Chaozhou Town: A Hundred-Year Cultural Settlement

Chaozhou Township is located in the central part of Pingtung County. Nearly 300 years ago, it gradually formed a village settlement starting from "Jianji Road Old Street." The name of the road itself reflects the original intention of those who crossed the seas to settle and the profound meaning behind its naming. "Chaozhou" is one of the few places that retained a mainland Chinese placename. Before formal historical records, this area was within the sphere of influence of the Makatao aboriginal tribe's Lilig community. In 1726 (during the Qing Yongzheng era), ancestors from Chaozhou Prefecture, Guangdong Province, crossed the sea to settle. Subsequently, residents from Fujian Province and other Chaoshan regions also migrated, gradually developing the current outline of the settlement. Due to its geographical location, it became the central market hub for surrounding communities. During the Japanese colonial period, Pingtung County was a crucial base for promoting the Japanese Empire's southward expansion policy. The sugar industry was one of the main sources of foreign exchange. Chaozhou, located in the central Pingtung Plain, combined with Torii Shinpei's Erfeng圳 irrigation system and the construction of railway transportation, further elevated the importance of Chaozhou Township. Due to the southward expansion policy requiring many engineers, the Japanese established official residences for engineering positions in Chaozhou. After the war, these were taken over by the Third Engineering Office of the Directorate General of Highways as employee housing, known as Gonglu New Village (Highway New Village). Jianji Road in Chaozhou, locally known as "Old Street," is where Chaozhou first prospered. It gathered many traditional Chinese medicine shops, doctor's clinics, furniture stores, fabric shops, jewelry stores, seed shops, and more. Early settlers would come here to purchase daily necessities, and due to the bustling commerce, many local specialty snacks developed. "Food" is the best entry point to understand a place. Why is Chaozhou's fried "ban tiao" (flat rice noodles) red? Why is "cao cha" not herbal tea? Why do we have beef soup? While many old streets in Taiwanese towns have distinct ethnic characteristics, Chaozhou's unique feature is its diverse cultural groups. For example, its placename includes the Pingpu "Lilig" (力社); the neighboring Paiwan tribe from Laiyi would traditionally carry firewood down the mountain to the village to exchange for cloth, rice, and oil. Many people mistakenly believe Chaozhou is a Hakka village, but in reality, Chaozhou's ancestors spoke Teochew, not Hakka. There were conflicts between different ethnic groups, as well as intermarriage between indigenous peoples and Han Chinese. Furthermore, there's the military dependents' village culture from mainland China immigrants and the exotic cultures of new residents. The characteristics of these various groups intertwine to form today's Chaozhou. This small Chaozhou can reflect and present the modern evolutionary history of Formosa, the beautiful island. Chaozhou is small yet beautiful, best showcasing the vitality of the local area. Our team runs an organic bookstore called "Kindergarten Little Study." It was originally a closed kindergarten, which in 2016 transformed into a parent-child guesthouse. During its operation as a guesthouse, we started participating in local activities, organizing interesting experiences, and planning, executing, and collaborating on local mini-tours. In 2024, after rethinking and refocusing on our desired development direction, we decided to transform into an organic bookstore, opening up the space and hoping to create more opportunities for exchange and interaction. We have always pondered what kind of vitality and elements shaped Chaozhou's unique character. Therefore, to find and understand the soul elements of Chaozhou, last year we produced a publication called "Discovering Chaozhou's Beauty," and we will continue to explore and discover in the future. ※ Discovering Chaozhou's Beauty E-book - https://online.fliphtml5.com/fdoxn/tvbv/#p=1