Many visitors come to Taiwan for its breathtaking landscapes and vibrant night markets, but did you know that it’s also home to a diverse array of ethnic and diaspora groups? Long before the arrival of the Han Chinese, the island was inhabited by various aboriginal Austronesian tribes, many of whom continue to preserve their rich heritage today. Among the Han Chinese, the Hakka community has also left an indelible mark on Taiwanese identity, maintaining their unique practices, architecture, and cuisine.
In our third article of this five-part series, we shine a light on Taiwan’s aboriginal and Hakka cultures. (Be sure to watch this video for more!)
Experience Taiwan’s Aboriginal Heritage
Taiwan’s aboriginal people, known for their rich and diverse heritage, are the island’s original inhabitants, predating the arrival of the Han Chinese by thousands of years. Comprising 16 officially recognised tribes (including the Paiwan, Rukai, Amis, Atayal, and more), each with its own distinct language, customs, and traditions, these Austronesian communities offer a fascinating glimpse into Taiwan’s deep cultural roots.
From the vibrant festivals and intricate craftsmanship to the traditional music and dance that have been passed down through generations, Taiwan’s aboriginal people play a crucial role in preserving the island’s unique cultural identity. There are numerous ways for you to experience Taiwan’s indigenous culture on your next trip to this island nation.
Visit a Hunter School
Taiwan’s Hunter Schools (most tribes have their own) aim to preserve and revitalise the traditional knowledge and practices of the island’s aboriginal communities. These schools teach essential skills related to hunting, foraging, and traditional ecological knowledge. By fostering environmental stewardship, strengthening community bonds, and empowering the younger generation with a strong sense of identity, a Hunter School plays a crucial role in maintaining and celebrating Taiwan’s aboriginal cultural heritage.
In the case of Sakinu’s Hunter School in Taitung County, membership is not limited by blood ties. Members come from other tribes, including Puyuma, Amis, and Truku people, as well as a number of Han Chinese. If you’re interested in getting first-hand experience of these schools, you can visit tourist-friendly Hunter Schools, like the one in Malasang in neighbouring Hualien county. You can train with locals on how to use traditional weapons like the slingshot and learn survival skills like starting a fire. At the end of the day, there’s a delicious aboriginal feast of soup and bamboo-cooked rice.
Discover an aboriginal village
Most of Taiwan’s indigenous villages today are spread out along the east coast and the central mountain regions. A visit to these remote villages offers a glimpse of their tribal identity, and the best time to visit is during a festival when everyone is dressed in their traditional attire. When visiting these villages, visitors are reminded to respect the traditions and culture of the indigenous people.
Kungadavane village, nestled in the foothills of the Central Mountain Range, is home to the Rukai, one of Taiwan’s oldest indigenous tribes. Among ancient slate houses and intricate tribal carvings, you can enjoy tranquil views of the valleys and paddy fields, as well as natural hot springs. Meanwhile, in Pingtung County, Ulaluce is a new Paiwan village built high in the mountains after Typhoon Morakot. In recent years, it has become famous as Taiwan’s largest organic coffee production region.
Closer to Taipei, along National Highway 7, lies the Atayal village of Rahaw (Xikou), where you can take in spectacular views from high suspension bridges, listen to a jaw harp (lamellophone) performance, and savour traditional Atayal cuisine.
Just offshore of Taitung county, Orchid Island (Lanyu) is home to the Tao people, who are a fishing community known for their underground houses. One of their most famous icons is their ornately decorated red-and-white chinurikuran or tatara canoes.
Go for a tribal homestay
The best way to really immerse yourself in aboriginal culture is spending a night at an aboriginal village. There are many homestay options run by indigenous tribes dotted around Taiwan where you can participate in activities such as weaving, cooking, and farming.
For instance, in Taitung County, you can witness the intricate weaving skills of the Paiwan and Rukai tribes, while high in Alishan, the Tsou tribe are known for their expertise in hunting. The ideal time to visit is during festival season, when you can experience their tribal traditions showcased in vibrant colours.
Explore a theme park
Taiwan is home to two theme parks dedicated to its aboriginal heritage. The Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Cultural Park in Pingtung County showcases traditional tribal cabins that reflect each tribe’s unique traditions and lifestyles.
Meanwhile, high in the mountains near Sun Moon Lake, the Formosa Aboriginal Cultural Village blends a theme park atmosphere with cultural authenticity. It’s Taiwan’s largest outdoor museum, featuring nine replica villages sprawled across a hillside. Visitors can enjoy scheduled performances of tribal dances and explore a theme park section with rides such as roller coasters and gondolas.
Immerse in Taiwan’s Hakka Culture
While the largest dialect group in Taiwan is the Hokkien (Minnan) dialect, the Hakka people have carved out distinct communities across the island, mainly around Hsinchu and Miaoli in the north, as well as Kaohsiung and Pingtung in the south.
The best way to explore Hakka culture is through sampling their rich culinary offerings, or visiting villages that have preserved their distinctive enclosed courtyard architecture.
Savour Hakka flavours
At the heart of Hakka cuisine lies its rich tradition of fermentation, a practice rooted in the community’s diligence and resourcefulness in preserving ingredients for prolonged use. Staples include preserved seasonal vegetables like pickled mustard greens, which impart distinctive flavours to a variety of traditional Hakka dishes. Hakka cuisine is also renowned for its rice dishes, including flat rice noodles and Hakka rice cakes, known as ban, made from glutinous rice.
Another typical dish is Abacus Seed, which is a traditional Hakka snack. This dimpled, disc-shaped dumpling is made with taro and tapioca flour, and is a staple food popular with the diaspora.
To truly grasp Hakka cuisine in Taiwan, delve into its quintessential dishes known as “si wen si chao” which mean “4 braised, 4 stir-fried.” This culinary tradition features four slow-braised dishes, such as braised pork belly with pickled vegetables, braised pork knuckle, braised pork ribs with radish, and stewed dried bamboo shoots in rich soup. Complementing these are four stir-fried dishes, including stir-fried Hakka pork, stir-fried pork intestines with shredded ginger, duck blood stir-fried with chives, and pig lungs stir-fried with black fungus and pineapple.
While Taiwan’s Hakka cuisine is steeped in tradition, it’s also constantly evolving, intertwining with local customs and ingredients in innovative ways. For instance, at Monsoon in Taipei, Chef Ted has reinvented Hakka cuisine by offering completely vegan meals, a significant departure from the traditionally meat-based dishes Hakka cuisine is known for.
Perhaps one of the most iconic Hakka beverages is leicha (thunder tea), which is familiar to those with Hakka heritage. However, unlike the savoury leicha found in Singapore or Malaysia, the version in Taiwan is more akin to a dessert. It contains ingredients like tea, sesame seeds, and peanuts (each family or shop will have their own variation) and the result is a thick green beverage, which is topped with puffed rice before serving.
One of the best places to savour this specialty is in Beipu in Hsinchu County. As the largest Hakka area in northern Taiwan, Beipu Old Street is a popular place to try your hand at DIY leicha, with many shops offering the experience. To make leicha, you’ll need to put the ingredients into a specially-made mortar and grind the ingredients into a paste, so be prepared to spend some time making it.
Well-preserved Hakka villages
Taiwan is home to several well-preserved Hakka villages, many of which date back to the Qing dynasty nearly 300 years ago. In addition to leicha, Beipu Old Street is famous for its traditional architecture, especially the Citian Temple. You can stroll around the village and check out its iconic red brick architecture and intricate alleys. It’s home to a number of heritage buildings, including the Jinguangfu Official Residence and Tianshui Hall, and the Chiang A-Hsin Mansion.
Further south in Pingtung County lies the well-preserved Hakka village of Xi Sheng Old Street. This area boasts nearly 20 traditional Hakka courtyard houses, with the most famous being the sprawling Liu Family Ancestral Hall. Red brick walls and gate towers are prevalent throughout the village, maintaining a strong Hakka architectural style.
In addition to architecture, the village is also famous for pork knuckles! Just head to any shop along the aptly-nicknamed Pork Knuckle Street and sample this famous Hakka dish.
Follow the Hakka trail
To truly experience the essence of the Hakka people in Taiwan, journey along the Romantic Route 3. This 150-kilometre provincial highway connects 16 Hakka communities in north and central Taiwan, encompassing Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, and Taichung counties.
These communities were once major exporters of Taiwanese tea (particularly the famous Oriental Beauty) and camphor laurel back in the mid-19th century. The route connects all these themes through art exhibitions and performances.
Another trail worth exploring is the Raknus Selu Trail, which is a hiking trail that starts from Taoyuan and extends southward down to Taichung. The 220km trail consists of three types of paths: historic trails, farm roads, and highways. The word “raknus” means “camphor” in the Taiwanese indigenous Atayal and Saisiyat languages; and “selu” means “a small path” in Hakka, signifying the trail’s importance to both the Hakka and the indigenous population.
From the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries, Taiwan exported 70% of the world’s camphor, an essential ingredient in smokeless gunpowder and celluloid for movie films. It was the Hakka people who were responsible for camphor cultivation and processing. While Taiwan no longer has a camphor industry, you can still find camphor trees along the Raknus Selu Trail. Today, camphor is used in insect repellents and muscle creams, and is an active ingredient in popular brands like Mentholatum and Tiger Balm.
For more on Taiwan, check out our previous articles! Check out Taiwan’s coffee and chocolate industry, and find out where to sample them. Explore the creativity of the Taiwanese people and discover places that showcase innovative art and vibrant culture.
Want to watch more? Be sure to watch “The Soul of Taiwan”!
