Neipu Township Shuimen Village sits on borders and has long been a gathering place. By travel northwards over Ailiao River you reach Sandimen Township and Wutai Township, by traveling eastwards you enter Majia Township, by traveling southwards you reach Neipu Township while to the west lies Yanpu Township, thus it allows for transportation convenience and in order to reach Old Paiwan Village deep in the mountains you need to travel eastwards from here. Beiyeh Village is the first place to come into sight while traveling eastwards. Originally called Masilid it is also an ancient village that has kept friendly relations with Lower Paiwan Village’s Masilid, Sangsangle, Kawmaqan and Muri, which, during the Dutch occupation (1624-1661) had moved to about 400m above sea-level due to lack of defense against Dutch invaders, but in 1953 they relocated to the now Beiyeh Village to escape natural disasters. Hence a memorial stone celebrating the 50th relocation anniversary stands in the village, which is also where Majia Township’s township affairs office resides. Within the village aboriginal totems line the roads and there is also a famed tourism spot – Aboriginal Cultural Park, which has a display hall for aboriginal housing and dance shows that are worth visiting.

　　By using the road next to the cultural park to climb the mountain, the road gradually winds up along uneven surfaces. Having passed the Baibing Mt. entrance, after about 25 minutes a welcome plaque can be seen at a rest station where the views are superb. Going on further Majia Village is seen to be heralded by its town plaque and a bower. The village is spread over the left-bottom hills and in the old days it was call Makazayazaya, which included the Makazayazaya, Pauljus and Sanzangale villages. According to records the ancestors of our village were probably groups that separated out from Padain or Lower Paiwan, who mixed with members from Pingpu Tribe, the enemies of Lower Paiwan. Currently Majia include three communities, Majia Bailu and Kunshan. Going along even further, the abandoned Majia Elementary School also allowed a short rest. In 1992 this school was combined with Beiyeh Elementary School, which boards its students. A podium colorfully decorated by aboriginal wedding scenes can be found in the town center. Driving on, a 3-way stop is reached. On the right is Jiama Road, which swings deep into the mountains to reach Jiayi Village and is under construction. The middle road goes to Kunshan Tribe, which has old slabstone houses for visiting. The left road goes to Old Paiwan and after taking it and passing 3 sharp turns the road is cleared of traffic. After 20 minutes over this unique winding road the Old Paiwan Village is reached. At the village’s roadside a clearing allows for parking. Above this parking area stands the education hall, police station, health center and Fawan Elementary School built during the Japanese occupation period. The entire village is built on the downward hills along the road. At its peak there were over 200 families, but everything now lies in ruins and even after 4 years of renovation only less than 20 families live here, however it is so tranquil here it resembles a forgotten paradise.

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

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