Xueshan Entry  'Snowy Mount' (Xueshan Range), u nder the Qing, the range was also known as Dodd's or Mt Sylvia Range. Related blogpost  HERE . Sqoyaw  ( Huanshan Tribe  環山部落) Also known in recent years ' Purple Tribe 紫色 部落 ' for its extensive Wisteria cultivation across the valley. In April flowering season, Sqoyaw valley is a marvelous purple paradise. Formosan landlocked salmon (oncorhynchus masou formosanus) Photos I took in 2020 on a Hehuan Creek Trail with  原森旅行社 Ecotour Taiwan Travel. The best Ecotour service I have personally experienced. (Better on videos. Links at bottom) 大島正滿著《泰雅的呼喚》 Masamitsu Ōshima      The Call of Tayal 大島正滿著《泰雅的呼喚》 1935 National Museum of Taiwan History https://collections.nmth.gov.tw/CollectionContent.aspx?a=132&rno=2002.003.0026 Formosan landlocked salmon ( oncorhynchus masou formosanus) I first became familiar with from writing  THIS  article, and by the name  David Starr Jordan  ( fo...

a-tok-á is a  Taiwanese phrase for Westerner, Caucasian. First ' a ' an address word, last an ending preposition. Both carry no meaning. Phrase origin likely developed during mid-late 19th century when substantial number of westerners appeared on bustling streets, making their presence known to locals. Notable westerners in northern Taiwan  ( July 4 1898 Dadaocheng) Layard (British) Ortiz (Spanish) Chabert (Dutch) Heintze (German) Ohly (German) John Dodd (Father of Formosa Oolong Tea)  Recommend read:  Taipei Tea Guild behind the FORMOSA TEA and the birth of First Taiwanese Bank John Dodd 陶德 Historian  take on  ' a-tok-á'  phrase origin "..., and the old capital Tainan (1858), and Tamsui (1862) in the north, became treaty ports. Tall, whiskered, and ruddy-faced traders, sailors and missionaries soon appeared on market streets, to be stared and pointed at with great curiosity. (Adogha! Big nose!)"   Taiwanese Feet (My Walk Around Ta...

Wonderful home-cooked meal using local ingredients S tory of the 'Roof'  the real reason for smaller stones loosely, insecurely placed on slate/roof , as was told by our host Mr Ma a Matsu local - 1. Nice, complete stones were kept aside and taken away for wealthy people and governmental causes. Locals from ordinary family such as themselves can only pick up small, uneven-shaped ones  from roads and hills.  2. The reason why loosely placed, typhoon strikes blow them all away and tear the roof down and these families were too poor to afford cement to secure slates. "I and my siblings used to go round the village picking up stones, having had to start all over again after typhoon struck." Harsh Military Past " We didn't have electricity until after 1971. And even when we had it, it was strictly forbidden after 9 pm. All windows and doors were covered in black cardboard to prevent escape of light" says Ma.   'B...

 I finally worked out how this is 'staged'. I said 'staged' because Japanese recorded their colonial researches on photos and postcards. And often there are hints about location, peoples and generally how life could be like and more importantly what contributions Japanese honored themselves bringing to the colonials.  My friend Michael Turton posted the photo on FB and generated a good amount of interests. Checked and looked closer  and -  It's more than a stall, it's a 'bistro' in three compartments offering foods cooked from 3 methods - From left to right - deep fried, stew (煮) (and often refers to 'things in a pot'), and grilled.  Knowing the three compartments make it easier to work out what food he could be serving. Left (deep- fried) - rolls wrapped in tofu skin (filling could be oyster or pork). The round thing could be fish cakes (what Taiwanese call tempura), purely judging by the color, deep fried before served.  Middle (Stew - 'thi...

Photos update from a recent visit of Professor Li's ancestral houses (x 3) in Tamsui, his workshop, and a talk. (Photos only for now) Starling discovery! of 江山樓 （1917）(x3) 2. ------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------ I have PDF of this bilingual book. Leave a comment, name and email address if you are interested. Additional Out of print by  Li Chien-lang   李乾朗   , translated in English.