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A rare trip
As my brother (Priest Lai Zhao-cai) was invited to give a
lecture, I accompanied to participate in the joint gathering
of Sanmei Presbyterian Church of Tsou Tribe. It was a rare
opportunity to go to a place that I have never been to. I
invited my father (Priest Lai Guang-xiong) to visit there
with us and I was the exclusive driver in this trip.
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Arriving at the Chashan Tribe in Alishan
We drove through Yujing Town, Tainan County in the evening
to Chashan Tribe in Alishan Town. After Dapuli Road, we
turned to a narrow lane with mountain walls on one side and
valleys on the other. The bumping road and the earth upward
and downward forced me to drive carefully. After many
turning points and cross roads, we groped in the dark in
poor communication. Fortunately, someone on the way gave us
directions, although it only takes ten minutes and just at
the next turn still made us feel the destination was far
away. At last, we saw the light of a village, meaning that
we were finally there. The Senior of Chashan Presbyterian
Church (formerly village chief of Chashan) was waiting for
us and immediately served us a rich dinner. Other guests
included Mrs Mao Cui-lian, a Paiwan Tribe person from
Sandimen Village and married to Tsou Tribe Chashan
Presbyterian Church. We were very happy to have a chance to
speak Paiwan dialect. After a short break at the place of
the Senior, we went to the private lodging run by the
Senior. It was full of people from a bird watching
association in Taipei, who excitedly tasted the polished
glutton rice with curiosity. We chatted to experience the
mood of travelers. Not wanting to make us drive in the night
to stay in Sanmei Tribe, the Senior arranged us to stay at
Yaguman Lodging run by another senior. The gate of the
lodging is marked with a clear symbol of legal operation.
There are four or five rooms and, according to the owner,
there was the income of a tens of thousands of NT dollars
during holidays.
The night and early morning in Chashan Tribe
Surrounding the stove fire under the traditional pavilion
and accompanied by the lodging owners Yang Chuan-guei and
his wife as well as Priest Zheng Xin-de and his wife Mao
Cui-lian of Chashan Presbyterian Church, we appreciated the
millet culture, family system, and hunting culture of Paiwan
and Tsou Tribes. We shared sighs and praise in between,
forgetting the coldness even with the stove fire. We also
occasionally felt the quietness of the night. Unable to beat
the sleepiness, we returned to the room for sleep.
In the early morning, the seniors were already sweeping the
roads. The only breakfast shop was busy. On the two sides of
the main road to Sanmin Town, Kaohsiung County are the
traditional pavilions by the private lodgings and the
sculpture display boards of Tsou Tribe culture, expressing
the traditional flavor of Tsou Tribe. Two buses made from
medium trucks now drive passengers to the park. They were
waiting there. We enjoyed the pleasant murmuring of the
river on Chashan suspension bridge. That was the
particularly sweet music in the bamboo forest in the
mountain. The native soil teaching of Chashan Elementary
School became distinctive and kind in the modern buildings.
Returning to the pavilion we stayed last night, I found that
Father already was making a fire with the owner of the
lodging. They kept talking about culture of Tsou Tribe. The
son of the owners, Basuya, was also with them. I was
surprised to learn that there was no bustling city noise of
Kara orchestra and entertainment facilities there.
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