Chukou

Chukou Village
從高處眺望番路鄉觸口村

Chukou Village of Fanlu Township, Chiayi County, was the last flatland settlement to be established in the Alishan area. It is located at the valley entrance where the Bazhang River flows from the mountains to the flat land. There are two bridges, Tianchang and Dijiu, on the upstream and downstream of the river respectively. This is also where the Chukou fault is located. The Bazhang River that sits in between two mountain walls forms a cliff with a huge drop. It is as steep as two bulls fighting head-to-head, hence the name.

At the end of the Qing period, this place was developed into Chukou Street, which was a trading hub for mountain products. In the early days of the Japanese occupation, there was a railway for transporting goods leading to Chiayi South Gate via Dingzhongxia Street (Dingliu). At that time, there were 36 households and 134 people in Chukou village. At the end of the Japanese occupation period, there were only 18 households left.