Nantou County
Nantou is the second largest county of Taiwan by area. Located in the central part of the island, and containing its geographic center, it is the only non-coastal county in Taiwan. Its landscape is mountainous, with the east containing parts of the Central Mountain Range, including Taiwan's highest mountain, Yu Shan. The diverse landscape supports rare species such as the Taiwanese pangolin and leopard cat, and the county remains home to some of the Taiwanese Indigenous peoples.
What is now Nantou supported a number of indigenous groups that retained autonomy from central government during Qing rule of the island. Settlement was initially banned, but in the late 19th century it was encouraged. Many Hoklo and Hakka people moved in during this period. Under Japanese rule, the area was brought fully under government control, a sometimes violent process that shaped local ethnic identities. The region began to industralize, while also seeing increased agricultural production. Following the retrocession of Taiwan, Nantou County was separated from Taichung County. In the late 20th century, the area saw an increase in tourism, which has become a prominent part of the local economy. Famous sites include Sun Moon Lake, the largest lake in Taiwan.
The county is home to the Thao people, who live around Sun Moon Lake. Other indigenous groups with communities in the area include the Atayal, Bunun, Seediq, Tsou, and various Plains Indigenous peoples. Two of the county's townships are classified as indigenous townships. The total population of the county is around 470,000.
The county is led by a magistrate, who heads the Nantou County Government. The economy still includes extensive agricultural components in addition to tourism, and the region produces hydroelectric power. In modern times, the indigenous people are reflected in the education system, and retain their own cultural practices.
History
Early history
Before the arrival of Han Chinese to Nantou, the Atayal, Bunun and Tsou tribes were distributed throughout the northern and central Nantou. These groups pioneered the early development of mountain regions in Nantou. The name derives from the Hoanya Taiwanese aboriginal word Ramtau.Kingdom of Tungning
In 1677, Lin Yi, a general under the command of Koxinga, led soldiers to establish residence in . The Han Chinese began to enter Nantou via two main routes, the Zhuoshui River and Maoluo River.Qing rule
What is now Nantou County was then part of different administrative divisions under Qing rule. However, actual control was limited, with indigenous populations in the area remaining largely isolated. In 1740, Qing authorities assigned the indigenous people the surname Pan. Contact between these people and Han Chinese settlers often resulted in violence. Stone border markers may have been in place as early as 1713. 1723 saw the start of heavy logging in until then-Thao areas. Conflicts erupted in 1725, and in response to an incidence of headhunting by a Thao hunter, in 1726 the Qing governor launched an invasion of the area. The invasion brought an end to the Thao practice of headhunting.In 1744, Qing authorities banned Han land claims in indigenous land, and in 1752 set out formal border markers which Han Chinese were not allowed to pass. Detailed mapping in 1790 led to further demarcation. During the Lin Shuangwen rebellion in the late 1780s, the Thao people assisted the Qing governor, and became recognized as a "civilized" tribe. The first written record of Sun Moon Lake comes from a 1782 government report.
The Puli basin became an important area for indigenous peoples. In 1814, a group of over 100 Han Chinese led by Guo Bainian massacred indigenous people living in the Puli basin. Guo Bainian was arrested in 1816, and the territory was returned to the Thao. More Thao people migrated to the area from the southwest in 1823. Around 30 Plains Indigenous peoples who had lost territory elsewhere also migrated to the basin, invited by the Thao. This event has been described as a mass migration. Around 3,000 settlement contracts are known from the Puli basin. From 1850 to 1874, there are three recorded official movements of Thao people from other areas to Sun Moon Lake, and new settlements were established. Some Thao became landlords, employers Han farmers. This introduced new agricultural techniques to the area, but also plagues. An alliance between the Thao and the Plains Indigenous peoples led to groups including the Atayal and Seediq being restricted to mountainous areas. The Seediq did have contact with the Qing government however, and were part of recognized chiefdoms. Some of these joined into larger confederations.
In 1848, the local government began to more actively develop the area. Water infrastructure was developed to improve agriculture, and a small number of Han settlers began to enter the area. The ban on Han settlement was removed in 1874. This was part of an initiative to increase government access and control of Taiwan's mountainous areas, launched to counter Japanese claims that there was no effective sovereignty over the area. The government established schools for indigenous children in 1876. In 1877, what would later become Puli town was founded by the military as a base of operations in the area. A local police force was created in 1884, and the town continued to develop throughout the remainder of Qing rule. Former indigenous towns around Sun Moon Lake became majority Chinese. A Chinese school was built on the sacred Lalu Island, and plagues pushed Thao away from the lake while also reducing their numbers. In 1897, the number of Thao was recorded as 352, down from 861 in 1847. Settlement by Hoklo people and Hakka people occurred during this time.
A pottery industry developed in the 19th century around the Maoluo River, and spread to other nearby towns. The region's 20 to 30 kilns included the largest in Taiwan.
Japanese rule
Following the Japanese annexation of Taiwan through the Treaty of Shimonoseki in April 1895, Japanese forces arrived at Puli on 28 July. A civilian government was set up shortly afterwards. In 1901, during Japanese rule, was one of twenty local administrative offices established. In 1909, part of was merged into Nanto Cho. A major reorganization occurred in 1920, in which the area was administered under Taichū Prefecture together with modern-day Changhua County and Taichung City.It was under Japanese rule that indigenous groups came under the control of the central government. Existing tribal confederations were broken up by Japanese attempts to divide and conquer. Indigenous languages and practices were banned under Japanese rules due to assimilation policies. Facial tattoos, formerly a sign of beauty for women in some groups, were banned. The removal of existing tattoos often left faces disfigured. Those who were not given last names under Qing rule were given last names by the Japanese authorities. In establishing property laws, Japan declared that any land without explicit title was government land. While the western areas of what is now Nantou County were part of normal administrative districts, a mountain district containing what is now eastern Nantou County was considered fully state-owned, with no recognized land title. Around Sun Moon Lake, the Thao and Chinese settlers were relocated to enable the construction of the Mingtan Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant. Sun Moon Lake was viewed by the government as a potential source of hydropower that could boost industrialization in the area. By 1934, the lake was deeper, with many formerly Thao areas thus flooded.
It is likely that Seediq people from Nantou migrated east during the Japanese period. While some likely occurred autonomously, following the 1914 Truku War and the 1930 Musha Incident such resettlement was encouraged and sometimes forced by the government.Following the 1914 war, Japan established schools, clinics, police stations, and Shinto shrines in indigenous areas in an attempt to pacify local tribes. The village of in what is now Nantou County turned into a model village, focused on the harvesting of camphor. However, for reasons that are disputed, on 27 October 1930 more than 300 Tkedaya men from six communities led by Mona Rudao attacked 12 police stations, killing all Japanese staff. The Japanese staff were preparing to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Japan's annexation of Taiwan. At a planned celebration later that afternoon, a gathering of other Japanese officials and their families was attacked. In total, 134 Japanese were killed. Following the Japanese military response, including both Japanese forces and rival tribes, about half of those communities were either killed or committed suicide. More died during later events, and survivors were relocated. The various relocations under Japanese rule broke up kin groups and brought members of different groups, including hostile ones, into the same settlements. They also shifted people used to living in forests into plains, forcing them out of a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and into the cash economy. Opposition to Japanese actions played a significant role in establishing the ethnic identities of today's indigenous groups. Some indigenous people also have overall fond memories of Japanese rule, especially contrasted with the subsequent rule of the KMT.
The Japanese period also saw the development of a sugar industry driven by the Formosa Sugar Company. A railway was constructed in 1918 linking Nantou County with Taichung for sugar export. The construction of the Mingtan Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant also saw the construction of the Jiji line. Finished in 1922, this line significant enhanced the capacity of goods transport between the interior and the coast. Economic growth occurred along the line. The Jiji line and a sugar line both had a western terminus at Ershui railway station, and ran parallel until Zhuoshui railway station. From there, the sugar line went north towards Nantou City, while the Jiji line continued east into the interior. The Jiji line also boosted initial tourism activities, providing easy access to Sun Moon Lake.
Natural resources extracted along the lines could be transferred to the Western Trunk line at Ershui. The line terminated at its eastern end in natural basin around Checheng. Agricultural areas along the line began to produce bananas, which were often exported to Japan. Banana exporting peaked in 1930. Other agricultural products included rice, camphor, sugar, and various fruits. The line also facilitated the export of wood from the interior and Mount Danda. This wood was also exported, with a torii at Tokyo's Meiji Shrine being built with wood from Danda. Checheng's forestry sector significantly expanded.