Yuli Municipality, Hualien County 花蓮縣玉里鎮

Yuli is north of Fuli and east of Zhuoxi.  Its train station is one of the East Rift Valley's major transit points, and its population is much larger than that of surrounding townships. 玉里位於富里的北部 、 卓溪的東部 。  玉里車站是花東縱谷重要的車站的其中一個 ， 玉里的人口也比鄰近的鄉鎮多。

Yuli has a lively and interesting history.  Several aboriginal groups have migrated through and at times settled in the area.  These groups didn't only include members of the Bunun and Amis tribe(s), but also members of the Makadao, Taivoan and Siraya tribes who originally lived on the other side of the Central Mountain Range in what is now Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung.  The various tribal groups who came to settle in what is now Yuli had rather contentious relationships with later Japanese and Chinese settlers who arrived later. 玉里的歷史很有趣 ，不同的時期有不同的原住民族群陸續來到玉里 。  不只有布農跟阿美族 ， 還有從今日的臺南、高雄和屏東越過中央山脈來的馬卡道 、 大武壠跟西拉雅。  這些原住民族群間的關係不一定是良好的，  他們和之後來的日本人和漢人之間的關係也充滿爭議性。

According to the last census, 20,137 people live in Yuli. 上次的人口統計記載玉里的人口是20137人 。

For me the highlight of any trip to Yuli is the drive along the Yuchang Highway from Changbin Township in Taitung to the Antong Hot Spring Area.  This is one of the most scenic areas on the east coast, and the Yuchang Highway is always in better condition than other cross-mountain "highways" between Taitung and Hualien. 從臺東長濱鄉到安通溫泉區的這段玉長公路是我認為去玉里的最好風景。  這條公路是東部風景最美的 ， 而且它的路況也比其他往返臺東和花蓮的山路好很多 。

The patch of grey in the distance is the East Rift Valley, which lies between the Central and Coastal mountain ranges. 遠處灰灰的地是中央山脈和海岸山脈間的花東縱谷 。

This is further down the mountain, closer to the Antong Hot Spring Area.  This stream (a branch of the Antong River) is also close to the entrance to the Antong Cross-Mountain Trail, which I'm guessing is out of commission after recent earthquakes and typhoons. 往山下靠近安通溫泉區 。  這條溪 (安通溪的支流) 也在安通越嶺道口附近 。  我猜步道可能因為最近的地震和颱風封閉了 。

Another branch of the Antong River, not far away. 這條也是安通溪的部分 。

Still further down the highway is the hot spring area.  That's Yu Hot Spring in the background. 繼續往下走 ， 在溫泉區裡面 。  後面的建築是玉溫泉 。

After the Antong Hot Spring Area our next destination was Chrke Mountain and its famous daylily fields BUT, as we soon discovered, the road up there is closed until April.  There's an alternate route up to that area, but it looked scary so we decided to abort mission. 安通溫泉以後我們往赤科山的金針花田前進 ， 卻發現上山的道路四月才通車 。  雖然有其他的路可以上去 ， 但我們擔心危險，所以決定改天再上山 。

The closest we got to Chrke Mountain was Puding Village, where this photo was taken.  That's the Central Mountain Range in the distance. 我在最靠近赤柯山的埔頂部落拍的照片 。 背景是中央山脈。

North of Chrke Mountain, along Highway 193, is the Chunrh Green Tunnel.  There are a lot of charming villages on this highway, and I'd love to explore it in greater detail during future trips. 順著193公路 ， 赤科山北部有春日綠色隧道 。  路上有許多可愛的農村和部落， 改天再來探索吧 !

Southwest of the Green Tunnel, in Central Yuli, is the Formosan Black Bear Education Center.  It's a tiny place, and probably not worth visiting in its own right.  If, however, you're already in the area, it's worth a look.  台灣黑熊教育館在玉里市區(綠色隧道的西南部) 。  你可以順路來這棟博物館參觀，聽聽導覽人員為你介紹臺灣黑熊的習性與目前正在進行的保育工作。

The Yuli version of stinky tofu is within walking distance of this facility. 玉里的臭豆腐在教育館附近 。

There are a lot of interesting churches and temples in the East Rift Valley.  Pictured above is the Yuli Presbyterian Church, not far from the Yuli Train Station. 花東縱谷有許多有特色教堂和廟宇 。  上面照片中的玉里長老教會在玉里車站附近 。

And while we're discussing Central Yuli, I'd like to say that it doesn't really matter where you buy Yuli noodles, this area's most famous local food.  I've had Yuli noodles at several different places over the years, and I never noticed much difference. 對 ! 以我的觀點，在哪一家餐廳吃玉里麵不重要 ， 因為我吃過幾家餐廳的玉里麵 ，我覺得沒什麼差別!

This is the center of town.  As much as I like Yuli Municipality, I've never found Central Yuli that interesting.  I've stopped here to eat more times than I can remember, but I never stay that long. 玉里市區的中心。 雖然我很喜歡玉里鎮 ， 但是我覺得玉里市區沒有特色 。  我在附近的時候都會來玉里市區吃飯 ，只是都不會停留很久。

After eating lunch in Yuli we tried to go to the Yuli Wetlands, but the road to it was closed as well. 我們在玉里吃完午餐後開車往玉里濕地 ， 可惜那條路也封了 。

Lastly, on our way north to Ruisui, we stopped at the "Sanxuan Betel Nut Grove," which turned out to not be a thing anymore.  Yet another casualty of nature's wrath? 最後，開往北邊的瑞穗的路上，我們來到三軒檳榔園 。  可是這個景點好像不見了 ，我們沒看到任何顯眼的標示， 可能是最近的颱風和地震的關係。

Related Entries 相關的文章:

花蓮漁樂線 Portside Fun in Hualien

Xinshr District, Tainan City 台南市新市區

Gushan District, Kaohsiung City 高雄市鼓山區

Hualien in the News 花蓮的新聞 (South 南) 1

Hengchun People 恆春人

I have a lot to learn about Hengchun people.  I've been around them for a few months, but there's still a lot that I don't know. 恆春人有許多值得我學習的地方，雖然我已經在這裡住了幾個月了，但仍有許多我不懂的事。

The first Hengchun person I met was our landlord.  She told us many stories about The Evil Hengchun Farmer's Association and their predatory lending practices.  She also told us about farmers who'd ruined their lungs with pesticides, and about the aches and pains that farmers feel as they grow older.  Some might dismiss her as grasping and materialistic, but in this area it's easy to focus on the cost of houses, the price of land and ways of making money. 我認識的第一位恆春人是我們的房東。她告訴我們多個恆春農會做的"好事"，和他們如何從貸款給農民中得到利益。也告訴我們農夫們為了收成，在噴灑農藥的過程中傷了肺部，年老時身體出現許多的病痛。有些人可能會認為她貪婪和唯物主義，但是在恆春很容易感受到房價、地價及如何賺錢的氛圍。

I haven't had a conversation with anyone in my village yet.  This isn't anyone's fault.  Between Monday and Friday I'm either in my living room, recovering from a day of junior high, or else in another place, exploring parts of Hengchun, Checheng or Manzhou.  So far I've been away most weekends, so I haven't had many opportunities to talk to anyone.我還沒跟我們村子的村民聊過，但這也是沒辦法的事。星期一至星期五，我不是在自家客廳裡恢復白天在國中消耗的體力，就是四處發現恆春、車城或滿州的各個角落。大部分的周末我們都不在恆春，所以我沒有什麼機會和村子裡的人聊天。

West of my house is a tiny "store" where many local people play mahjong.  A few houses east there's a house where people gather to drink or talk toward the end of the day.  Across from my house there's a man who raises strange, stocky dogs that resemble both rottweilers and pit bulls.  He seems nice enough, but his insistence on our turning off our headlights as we back into our porch can be annoying.我們住的房子的西邊有一間小"商店"，有些人在那裏打麻將。往東隔了幾間房的一間房子，常有人在一天的工作後就聚在那裏談天或小酌。我們對面的鄰居養了幾隻奇怪壯實的狗，看起來像是羅威納犬和比特犬的混種。他看起來是個好人，只是他要求我們在倒車停車時關掉頭燈，感覺有點麻煩。

Very few of my coworkers at the junior high are Hengchun people.  Most of them are from places further north in Pingtung County, places as far apart as Pingtung City, Xinyuan and Fangliao.  One of the teachers there is almost a Hengchun person, in that her husband has worked at the nuclear power plant for 30+ years.  She's both lived and worked in this area over a comparable period of time.我國中學校的同事只有少數是恆春人，大部分的人都來自屏東縣北部，例如:屏東市、新園和枋寮。其中一位同事幾乎是恆春人了，因為她的先生在核三廠工作超過30年，她也在這區域居住和工作多年。

One of the English teachers at my elementary school is a Hengchun person.  She's a little more than half my age, and she has many strident political opinions.  "If China comes here I will scream at them that I am Taiwanese!" and so forth.  Her aunt works as a nurse in a local hospital, and this same aunt is married to another foreign teacher in Hengchun. 在我工作的小學的其中一位英文老師是恆春人，她的歲數是我的一半多一點，她有許多強烈的政治看法，例如: "如果中國侵略臺灣，我會對他們疾呼我是臺灣人。"之類的。她的阿姨在恆春的一家醫院當護士，嫁給了恆春的一位外籍教師。

Other Hengchun people are, for now at least, little more than bits of conversations in my memory.  There was the guy renting umbrellas at Nanwan, who explained to us how things work there.  There were the people in the seafood restaurant in Baisha, discussing tourists and their over-ambitious itineraries.  There's the crazy scooter lady who bothers me on my way to work, asking me if I want breakfast even though I've already asked her to leave me alone several times.  There are my students in both schools, who I often see around town.我印象中，我和當地人談話的時間都很短暫。在南灣有一位出租洋傘的先生跟我們解釋他的工作情況。在白紗的海鮮餐廳裡，工作人員談論著遊客和遊客的緊湊行程。也有一個奇怪的騎著摩托車的女人，在我去工作的路上問我要不要吃早餐，就算我已經多次要求她不要煩我。還有的是我在二個學校的學生，我常在鎮上遇見他們。

Will I ever be a Hengchun person?  At this point in time I really have no idea, but the thought has occurred to me.  There are times when I could see myself settling down here, just as there are times when I can see myself living somewhere else.  The years go by, and who knows where most of us end up?  Maybe one day I'll discover that I too have become a Hengchun person, or maybe one day I'll be living in another place, remembering the Hengchun people I knew.我會成為恆春人嗎?我目前不知道，但我有想過。有些時候我可以預見自己在這裡住下來，但有的時候我也看到自己在別的地方的可能性。時間的流逝下，沒有人能夠預知明天。也許有天我會突然發現自己成了恆春人，也可能在某個地方想起我認識的恆春朋友。

Related Entries 相關的文章:

Directions to No One's Satisfaction

Linluo Township, Pingtung County 屏東縣麟洛鄉

Thoughts on the Last Election

Pingtung in the News 屏東的新聞 (South 南) 7