'Taiwan-Old-Family' Move Towards Academic Roots - Storytelling, Caution, and Skill

Linda Arrigo, I think, was invited for her active involvement with Xindian cemetery among her other interests. Liu Family owns the largest private cemetery in northern Taiwan and Dr Liu currently accommodated some 100 abandoned tombstones until they are found a home. 

Masami Kondo 近藤正己 leading the panel discussion on Dapinglin Shisizhang (十四張 ) and Liu family land reclamation and management process and influence.

Sun Ta-chuan 孫大川 (Also known as Paelabang Danapan in the Puyuma language) leading panelist of Taiwan-Old-Family presentations. 

'Taiwan-Old-Family' refers to a private group I was invited to join in 2018. Members are descendants whose ancestors contributions to Taiwan, during Qing and Japanese rule, are documented in official written literature.

A two-days conference on Dapinglin Liu Family 大坪林劉氏家族 was held at Academia Sinica as the result of a pioneering collaboration between Old Family and leading academic institutions.

Organizers: 

中華啟文堂劉氏宗親會 

Chi-wen-tang Liu family organization

Dr Liu Chi-chun 劉啟群  (Also founder of Taiwan Roots (TRMPC) Without Borders - Taiwan's first CoNGO member)

National Chengchi University - Department of Ethnology

Ong Nga-ping 王雅萍 , Chair

Academia Sinica - Institute of Taiwan History 

Hsu Hsueh-chi 許雪姬, Director

This post is to share some thoughts and notes I took away from attending the conferences, also something I comfortably relate  within my own recent and current interests. 

It soon became obvious over the course of first morning, why studying Dapinglin Liu Family history is necessary. Not only Dr Liu provides the resources either in man - money power on top of his amazing operating networks, Dapinglin development covers many significant aspects of Northern Taiwan history. Tea, Rice, Pigs; Aboriginals relationship (Atayal and Kavalan); Mackay (Canadian missionary) free school; Sino-French war microhistory etc etc. 

Rounding the successful conference - intensely packed with valuable information and generously shared knowledge by leading academics, history researchers and cultural workers - was light-hearted  presentations from 9 Old-Family.

"...the first restaurant in the capital to characterize itself as aboriginal opened in March 1994, near National Taiwan University." ('A Culinary History of Taipei', page 137) 

For me personally, the fun thing was to meet Sun Ta-chuan, founder of the first aboriginal restaurant! He confirmed the name of the restaurant （漂流木) and the location which now served Cantonese food after several change of hands. (betel-nut shoots salad was already on the menu back then - a discovery during my book research) 

The most powerful delivery for me came from Paul Katz during panel discussion on Zhi-nan temple 指南宮. 

Dapinglin Liu family founded Zhinan temple in the latter part of Qing. During 1888-1958 the Lius held sole control of the temple and in 1891, the name Zhinan was given by Liu Mingchuan 劉銘傳 (Governor of Taiwan).

Paul Katz cautioned a speaker on being 'professional' 專業 in academic publication and presentation, over areas such as correct description of the institute 鸞堂 (Luan Tang or Phoenix Hall) and its development in Taiwan. As well as critical-thinking argument that 'Old-Family History' should INCLUDE not only those who made it to the respectable gentry list, but also those who DIDN'T. His criticism, in my opinion, brought the debate to another level. 

"Storytelling, Caution, and Skill"

Paul's cautions provided a very good point on how to deliver 'storytelling' (what the majority of none-academic audience in the room are good at) in a style that is acceptable and acknowledged in academia. 

The experience of doing a 'semi-academic' book on Taiwan culinary history taught me - there are things academics can't do but they have the patience, and there are things none-academics (Storytellers - in this particular case -  old family members and associated cultural workers) can do and do it very well, but they don't always listen.

The 'ambassadors' between the two sides are the able 'connectors' with a unique skill. They competently link and bridge, but they are also often difficult to locate and to position.

Sun Ta-chuan's 孫大川 opening and concluding speech were wonderful! Full of wisdom, humour and appreciations.

He first admitted having little knowledge of Taiwan-Old-Family history and he was very envious (There is no documented indigenous-family-history to his knowledge) and was eager to hear. He later expressed with gratitude that all the Old-Family materials were very valuable and educational but lest forget we indigenous peoples' generosity to share the land, and together we make Taiwan our home, our land. 

NOTES - 

Taiwan-Family-History studies is divided into four categories, by order of cases studied or looked at: Taiwanese (Hoklo), Hakka, Indigenous peoples, and Taiwan-born Japanese.

Taipei City Walls, the last government built fortifications during China imperial dynasties, costed 68 million USD in today's currency.

Joest Wilhelm, a German ethnographer and traveler described the construction of the walls in his Formosa memoir in 1888.

Dr Yao Shaoji 姚紹基. Chengchi University, European Studies, German. "Joest Wilhelm's story on Formosa 1888 " Author

My blogpost on the related subject: 

https://katyhuiwenhung.blogspot.com/2018/09/i-walk-history-taipei-north-gate.html

https://katyhuiwenhung.blogspot.com/2018/09/ii-walk-history-taipei-north-gate.html

https://katyhuiwenhung.blogspot.com/2020/02/two-side-of-city-two-era-of-democracy.html

https://katyhuiwenhung.blogspot.com/2020/02/two-side-of-city-two-era-of-democracy_10.html

'Chi-wen-tang Liu family' ancestral root can be traced back to 161 AD. The 157 generation descendants from Anxi (Quanzhou, Fujian) settled in Dapinglin. Written records of Dapinglin was found in 1745.

Dapinglin Shisizhang Liu development tied in closely with northern Taiwan aboriginals the Katagalan 空仔社 and Quchi Atayals (Mus-Taranan 屈尺群). Quchi or Kuht Chhioh (from George Leslie Mackay 'From Far Formosa)

Documented in a 1899 Xindian literature, the Liu family founded a free school, pupils including 45 aboriginal children. 

Presented by a Liu family speaker, the last two photos are George Leslie Mackay free school at Xindian Church, with details such as number of pupils, curriculum, etc. And last, in 1885, Mackay bumped into a follower with 8 neighboring tribal chiefs, who were on their way for a 'Chinese-shave'. Also description of a trip to Quchi. 

In a 1765 document on Liu family land development, a place name 'Mali' was mentioned, Speaker 溫振華 pointed out its Austronesian linguistic root vali' 'vari' 'bali' meaning 'weeping', which often is an implication of 'graveyard' in Taiwanese aboriginal culture. 

 Indeed, there are several places in Taiwan named by this Austronesian word, perhaps first and most known 'tappare' where Dutch found upon their arrival. (tappare now known as Kitapari, Kitappare 金包里 ) 

Hsinchu Cheng family - walled city of Hsinchu at 1827.

Details about the Cheng family here: 
https://katyhuiwenhung.blogspot.com/2020/03/big-family-small-tales-hsinchu-beipu.html

Yilan Wu Sha descendant showed a land deed between The Wus and aboriginals. He stressed "every land deal with aboriginal land owner was done officially and properly". 

1796 Conflicts broke out between Indigenous and Han settlers, Wu Sha abandoned his plan to seize land from the Kavalans.

1797  Smallpox outbreak devastated the Kavalans, Wu Sha having equipped with medicinal knowledge inherited from his father and grandfather, cured several hundreds and consequently in showing gratitude to Wu's contribution to the Kavalans, truce was reached. 

Yilan Wu Sha family mentioned in blogpost here: 

https://katyhuiwenhung.blogspot.com/2019/06/yilan-day-with-taiwan-old-family-part-ii.html

https://katyhuiwenhung.blogspot.com/2019/06/yilan-day-with-taiwan-old-family-part-i.html

Wufeng Lin family representative showed us 'the gun' （tshing the gun is called in Holo) their ancestors stored under beds.  It COULD be what's called a 'swivel gun'. 

Wufeng Lin family details here:
https://katyhuiwenhung.blogspot.com/2019/09/wufeng-lins-people-story.html

On July 4th 1898 in Dadaocheng, seen here US diplomat James W Davidson, British Layard, Spanish Ortiz, Dutch Chabert, German Heintze and Ohly (who opened the first hot-spring club in Beitou, Taipei)

Photo referred to me by Daodaocheng tea merchant Li Chunsheng descendant. Dadaocheng historical families details here:

https://katyhuiwenhung.blogspot.com/2019/12/dadaocheng-one-cold-day-many-warm.html

https://katyhuiwenhung.blogspot.com/2019/12/dadaocheng-one-cold-day-many-warm_13.html

A Round of Applause to a successful first - 
look forward to the next!