Flowers Planted by Ancestors: Hwatak Settlement, Wangan

In the late Ming Dynasty, ancestors, seeking livelihood and survival, began to leave southeastern China to find new opportunities overseas. The vast ocean stretched before them, and during their voyage, they came across an unknown island. From the sea, the island's terrain undulated like a flower. Could this place become a new settlement? So, the ancestors' boats sailed closer to the island. This bay was perfect for sheltering their vessels! Thus, in this part of the island with a natural harbor, ancestral boats gradually began to settle. These people named this flower-like terrain "Hwatak" (literally "flower residence"). They lived by fishing and simultaneously began to cultivate the land, slowly getting to know the island, identifying resources and conditions for living there, and accumulating materials to establish their roots. Gradually, artisans with architectural skills brought the building styles from their homeland, adapting to local conditions by utilizing readily available materials, and considering the terrain, wind, water systems, and the communal needs of a single family. Consequently, the "residences" within this "flower" slowly took on a more complete appearance, with houses forming alleyways. Beliefs from their homeland, including the Mazu Goddess who had protected their boats during the safe sea crossing, were enshrined at the "flower heart" – a long, elevated land known as "Flower Heart" or "Shanzawei". This area was imbued with sacredness by the ancestors, and therefore, there were no houses or farmland on this highland at the center of the settlement. Nearshore fishing was the primary means of livelihood for those who settled here. After becoming islanders, the ancestors gradually understood the island's surrounding marine ecosystem by observing the seasons. To process the abundant anchovies always caught during the summer, they built numerous fish kilns along the coast. This became a village industry for processing fish products and also provided an additional income-generating opportunity for the women of the village, supplementing their daily chores of farming and gathering in the intertidal zone. The smoke, thick with the aroma of fresh fish, drifted continuously from the Hwatak coastline. Cooked fish, neatly arranged on bamboo racks in the drying yards, were being sun-dried into preserved fish, awaiting packaging and shipment for sale off the island. This was the scent of summer in Hwatak from the 1950s to the 1970s, a time when villagers were busy and fulfilled, and both adults and children were joyful. After autumn transitioned into winter, it was the season for Spanish mackerel and white croaker. The success of a season's fishing income depended entirely on the winter sea. Sweet potato strips, dried vegetables, and dried fish stored during the summer sustained families through the winter. Even with difficult lives, their devotion to gods and ancestors remained unwavering. In addition to the traditional three sacrificial animals, women used brown sugar, tapioca starch, and flour to steam "guò" (steamed cakes) in large stoves, and kneaded round glutinous rice balls and "chicken-dog" shaped pastries on the Winter Solstice, thanking gods and ancestors and praying for a bountiful catch for their boats that winter. After the 1950s, the lucrative deep-sea fishing industry in Kaohsiung attracted the Hwatak people, who had always relied on the sea for their livelihood. They took their accumulated maritime experience from this island elsewhere. Gradually, this place became the ancestral home for these people, leaving behind the foundations laid by their forefathers. The historical layout, such as alleyways and wells, remained unchanged, while alterations in building styles and materials reflected the evolving cultural trajectory of the area.