later in 1914, after the Jinshuiying incident, the Governor-General in Taiwan moved the people, mainly Paiwan tribe, to Chachayadun and Guihuamen hamlets in batches to weaken their tribal power. In the post-war period, those who were still living in Lili Hamlet were moved to Qijia in 1959.

Little Lili Hamlet is located in the south-eastern saddle of Mount Lili, 11.5 km away from Dahan Forest Road, with an elevation of 1,020 meters. The Paiwan traditional name for this place is Chalalapa, and was originally uninhabited. The formation of the Little Lili Hamlet was due to the widening of the Dahan Forest Road in 1969. People from the Lili Hamlet have successively moved to settle here. Currently there are about ten households. At the foothills of Mount Lili to the west of the hamlet, and about 10 meters above Dahan Forest Road are road ruins from the Japanese occupation period.

Xidi Camp was established right after the Jinshuiying Historic Trail was opened in 1885. It was a resting stop for officials and business travelers who passed through this trail during the Qing period. During the Japanese Occupation, the Governor-General in Taiwan set up a Guzilun Police Post here in 1916, and then a few years later moved it above the ridge. In the late 1960s, the National Government set up an afforestation nursery in Xidi Camp.

The Shitou Camp Cherish Character Pavilion, is located in the former camp site for troops during the Quing period in Yuquan Village, Fangliao Township, Pingtung County.  It was built in 1874 and was an important entrance to the Jinshuiying trail on the western side. A year after the camp was built, the then General Zhang Qi-Guan set up a school for indigenous people. A pavilion was also built to incinerate broken books or paper with written characters. This is to respect the heavens and treasure written language, hence the name “Cherish Character Pavilion”. The unique design of the pavilion shows a hexagonal base topped with a house and a horseback roof. 

Today, the Shitou Camp Cherish Character Pavilion is listed as the county’s cultural heritage. 

After the Jinshuiying trail was opened in 1885, Xidi Camp was set up, making a resting stop for officials and business travelers who passed this trail during the Qing period. During the Japanese Occupation, the Governor-General in Taiwan set up the Guzilun Police Post here in 1916, and then a few years later moved it above the ridge. In the late 1960s, the National Government set up an afforestation nursery in Xidi Camp.

During the Qing period, the Chushuipuo camp was established, and 30 troops were divided into three teams. Coming to the Japanese occupation period, the Governor-General in Taiwan built the Chushuipuo Police Post on the old camp site in 1919. It is located on the southeastern edge of Mount Dahan and is at an altitude of about 700 meters. A few years later, it was relocated some distance away for reconstruction.  It was the only police post on the eastern section of Jinshuiying trail at the end of the Japanese occupation, and continued to be used until after the surrender of Japan in World War II. However, since the 1960s, forestry workers have used the site as a  work shed. Today, relics of daily items can be found on the site.

The Gulibabaonuo Police Post is located on the southeastern edge of Dahan Mountain, at an altitude of about 750 meters. It was set up in 1917 and was an important checkpoint for the Jinshuiying trail that led to the southern linking road. It is about 1.3 km away from the Chushuipuo Police Post. Due to the Jinshuiying incident in 1914, the trail was unusable for several years. The Governor-General in Taiwan sent personnel to investigate the status of indigenous peoples and restored the trail. At the same time, established the Dashulin and Gulibabaonuo Police Posts. Later in 1926, the Gulibabaonuo Police Post was abolished and a new one was re-established in Chachayadun Hamlet in the south.

According to Yang Nanjun, an expert on ancient road research in Taiwan, the place was called Jinshuiying (literally Soaking Camp) because of the fog all year round, abundant rainfall, and the terrain that is prone to accumulate water.  Before it got its name in 1894, the camp was called Dashulinying, which was set up during the Qing Dynasty period.   During the Japanese occupation, the Governor-General in Taiwan established the Jinshuiying Police Post in 1901 at an altitude of about 1,280 meters. It was an important base for government officials and business travelers traveling to and from the east and west.  However, the police post was destroyed during the 1914 Jinshuiying incident. After multiple rebuilding, it was withdrawn in 1936.