The Shuimen Village can be reached via Expressway 185 or 24, and by carrying on up the mountain you will arrive at Majia Township. Take the road which winds upwards from the Aboriginal Cultural Park on Beima road (during April the mountain is covered by Paulownia blossoms and it is quite picturesque to walk over blankets of fallen flowers). After passing the Baibing Mt. entrance’s already abandoned station, where renovations are underway on a cliff as wide as a single car, and carrying on through the lush windy mountain pass you will see the nostalgic Majia Village sign which tells you that Majia Village is about to be entered. After driving through Majia Village and arriving at a 3-way stop, turn onto the left road to travel along Mafa Road, with the mountain wall lining its side. If you’re lucky while passing through the 2 waterfalls along the way you might catch glimpses of the agile Formosa Rock-monkey, but drive slowly through the snaking road and be careful of fallen rocks. Also, sometimes the road is wide enough for only one passenger car, so watch out for falling rocks. After passing a stretch of lowered road, designed for water to flow over, glimpses of Paiwan Village can be caught on the hills to the left. The village only received electricity in 2001 and gained a touch of modernism, but whether the constructions to follow will destroy the remaining structures will depend on the villagers’ and administration’s choice. Old Paiwan is called the original because in the past Lower Paiwan Village was an originating ground for Paiwan Tribe, and we will lead you deeper into the mountain to visit our past.

Researched and recorded by:Hsiao-ning, Hsiao-rong, Hsiao-rou, Hsiao-wen

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