Mata Taiwan - Experience Taiwan, the Original Way

24/04/2025

⏳ From Trade Guilds to Market Streets: Tainan’s Story in Names (從臺南地名看見台灣昔日繁華)⏳

The terms “Three Trade Guilds” (三郊) and “Six Streets” (六街), unique to Tainan’s west side, are more than just names—they’re windows into the city’s commercial golden age.

Beijiao, Nanjiao, and Tangjiao were among the earliest merchant groups in Qing Taiwan. From the mid-1700s, they handled trade, maintained order, and supported infrastructure. As the Taijiang Inner Sea silted up, the guilds pivoted to inland transport. In 1827, they opened a council office at Shuixian Temple, serving both administrative and dispute-resolution functions. Though dissolved in 1940, their legacy lives on.

The “Six Streets,” including Zhuzai and Dajingtou Streets, formed the retail core of the Liuhe area. These streets sold goods distributed by the Three Guilds and were surrounded by artisan shops, making them the liveliest part of Tainan’s historic marketplace.

走進臺南西區，你會發現「三郊」、「六街」這些看似平凡的地名，其實藏著府城百年來的商業榮景與歷史軌跡。

北郊、南郊、糖郊是清代臺灣最早的商業團體，自 18 世紀中葉起不僅掌管貿易，也協助地方治安與基礎建設。隨著臺江內海淤積，三郊轉向內陸運輸發展，並於 1827 年在水仙宮設立議事公所，成為日常行政與糾紛調解的據點。雖於 1940 年解散，其文化與經濟影響至今仍深植地方記憶。

「六街」泛指六和境內的六條主要街道，包括竹仔街、大井頭街等，當時販售由三郊供應的商品，周邊聚集許多工藝與手藝店，是府城商業活動最活躍的區域之一。

31/08/2024

【 憨番在說誰？Who is the Sturdy Barbarian? 】

這張拍攝於臺南開基天后宮，臉紅紅、赤裸上身的交趾陶或石雕人物，常被稱為「憨番扛廟角」。儘管「番」字在現代並不適宜，但這句話所指涉的人群揪竟是誰，還是一個相當有趣的話題。根據王靖婷〈超搶戲的阿兜仔 —— 憨番〉一文，廟宇建築的「憨番扛廟角」可能有幾種來源。

This photograph, taken at the Founding Mazu Temple in Tainan, features a figure with a red face and a bare chest, often referred to as the "Sturdy Barbarian Supporting the Temple Corner" in Taiwanese temples. While "barbarian" is no longer appropriate in modern contexts, the identity of the people to whom this phrase originally referred remains an intriguing topic. According to Jing-ting Wang in her "The Scene-Stealing Foreigner—The Sturdy Barbarian", there are several possible origins for the figure.

1. 荷蘭紅毛番 Dutch Colonizers

據說由於 17 世紀荷蘭人來臺期間，並未善待漢人移民，因此荷蘭人離開後，嘉南地區的廟宇並開始將「紅毛番」安排在廟宇的角落或大樑之下，以示懲罰。這似乎是較常見的說法。

Some believe the figures depict 17th-century Dutch colonizers, known as "red-haired barbarians", who mistreated Han settlers. After the Dutch left, temples in southern Taiwan depicted them under beams as punishment.

2. 黑奴 Black Slaves

另一說認為憨番可能指荷蘭人統治時期，被徵收來臺灣的黑奴，多數可能來自印度、菲律賓或印尼。由於這些人身強體壯，多從事勞力工作，因此匠師便將其形象刻畫在建築的簷角或樑柱旁。

Another theory suggests the figures represent black slaves brought to Taiwan during Dutch rule, possibly from India, the Philippines, or Indonesia. Known for their physical strength, they were depicted by craftsmen in temple architecture.

3. 力士 Strongmen

此說法認為憨番可能受到中國佛教建築中「力士」或西方希臘、羅馬力士人像雕刻的影響。

This theory links the figures to "strongman" statues from Chinese Buddhist or Greco-Roman architecture, serving as structural supports.

4. 老番角 Annoying Elders

由於有些不明事理、討人厭的「老番癲」常在建廟時對匠師嘮叨挑剔，導致匠師心中不滿，便將其形象放在屋角或樑下，以示懲罰。

Some believe the figures represent bothersome elders who criticized craftsmen during construction, with their likenesses placed under beams as a form of symbolic retribution.

5. 原住民 Indigenous Peoples

最後一種說法則認為憨番可能來自臺灣原住民族的形象，尤其是早期與漢人多有互動的平埔原住民，匠師因而將他們強壯的形象用作建築的負重裝飾。

The final theory suggests that the figures represent Taiwan's Indigenous peoples, particularly the Plains Indigenous groups, whose strong physiques inspired the craftsmen.

像「憨番扛廟角」這樣早期名詞，儘管多數已不合時宜，但仍可讓我們一窺早期族群互動歷史。Mata Taiwan 在臺灣文博會期間與臺南市文化資產管理處合作，舉辦一系列戲劇走讀活動，一起走入當年的鎮北坊，從廟宇建築細節，窺探臺南 300 年前的歷史，歡迎大家一起來逗熱鬧～

While these terms and depictions are inappropriate, they offer insights into historical ethnic interactions. During the Taiwan Cultural Expo 2024, Mata Taiwan and the Tainan Cultural Heritage Management Office held tours exploring Tainan's temple architecture including the Founding Mazu Temple and its 300-year-old history. Welcome to join us!

22/02/2024

⛪✨ The Dutch Christian Education in Taiwan back in 1636 ✨⛪

In 1636, the Dutch set up a somewhat earliest primary school in Sinckan, nowadays Tainan. That’s right – Taiwan’s first little red schoolhouse! 🏫 Johan van der Burg, the new head honcho, writes home bragging about his visit to the school where about 70 kids are learning the ABCs of Christianity in their own Siraya language. 📖

The number of students is on the rise, parents are all in, and even the girls – about 60 of them – are getting schooled in prayer and more. 👧👦

Fast forward to 1645, seven to eight schools are up and running, with 600 students learning not just to read and write, but also getting the 411 on the Christian faith. 🙌

The old-school Dutch education wasn’t just a fad. It laid the groundwork for a 200-year streak where the indigenous folks of southwestern Taiwan rocked the alphabet to write their languages. This wasn’t just a lesson plan; it was a cultural marathon that sprinted all the way to the 19th century at least.

A throwback to when the Dutch laid down the educational roots in Taiwan. Who knew they were setting up a legacy that would last centuries?



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The clip is an AI-enhanced image based on "THE LATIN SCHOOL and BRICKWORKS NEAR BATAVIA", illustrating a local school in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1744, serving as a reference for what a local Dutch school in Taiwan might have looked like in the 17th century.

01/02/2024

"Maritime Mousers & Cultural Voyagers: The Tale of Taiwan's Kinky Tail Cats" 🌊⛵🐱

The 17th-century sea traders kept cats on ships for a vital role: protecting food & crops from mice. The 'Kinky Tail Cat', with its unique short or kinked tail, is a symbol of this era and witnessed the cultural exchanges between traders and Taiwan.

The Hengchun Peninsula in southern Taiwan is also a home to kinky cats. Called 'Langqiao Cats' by the locals, they were renowned for their exceptional mouse-catching abilities. Officials in 1760s Taiwan praised their skills, and even documented buying one for its efficacy against rodents.

The Longqiao cats might originate from Southeast Asia likely brought by Chinese merchants, and are part of a broader narrative of transnational maritime trade. The indigenous term for 'cat' in Hengchun is 'niau', a Minnan loanword, further illustrating the cultural blend.

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Illustration / Series of Proverbs (たとえ尽の内) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1852)

18/11/2020

「這裡肯定有什麼，讓我們都不小心停留了。」
　　
桃園是目前台灣原住民族人口最高的都會區
1950 年代開始，各地原民逐漸移民至此
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這裡肯定有什麼
讓我們都在這裡停留了
　
　
一頁紀錄片
一夜原民對話與風味的饗宴
　
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20/01/2020

The 2019 Amis Music Festival was a huge success, boasting 6,000 people. The festival was held at Taitung’s Dulanbi, or Pacifalan, the Amis word for the cape about thirty hectares big, fringed by a cliff that drops straight down to the Pacific Ocean, considered as a sacred land by the Amis people, for legend has it that Pacifalan was where the ancestors of the Amis first landed.
　
However, the land was never regarded as sacred by the local government -- It almost became a landfill, and when that idea failed to manifest, it was scheduled to become a holiday resort.
　
It was the death of a playwright that prevented the land from going down that road.

The 2019 Amis Music Festival was a huge success, boasting 6,000 people. The festival was held at Taitung’s Dulanbi (都蘭鼻), or Pacifalan, the Amis word for the cape about thirty hectares big, fringed by a cliff that drops straight down to the Pacific Ocean. It is considered as a sacred l.....

29/11/2019

The picture of indigenous Bunun people a hundred years ago -- The baby carrier just makes a perfect and elegant decoration for the lady on the left-hand side!

28/11/2019

A watchtower of indigenous Saisiyat people, located next to perhaps a barn with rodent-proof plates set up between the poles and the floor.

Anyone knows which Saisiyat community it is?

09/08/2019

"Indigenous"? Authentic or not authentic?

The photo could be taken in Wulai during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. The man in the middle and the girl to his left-hand could be tourists, and only the old lady was a local indigenous Tayal. The clothes they wore which seemed to be "indigenous" were nothing but a blending of the patterns from different ethnic features and were not authentic Tayal clothes.

That the indigenous female took pictures with tourists in strange and non-authentic clothes may have been common at tourist attractions at that time.

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Credit: http://taipics.com (Taiwan Pictures Digital Archive)

07/08/2019

/We don't own the House, but the House owns us/

A house is not simply a building where people dwell, but also a social unit for indigenous Paiwan people. This says, each Paiwan house has its own name, and every child born in one house shall then bear the name of the house. In some cases, younger children who cannot heritage his born house have to move out and build their own house, and then bear the name of the new house they build!

06/08/2019

The same as the people from Latin America and Southeast Asia, Taiwanese indigenous people had long used various kinds of bamboos as one of the most important building materials for their fast-growing feature -- As shown in the pictures, simply the roof has so many ways to be built out of bamboos!

To cope with the notorious problem of worm damage and rotting of bamboos, the indigenous people learned to bury bamboos under the sand of the beach or in the water, or like Kavalan people who smoked them in the house before building with the bamboos.

06/08/2019

The photos recorded the Harvest Ceremony or Ilisin of indigenous Pangcah (Amis) people in Matota'ay, Hualian back in the 1990s.

Just like the concept of the modern New Year celebration, every ethnic group has its way of celebrating the annual harvest, which is often called a harvest festival or a harvest ceremony -- the latter is a preferable term as the activity often comes with religious or military training concepts. For example, in Northern Amis, the ceremony is called Malalikid "sing and dance", Ilisin "the event of taboo" in Central Amis, and Kiluma'an "the gathering" in Southern Amis.

05/08/2019

The dome-shaped thatched roof, also called turtle-shell-shaped thatched house by some Taiwanese architects, of Southern Paiwan people, especially the Caupupulj and Sanedeq Paiwan, is unique and not found in any other architecture of Taiwan indigenous peoples, but its function may be similar to the semi-underground houses of Tao people in Orchid Island to prevent the strong wind from the ocean.

Have you found any similar shape of roof in your local indigenous building?

04/08/2019

Feel alone doing language revival? Now it's your chance to call for the world's awareness of your efforts!

A global campaign of Rotation Curation will soon commence on 6th Aug on Twitter to call for the world´s awareness of the revival of indigenous languages in Asia.

Welcome to join us and share your story of indigenous language revival on Twitter!

Join Rising Voices, the Digital Empowerment Foundation, and the O Foundation as we celebrate linguistic diversity with a Twitter campaign amplifying the experiences of language digital activists across Asia.

03/08/2019

/ A glance of indigenous stilt house back to centuries ago /

"Weaving", a painting from "The Genre Paintings of Taiwan's Aboriginal Peoples" (番社采風圖) finished between 1744-1747 by a Chinese official during his post in Taiwan, which has become one of the most important sources for people to take a glance of the daily life of Taiwanese indigenous people centuries ago.

This painting depicts the daily life of Pazeh people in the 18th century, where a complex of stilt houses can be seen, with some indigenous women weaving next to the dwelling houses, implying that the stilt houses were not only common in eastern Taiwan among Kavalan people to cope with the marsh, but also in central and western Taiwan plain.

27/06/2019

Men are erecting a sacred pillar in the middle of the Shrine in this Taivoan community in Southern Taiwan.

The sacred pillar is called "kayu" by the local indigenous people. Usually, it's not allowed for a Chinese building to have a pillar in the middle of the room or house, as it is against Feng Shui and would bring very adversity to the family.

However, this is not a Chinese shrine, but an indigenous Taivoan one.

On the contrary, according to some scholar, the central pillar used to be highly esteemed by many Taiwanese indigenous peoples, as it supports the weight of a building. Some indigenous peoples like Paiwan, Rukai, Saisiyat, and Taivoan, have even gradually sanctified the role of the pillar. For example, the Taivoans believe the space around the central pillar is where the Highest Ancestral Spirits stay and have made it the centre of worship since centuries.

12/06/2019

The best-laid plans of mice oft go astray -- if they ever meet a rodent-proof plate like this!

Many Taiwanese indigenous peoples share a common building technique to put a wooden plate between the standing pole and the stilt-floor of a barn, like what's shown in the first picture, the wooden rodent-proof place of a traditional Truku barn. Besides the Truku, the technique can be seen across Tayal and Seediq communities as well.

And yet the rodent-proof stone slab of the barn can only be found in Paiwan and Rukai communities, like the 2nd and 3rd picture.

A legend from Davaran, a Paiwan community, even says the people once upon the time found a barn standing on four stilts with a round stone slab placed in between the floor and the stilt. When they tried to pull out the stilts and take out the stone slabs, they just couldn't pull them out of the earth, finding that the stilts were stuck into the earth by supernatural power, eventually realizing that the rodent-proof stone slabs were made by the deities!

11/06/2019

A furnace is one of the most important elements in a house for most Taiwanese indigenous peoples. For the Amis people, a furnace (Amis: parod) located in the center of a house is not only for cooking, warming, and lighting, but also for the gathering of a family.

That is to say, only those who share the same furnace are regarded as being from the same family or clan -- And a house without a furnace is regarded as one for animals, not for human-beings!