Antong Traversing

The Memorial Monument to the Centenary of Church Establishment in Eastern Taiwan is located in the Shiyusan Recreation Area in Chenggong Township, Taitung County. The monument mainly tells the story of the introduction of the Presbyterian Church to eastern Taiwan. At the end of the Qing period, Zhang Yuanchun, a follower from Aligang in Pingtung County, moved to Shiyusan and used holy water to heal Shiyusan chief’s asthma. He then established the Xun-Guang-Ao Church that was later known as the Shiyusan (Stone Umbrella) Church, and opened up the missionary history in eastern Taiwan.

At the end of the Japanese occupation, the Government-General in Taiwan vigorously promoted the imperialism movement, and so church services became secret gatherings. Later, the Xingang Church was established and took on the followers of the Shiyusan Church, and a monument was established in 1997 to commemorate it.

The Cholera Incident Memorial Monument is located in the cemetery area of ​​the Chong’an Hamlet in Chenggong Township, Taitung County. This cholera incident occurred in 1946, when a man from the Yiwan Hamlet fell ill after eating seaweed that he had collected. He was sent back to Chong’an Hamlet, however, the disease spread quickly. It was found after inspection that it was an infectious disease of cholera. At that time there was a shortage of medicine because the war had just ended. The patients were quarantined in the hamlet but could only receive basic treatment. The dead were sent to the beach for incineration. No tombstones were set up and no names were registered. Decades later, the families of the victims were determined to find out the truth. The town office took the initiative to assist in the investigation and finally established a memorial in 2006 to detail the incident.

Ningpu Village sits on the south bank of the Ningpu River entrance in Changbin Township, Taitung County. It was built by the Kaliwan people of Kavalan tribe who migrated to Hualien. The prehistoric boulder erected on the mountain has two protrusions, resembling a female breast, hence the name Shiru (stone breast) was given. Later it was translated as Shiningpu. Coming to the Japanese occupation period, the Government-General in Taiwan renamed it to Ningpu. In the early days of Japanese occupation, there were 7 Kaliwan households and 33 people in Ningpu Village. Later, Fulao and Hakka immigrants moved here and as bananas were planted on the hills nearby, the banana drying factory was set up at the south intersection of Ningpu Village. In the post-war period, the residents switched to planting lemongrass, which flourished for a while.

The Pasongan Hamlet is located between Kinaloka Creek and Pengzicun Creek in Changbin Township, Taitung County. It is rumored to have been established by the Amis tribe who emigrated from Dagangkou Hamlet in Fengbin Township, Hualien County in 1884. As the arable land was small at the time, and that the Amis people were long term oppressed by other indigenous groups from the mountainous area, they moved all the way to the south. In addition, they have been defeated by the Qing army. There is another saying that the Pasongan Hamlet was formed by Amis people of the Wushibi group that came out on its own in 1888. The original site of the hamlet is on the platform on the west side of the current site. The traditional name is Cafongai or Chiganadai, which means big stone, as it was named after two prehistoric boulders that were there. During the Japanese occupation, the hamlet was moved here for management convenience.

Ningcheng Temple, whose full name is Sanshan (Three Mountain) King Dutai Kaiji Ancestral Temple, is located in Ningpu Village, Changbin Township, Taitung County. It was the earliest Sanshan King Temple to be established in the east coast area. Ningcheng Temple was built a long time ago. It is presumed that it came with the early immigrants or the garrison during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty.

During the Japanese occupation, the Ningcheng Temple, which was made with coral stones, was ordered to be abandoned. Local residents then moved the god and secretly worshiped under the big tree in the mountain. In the early post-war period, local residents first built thatched temples, and then initiated a proposal to build a temple, which is now the Ningcheng Temple. Every year, a festival is held to celebrate the birthday of Sanshan King.

The Nanzhuhu Hamlet is located in Changbin Township, Taitung County. It was formerly known as Bakaraatsu, named after the white crabs that lived in nearby paddy fields. Amis people used to live in the hillside west of what is the current Zuhu village. However, at the end of the Qing period, there was a land dispute with the local Pingpu people, and they were cursed that if they lived here for a long time, there would be disasters. The Amis people of the local Zhuhu group and the Saobie group were deeply frightened of ghosts, and so they moved to the south and north. South is now the Nanzhuhu Hamlet, while north is the Yongfu hamlet that sits at the higher plateau on the left bank of Dade River. In the post-war period, the Nanzhuhu Hamlet was split into Nanzhuhu on the top and Xiakan on the bottom.

The Yu-Chang Highway, which runs through Hualien County and Taitung County, was excavated in 1875. The highway stretches mainly along the Antong Valley and deep into the coastal mountains. After passing through a tunnel, it then follows the road between the Lujiao Creek and Ningpu Creek that leads to Ningpu Village in Changbin Township. The construction of the Yu-Chang Highway was actually based on the Antong Traversing Historic Trail. At that time (Qing period), General Wu Guangliang, who was stationed in Yuli, led the soldiers to excavate Pushige Chengguang’ao passae. This became the outer port of the middle section of the Huadong Rift Valley on the other side of the Coastal Mountains.

During the Japanese occupation period, the Government-General in Taiwan revised the legislation and changed the route to go from Antong to Zhuhu. In the post-war period, the Nationalist Government built a road from Yuli to Changbin, and chose the same route as the Antong Traversing Historic Trail. This road was completed and opened to traffic in 2007.

The Yu-Chang Highway, which runs through Hualien County and Taitung County, was excavated in 1875. The highway stretches mainly along the Antong Valley and deep into the coastal mountains. After passing through a tunnel, it then follows the road between the Lujiao Creek and Ningpu Creek that leads to Ningpu Village in Changbin Township. The construction of the Yu-Chang Highway was actually based on the Antong Traversing Historic Trail. At that time (Qing period), General Wu Guangliang, who was stationed in Yuli, led the soldiers to excavate Pushige Chengguang’ao passae. This became the outer port of the middle section of the Huadong Rift Valley on the other side of the Coastal Mountains.

During the Japanese occupation period, the Government-General in Taiwan revised the legislation and changed the route to go from Antong to Zhuhu. In the post-war period, the Nationalist Government built a road from Yuli to Changbin, and chose the same route as the Antong Traversing Historic Trail. This road was completed and opened to traffic in 2007.

The Yu-Chang Highway, which runs through Hualien County and Taitung County, was excavated in 1875. The highway stretches mainly along the Antong Valley and deep into the coastal mountains. After passing through a tunnel, it then follows the road between the Lujiao Creek and Ningpu Creek that leads to Ningpu Village in Changbin Township. The construction of the Yu-Chang Highway was actually based on the Antong Traversing Historic Trail. At that time (Qing period), General Wu Guangliang, who was stationed in Yuli, led the soldiers to excavate Pushige Chengguang’ao passae. This became the outer port of the middle section of the Huadong Rift Valley on the other side of the Coastal Mountains.

During the Japanese occupation period, the Government-General in Taiwan revised the legislation and changed the route to go from Antong to Zhuhu. In the post-war period, the Nationalist Government built a road from Yuli to Changbin, and chose the same route as the Antong Traversing Historic Trail. This road was completed and opened to traffic in 2007.

Antong Hot Spring is located on the north bank of Antong River in Yuli Township, Hualien County. Natural hot spring was discovered in 1904 by a Japanese, who went up the mountain to gather camphor. In the middle of the Japanese occupation, the Government-General in Taiwan built a police hostel here and set up public baths, which gradually developed into a hot spring resort. In the post-war period, the private industry bought and operated it in 1974 and changed its name to Antong Hot Spring Hotel.

To this day, the building itself still retains part of the wooden bungalows that were built in the Japanese Occupation period. The Japanese sliding doors and tatami floors are well preserved. In 2014, the Executive Yuan Cultural and Construction Council announced it as an important historical building.