Dongjiang Xincun Community

The Dongjiang Xincun Community is a settlement located approximately 300 meters uphill and to the right of Nanzhuang Bridge when heading towards Donghe Village. This community is the only non-traditional settlement in this township. The Atayal people in this township are currently primarily distributed in Donghe Village and Nanjiang Village; most in Nanjiang Village reside in the Dongjiang Xincun Community. The formation of the Dongjiang Xincun Community dates back to 1976 (ROC year 65) when geologists investigating Luchiang Plateau determined that the ground strata there were at risk of subsidence. Consequently, the government assisted in relocating the original Atayal inhabitants of that area en masse to Nanjiang Village (now neighborhoods 24 and 25 of Nanjiang Village), and Fengmei Village was merged into the current Donghe Village. The area known as Sasasezeman (in Saisiyat language) roughly extends from Kangji Suspension Bridge and Nanjiang Old Street up to the Nursery Garden and Dongjiang Hot Spring area. Originally, it was predominantly inhabited by the Saisiyat people, but later Hakka people moved in, and the Saisiyat people gradually migrated towards the mountains. With the changes of the times, the current residents of this community no longer remember the early tribal names. The community members' livelihoods remained in their original villages. However, due to the limited space in Dongjiang Xincun, coupled with population growth over the years and their livelihoods being primarily in the mountains, a large portion of the members returned to their original residences. When holding ancestral spirit rituals, community members also bring their families back to their original homes to perform them. One characteristic of the community is that its residents have diverse religious beliefs, including the True Jesus Church Dongjiang Church, the Presbyterian Church Dongjiang Church, and Seventh-day Adventists, among others. The Atayal people in Nanzhuang Township generally migrated from other areas in earlier times. For example, Elder Dai Mu-chin, who currently lives in Dongjiang Xincun Community, mentioned that he originally lived in a tribe located in the Daxi area of Taoyuan and an upstream area of Daxi in Hsinchu County. Around 1941 (when he was about 5-6 years old), he moved to Bailan Community in Wufeng Township, Hsinchu County (where he lived for about 5 years). Then, due to being pursued by the Japanese, he walked from Bailan to Leshan, staying for 4-5 days. From Leshan, he walked to Hakani Mountain, staying for another 4-5 days. He then walked down the mountain to Lacus to live, and finally moved to Bilin Creek (Lushan Community), until he eventually relocated to Dongjiang Xincun in 1976 due to certain reasons.