單元一 Unit One: 飲水思源 Where We Came From
家鄉的先民, 在不同的時期, 從各地遷移來臺定居. 為了生活, 先民努力改進生產技術, 作物產量的提高, 也使居民逐漸增加, 慢慢形成現在我們所生活的家鄉. The people who founded our hometowns settled in Taiwan at different times. As a means of earning their livelihoods, they improved the techniques with which they produced goods, and also the increased the amount of goods they produced. This allowed their population to increase, and made our hometowns what they are today.
第一課 Lesson One: 祖先的來源 Where Our Ancestors Came From
家鄉居民的祖先 The Ancestors of Hometown People
家鄉居民的祖先, 有的是原住民; 有的是明清時代, 陸續從大陸福建南部, 廣東東部移民來臺灣的漢人; 有的則是民國三十八年前後, 從大陸各地來居住的軍人和民眾. Our hometown ancestors were either aboriginal people or Chinese people who moved here from either southern Fujian Province, or eastern Guangdong Province during the Ming and Ching dynasties. Some were also soldiers or non-military personnel that came to Taiwan from many parts of China after 1949.*
臺灣的原住民 Taiwanese Aborigines
居住在臺灣的原住民, 有平埔族和高山族兩種. 平埔族主要居住在平原, 台地或丘陵地區, 因為與漢人接觸的時間較久, 目前的生活方式與漢人的差別不明顯; 高山族主要居住在山地或離島, 直到現在仍保有一些傳統的生活方式. There are two kinds of aboriginal people living in Taiwan, the flatland tribes and the high mountain tribes. The flatland tribes mostly live on the plains, terraces, and hills. Because they've interacted with Chinese people longer, the differences in lifestyle between them and Chinese people are not so obvious. The high mountain tribes mostly live in the mountains or on outlying islands, and have maintained much of their traditional lifestyle up until the present time.
明清時代移民來臺的漢人 Chinese People Who Immigrated to Taiwan During the Ming and Ching Dynasties
早期來臺灣的漢人, 大多依自己的謀生技能, 選擇適合居住的地方. 有些在沿海一帶定居, 從事捕魚或貿易; 有些選擇平原地帶, 種植水稻或甘蔗; 另有些人則居住在丘陵地區, 開築梯田, 種植水稻, 甘薯或茶樹. Most of the earliest Chinese settlers in Taiwan had to rely upon themselves to make a living, and they had to choose suitable places to live. Some settled near the ocean and engaged in fishing or trade, some settled on the plains and grew rice or sugar cane, and some settled in the hills and grew rice, sweet potatoes, or tea on terraced fields.
民國三十八年前後來臺的移民 Immigrants to Taiwan After 1949
民國三十八年前後, 來臺灣的移民大部分是服務於政府機關的公務員, 教師或是軍警人員. 他們因工作的需要, 大多居住在都市或都市附近. After 1949, most of those immigrating to Taiwan worked for the government, or as teachers, soldiers, or policemen. Because of their work, most of them lived in or around cities [in China].
家鄉的先民, 雖然在不同的時期, 來自不同的地區, 但是大家都在這片土地上用心付出, 努力工作, 共同為後代子孫建設美好的家園. Although our hometown ancestors arrived at different times and in different places, they all worked hard to provide a beautiful home for their descendants.
第二課 Lesson Two: 家鄉的開發 The Opening of Hometowns [to Development]
作物產量與人口的關係 The Relationship Between the Amount of Crops and Population
早期來臺灣的漢人, 在引水比較方便的地方, 會開築埤圳, 使用堆肥, 發展一年兩獲的水稻農業. 因此, 稻米的產量比較高, 能養活比較多的人, 有助於人口增加. 在引水比較困難的地方, 只能種植甘薯, 甘蔗等作物, 作物的產量比較低, 能養活的人口比較少. Where water was more accessible, the early Chinese settlers built levees, spread out fertilizer, and began planting rice. Rice was easier to produce, and could support a larger population. Where water was less accessible, it was only possible to grow crops like sweet potatoes and sugar cane, and because these crops were more difficult to produce, they supported a smaller population.
引進新作物 Developing New Crops
家鄉先民為了提高作物產量, 以增加收入, 養活更多的人口, 除了種植作物作為糧食, 並出售剩餘的農產品外, 也努力改進生產技術和引進新作物. 例如: 在清代從福建引進茶樹種植, 生產茶葉運銷海外; 在日治時代, 也由在來米改種較為香甜的蓬萊米, 以利外銷. Our ancestors didn't only grow crops for food, they also grew crops to increase revenues and support a larger population. They had to export their agricultural products, improve their [farming] techniques, and introduce new crops. For example, during the Ching Dynasty, tea trees were imported from Fujian Province in China, and the tea thus produce was exported overseas. During the Japanese Colonial Administration, the more aromatic and flavorful "peng lai rice" was planted and later exported overseas.**
發展新技術 Developing New [Farming] Techniques
近年來, 家鄉居民進一步改進生產方式, 發展新技術, 使家鄉農業繼續發展. 例如: 積極改良品種提高品質, 並配合市場需求, 改變種植作物的種類; 或避免同一時間產量太多, 造成價格低廉, 家鄉居民也會改變作物的生產季節, 或延長作物的生產時間. In recent years, hometown people have improved their methods of growing crops, and have developed new [farming] techniques. This has caused the hometown agricultural industry to grow continuously. For example, new crops have been introduced, and the quality of these crops has been improved. [These improvements] have both reflected the changing needs of the market and prevented [farmers] from flooding the market with crops they can't sell. Hometown people have also been able to modify the growing seasons, and lengthen the time in which crops are available.
技術革新的影響 The Effect of New [Farming] Techniques
隨著生產技術不斷的改進, 家鄉農產品的種類和產量愈來愈多. 有的直接賣給消費者, 有的則經過工廠加工, 製成新產品出售, 從產品的販售, 加工, 運送等過程中, 創造出更多的就業機會, 可以增加居民的收入, 所以人口也隨著增加. As [farming] techniques improve, the number of hometown products offered increases. Some of these products are sold directly to consumers, while others are sent to factories where they contribute to the making of new products. As products are produced, manufactured, or transported new job opportunities are created. This [in turn] increases the amount of money people make, and population increases accordingly.
*1949 was when Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek made his big shameful exit from China after the communists won the Chinese Civil War. Besides taking the KMT intelligentsia and their families with him, he also brought the priceless artifacts now housed in the National Palace Museum. Pro: taking these artifacts to Taiwan saved them from the Cultural Revolution. Con: he had no real right to do so.
**My opinion: if you really want to understand Taiwan, you need to understand how Taiwanese people farm. Much of this material was also introduced in the "Conventional Industries (1)," "Conventional Industries (2)," and "Conventional Industries (3)" entries.
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