I took an early morning bus from Taipei to the city of Zhudong in Hsinchu County where I met my classmate, Sandy. We then headed into the mountains by car.

The drive to Qingquan Village was along a narrow, twisty mountain road. The road passed through Wufeng, a stronghold of the Saisiat, one of Taiwan's smallest aboriginal groups. 

Heading further into the mountains the car entered a long tunnel. Unlike other tunnels in Taiwan this one seemed roughly honed out of the mountain, its edges being exposed rock with an extra section in the middle blasted out to allow vehicles to pass each other. Emerging from the tunnel there were mountains all around. 

It wasn't much further to reach Qingquan, an Atayal village located at an altitude of around 600 metres. It is the last major village on the road. Beyond it is the Shei-pa National Park and the Syakaro Historic Trail.

The village stretches out along the river and is criss-crossed by several suspension and road bridges. On one side of the river a waterfall tumbles over a cliff. The Catholic and Presbyterian Churches sit on high vantage points. The location is spectacular and on the day I visited, the weather was bright and sunny. 

Sandy is a teacher at the Taoshan Primary School and she took me on a brief tour of the school. The school is small but it features several traditional wooden and bamboo structures built by the students in its grounds. It also has a very well equipped music room. Most of the students are aboriginal and the buildings and music program are two ways in which their cultural traditions are part of the school curriculum. 

I then crossed the river to the Catholic Church. There I met Father Barry Martinson. I have read Father Barry’s book Songs of Orchid Island and it was very interesting to meet him in person. I purchased another two of his books, Chingchuan Story and an illustrated bi-lingual children’s book The Fish Boy of Orchid Island. He also showed me another book he was working on that will be published soon. It is about the famous Taiwanese writer San Mao who was a friend of Father Barry and often spent time in Qingquan.

I asked Father Barry to describe some of the changes he had seen in Qingquan over the past 33 years. He said that one of the major changes was communication. When he first came to Qingquan there were no phones and the road was very poor. Now people have mobile phones and cars or motorbikes. This has lead to people being more individual in their way of life rather than being centered on community. Another point he noted was the people no longer suffer as greatly from poverty. The National Health Insurance scheme has relieved people of a lot of burden.

Wandering around the village there were a number of interesting things to see. The Yawee Stained Glass Studio makes stained glass windows for churches in Taiwan and also as artwork. A lot of the designs are done by Father Barry himself. 

At lunch time I watched some of the students in the primary school practice their music. They have recorded a CD titled “Lawkah! Momoyama!.” The music is very beautiful and the recording is of professional standard. The students have also travelled to the USA to perform. The students also love to play with diabolos (like a spinning top on a string) and they are quite skilled. 

In the afternoon I had more time to explore. The town was busy with work going on in the village associated with the Zhang Xueliang House. The hall was officially opened by President Ma Ying-jeou in December 2008. Zhang Xueliang is a famous figure in the history of China. He kidnapped Chiang Kai-shek in 1936 to convince him to join with the Communists to fight the Japanese. Later Chiang Kai-shek arrested Zhang and held him as a political prisoner for 50 years. Zhang came to Taiwan with the KMT in 1949. He was held in Qingquan, guarded by military police, during the 1950s. 

A walk up the hill took me to San Mao’s home. It was undergoing renovations but it has since reopened to the public. San Mao's novels are also popular in China and Father Barry mentioned that he hoped Chinese tourists would be attracted to Qingquan to visit San Mao's home along with the Zhang Xueliang Memorial. 

Wandering back down to the river I saw a large concrete wall that had collapsed into the river during the recent Typhoon Jangmi. It was a reminder of how powerful the forces of nature can be. In 2004 Qingquan suffered very serious damage from Typhoon Aere which killed 20 people. 

The day in Qingquan passed so quickly, I didn't even have time for a soak in the hot springs. It was such an amazing place with so much to experience and discover. I hope to go back there again soon.

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