Yunlin Past and Present

Following Provincial Highway 17 toward Haiqing Temple at Santiaolun in Sihu Township, we find the Black Forest Bicycle Trail, surrounded by dense woods, and from here we set out for the Chenglong Wetlands. The sea breeze that turns the huge wind turbines carries the salty smell of the ocean, a rare sensory experi­ence in the Yunlin Plain. The sun filters down through the trees, and it’s fun to occasionally speed up to chase the narrow shadows cast by the white turbine blades.

Lost farmland reborn as wetlands

Cycling to the entrance of the wetlands, we park our bikes beside an installation art piece called Conch, and walk slowly along the boardwalk that runs into the 50-hectare wetlands. The perfectly round setting sun reflects off the water. Aquatic birds including black-­bellied tern, great egret, Eurasian widgeon, and sandpipers, which come here to feed on fish and shrimp and wander among the tall grasses, spread their wings and fly off into the sunset, calling out as they go.

Long ago the Chenglong Wetlands were farmland, but excessive groundwater extraction led to subsidence, allowing typhoons to inundate the land with seawater, so in the end the farmers abandoned the land and moved away. Following arduous restoration work by local resid­ents, who invited artists to come here and put up artworks on the themes of environmental protection and peaceful co-existence with nature, this area was turned into wetland, providing an ideal habitat for all kinds of fish, crustaceans, wetland plants, and aquatic birds.

We elect to visit the majestic and imposing Chaotian Temple in Beigang after dark. The entire street leading to the temple is hung with traditional red lanterns. This temple, a historic site more than 300 years old, has lighting designed by lighting artist Chou Lien which at night brings the expressions on the statues of the deities to life. There is beauty everywhere, from the building itself with its upward-curving eaves and colorfully painted pillars, beams, and plaques to the simple incense burner in an antique style and the ink-wash paintings on the walls.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of local residents, the Chenglong Wetlands, situated on land that suffered subsidence following excessive groundwater extraction, has become an important conservation area for aquatic birds and wetland plants.

Founded in religion and agriculture

The next day, at the Beigang Cultural Center, from the religious artifacts collected there we get a glimpse of the rituals, customs, historic sites, and cultural heritage that surround Chaotian Temple. Walking up to the second floor we meet Wu Teng-hsing, chairman of the Chinese Dragon, Phoenix, and Lion Cultural Association, who is arranging a series of “condolence flags,” used when commemorating the dead. Wu explains: “These flags were only brought out and hung in the funerary hall for the funerals of important local personages or gentry, as a mark of respect.”

Wu also possesses a volume not much bigger than the palm of his hand that contains explanations of the “fortune poems” at Chaotian Temple. This book was published by the Taiwan Daily News in 1911. The pages, so yellowed that they are semi-translucent, are filled with explanations of fortune poems from olden times. For over a decade now, Wu has been actively working to preserve Beigang’s cultural heritage. He says, “Before Yunlin was made a county [in 1950], all the people here were ‘Tainanese.’ After it became an independent county, the people of Yunlin discovered an abundance of documents and artifacts originally made for religious purposes, and preserving them is a means of preserving Yunlin’s ancient and modern culture.”

Before noon we ride along County Roads 155 and 153 to reach the garlic fields of Yuan­zhang and Taibao. Chang Sha Min, whose family has been growing garlic for three generations—more than 50 years—says: “The flavor of Taiwan garlic is completely different from that of imported garlic, and the difference starts right from the harvesting method.”

Chang’s son Chang Ku Jung explains as he peels a newly harvested head of garlic: “Taiwan garlic is a delicate crop. All the way from planting to harvesting its growth depends not only on the weather and the soil, but also the temperature.” Although Taiwan garlic requires very specific growing conditions, in Yunlin “all the conditions are just right.” That is why Yunlin accounts for more than 70% of the garlic produced in Taiwan. It has a unique mouthfeel and a rich aroma; when eaten raw it has a pungent, refreshing taste, and when it is wind-dried to make “black garlic,” its nutrients become more concentrated and its taste grows less pungent, giving it a flavor somewhat like candied fruit.

Beigang’s Chaotian Temple, a national historic site, is over 300 years old. Even after nightfall it still bustles with people, and the lighting enhances the structure’s imposing appearance.

A hidden village in the sun

We pass though Yuanzhang Township on County Road 160, then turn onto 145. Soon we discover the Huwei River Dike Road, which is little known to people other than locals. The river flows along beside us as we ride, glittering in the sunlight. The journey to the Jianguo military dependents’ village is not far, nor is it a difficult place to find. When we have cycled half way there, suddenly a cool breeze strikes our faces and we find ourselves in deep shadow. The two sides of this wooded road, which is the main road linking the village with the outside world, are lined with large, imposing trees that stand tall and upright, providing us with a surprising highlight of our journey.

Jianguo Village is a rural military dependents’ village (MDV) that is being restored section by section. The part that has already been renovated is being used as a multipurpose open venue, and many people come here to play ping-pong, see exhibitions, have coffee, or browse the bookshop. Lee Yini, founder of literary arts group Keeping the Culture, who has devoted many years to researching the culture and history of MDVs in Huwei, acts as our guide: “Early on there was indeed only farmland and farmhouses here. Under Japanese colonial rule, because the many large trees provided good visual cover when viewed from the air, the Japanese military built a training airfield nearby, and made it a training base for kamikaze pilots.”

Walking through the village we pass several long pilots’ barracks in typical Japanese architectural style, and next to each building there is a turtle-shaped air-raid shelter. “After the Nationalist government came to Taiwan, because the barracks were conveniently close to the airfield, they were used as quarters for air-force personnel and their families. The original Japanese barracks were expanded to meet the needs of the new residents, giving shape to a unique ‘mixed Chinese and Japanese style’ military dependents’ village,” says Lee.

This photo shows a book used to explain “fortune poems” at Chaotian Temple a century ago. Being the only existing copy, this book, which Wu Teng-hsing discovered by chance and purchased, is incomparably precious.

Telling a century-old story

The Yunlin Storyhouse was formerly the residence of the Huwei County magistrate under the Japanese, and is a county-level historic site. When we enter the building, Liou Chen-chi, who served two terms as director of the Yunlin County Cultural Affairs Department, is drinking tea and chatting with Tang Li-fang, founder of the Yunlin Storyteller ­Association and director of the story house. Liou says by way of intro­duction: “Ms. Tang’s story house is the finest example of the revitalization of an old building in Yunlin.”

“The building that lies kitty-corner from the story house was the town hall under Japanese rule, with facilities for the fire and police departments. Now when you walk in it is filled with the fragrance of books and coffee. This shows the value of preserving and reusing cultural heritage.” Robert Wu, founder of the Eslite bookstore chain, joined hands with Starbucks to set up operations here and—without altering the building’s original appearance—to create a unique cultural space where people can buy books, read, and drink coffee in this old building that has more than 80 years of history behind it. “When you also consider that Huwei has a long tradition of puppet theater and Taiwan’s only still-functioning narrow-gauge sugar-refinery railway, as well as many old buildings from the same era that have been re­purposed, Huwei has become one of the cultural bastions of Yunlin,” says Liou with a broad smile of satisfaction.

Riding our bicycles into nearby small lanes, we can see the independent bookstore Huwei Salon in a beauti­ful “imperial crown” style building that combines Japanese and Western architecture. The eaves of its twin roofs are in a Chinese style with sculpted roof ornaments, the window frames are in a round Arabic style, and the hipped roofs have ridges typical of Tang-­Dynasty architecture. This style gets its name from the fact that the building appears to be wearing a crown. Salon owner Helen Wang also puts on cultural lectures here, and has a reputation for tolerance and openness.

Wang loves books and reading. She cares about local cultural development in Yunlin, and aims to encourage people to think for themselves. When asked which lectures have left the deepest impression on her, she says: “The first book launch event for Chang Su-bing’s The Zhuo­shui River and its 300 Years of History was held here in the Salon, and it attracted a wide range of people who have a deep emotional attachment to the Zhuoshui River.”

Jianguo Village, with its rectangular Japanese military barracks, once served as quarters for a kamikaze training base. After the arrival of the Nationalist government in Taiwan, the air force turned it into a military dependents’ village, and it took on the unique hybrid Sino–Japanese appearance it still has today.

All for love

Before dusk, we ride along County Road 145 and turn into a small roadway running between the fields to pay a visit. The warmly hospitable Liao Rui Sheng is the owner of Huaxing Organic Farm, where he grows vegetables in polytunnels, and also the leader of Team 47 of the Xiluo Vegetable Production and Marketing Group. Liao has built a pesticide residue testing lab above his own warehouse that tests samples from each batch of vegetables, and reports the results to the government. Asked why he does this, Liao replies without hesitation: “I’m a Yunlin native and I love everything about Yunlin. If we don’t develop organic farming methods, but instead use toxic pesticides, what will become of the soil? What will become of the water? What will become of my hometown?”

Liao’s persistence has paid off, and the organic farms that he and Team 47 work with have been selected as ingredi­ent suppliers for school meals for elementary and middle schools in Taiwan’s six special municipalities. “These are vegetables grown with love, and I only hope that everyone can eat healthily.”

Xiluo is the final stop on our bicycle journey. This township is known as “the hometown of soy sauce.”

We are drawn to Yu-Ding-Shing, an old-established firm famous for its “wood-fired black soybean sauce.” Brothers Ozzy Hsieh and Hsieh Yi-che, grandsons of the founder, still insist on making the sauce by hand. Building on their love for traditional soy sauce and the aesthetic appeal of its brewing process, the two are forging a new path by promoting Yu-Ding-Shing to the international market, selling their products in New York. They are also using creative cuisine and shared group meals to practically demonstrate the diverse palette of flavors that can be achieved by pairing Yu-Ding-Shing soy sauce with different ingredients.

The two brothers are in the yard opening up a vat, and nearby bees forsake their flowers and follow the aroma to circle around the mouth of the container. Hsieh Yi-che says with a laugh: “It’s like this whenever we open a vat.” The large old-fashioned ceramic vats that fill the yard are divided between various brewing methods, including “dry style” and “half salt water style.” Ozzy Hsieh lights a wood fire in a traditional stove, judging and controlling the temperature based on experience, then steadily stirs the soy sauce in a pan, using a large steel ladle that is longer than he is tall and takes two hands to hold steady. As the sauce heats up, its beautiful fragrance fills the air all around.

The rich aroma of soy sauce accompanies us as we leave, providing a perfect ending to our journey. This carefree, leisurely bicycle trip, taking in farm fields and cultural sites, has been like an artist’s brush, painting a beautiful, colorful map of Yunlin while riding through the plain and experiencing the simplicity, culture, history, human warmth, and flavors of this agricultural ­county.                                            

This Japanese-era government administration building was the town hall, police station, and fire station all rolled into one. Its fire watch tower was the tallest structure in Huwei at the time and commanded a view of the whole town.

The Huwei Salon is located in a “Western-style” house built by a Taiwanese. The building, with its traditional Japanese-style roof, is an “imperial crown” style structure that was very avant-garde at the time when it was built.

Liou Chen-chi (left) believes that the most meaningful way to treat Japanese-era buildings is to inject new life into them, as Tang Li-fang (right) has done with the arts and cultural activities she hosts at the Yunlin Storyhouse.

Liao Rui Sheng, who insists on organic farming methods out of his deep attachment to the land of Yunlin, still goes to his polytunnels each day to personally check on the vegetables that he cultivates with love.

The Hsieh brothers, third-generation owners of Yu-Ding-Shing, which makes wood-fired black soybean sauce, have used creative marketing and group meals to build a brand identity around the aesthetics of this traditional product, enabling Yu-Ding-Shing to stand out from the crowd of older soy sauce brands.