Yeqin and her 60-year-old mother-
in-law, Jinying (金英) – who also goes
by the Atayal name, Jiwas – do most
of the talking as Yeqin’s husband and
their family gather in the yard to shell
“tree beans”, which is part of an annual
tradition. The black beans sell for a
high price and are a “must-have” dish
over the festive season.
Compared to her daughter-in-law,
Jiwas has a positive view of the current
government. She talks about the hard
days of her youth, when she had to
wake in the early hours and walk for
hours to farm vegetables. Now, she is
impressed with the infrastructure in
the area. The roads that wind through
the steep mountains to Qingquan
regularly experience landslides, but
the government’s repairs are quick and
efficient, she feels.
Jiwas does not miss the old days,
saying that children now have the
opportunity to get educated. During
her childhood, they were punished for
speaking their native language.
Still, she laments the fact that it’s
difficult for today’s youth to learn their
mother tongue. Her daughter-in-law
agrees that the Atayal language and
culture are important, but she has to
rely on speaking Chinese because it is
central to earning a living.
due to increasing tourism from
mainland China.
This growth in tourism in the area
alarms some local residents, however.
In mid-November in 2016, white
banners were strung all around the
town in protest of aboriginal
culture being “sold out” in favour
of commercialisation.
“Don’t pay attention to that,”
says Bidai (比黛), a 52-year-old woman
who sells xiaomijiu (a sweet indigenous
wine). She explains that some members
of the community are dissatisfied with
the construction going on to make
the small village more welcoming
for tourists.
But it is clear that Bidai’s business
benefits from the development, as
her livelihood is largely dependent
on tourism. Producing and selling
xiaomijiu isn’t a family business,
but a product of the recent touristSELLING OUT – OR GETTING BY?
Money seems to be at the heart of
controversy for the small village.
Tourism is a strong influence shaping
modern Qingquan, since it is near
the location of Pasta’ay, as well as
an aboriginal street market, hot
springs, and the Zhang Xueliang
(張學良) residence, which has been
converted into a museum. Money is
being poured into the latter, partiallyJiwas does not miss
the old days, saying
that children now have
the opportunity to
get educated