Acnestis - Du Lan, Taitung 2003

Acnestis – that part of the animal which they themselves cannot reach to scratch, usually between the shoulder blades

Du Lan, Taitung 2003

Perhaps a little history helps to understand the peculiar nature of Taitung. Whereas Taiwan for centuries was, in a sense, a dumping ground for the rejects of mainland China, Taitung was a dumping ground for the rejects of Taiwan. In fact, a remnant of the day when Taitung was a refuge for the criminal element on Taiwan is the county border post police station on the south cross island highway. Also, national government agencies often assign staff to Taitung as punishment for screwing up badly, or as a reward for long years of good service. It is for many reasons that it is called the “Back side of the island”.

So, you have a demographic of people of questionable character. On the other hand you have another demographic who want to just be left alone and live a life of routinized simplicity. So, while one group fights tooth and nail to pillage as much as they can, another group lives like ostriches with their heads in the sand.
The problem with this is that when your head is in the sand, your ass is in the air. So, while everybody knows about the crime and corruption that goes on, they don't want to do anything about it. And, so the society is locked in a downward spiral.
Yet a third demographic, the majority, is the aboriginal population, though many Taitung people won't admit their aboriginal heritage. Taitung boasts the largest population of aboriginal people on Taiwan. It also has the largest number of people in prison, percentage alcoholism, lowest education level.

With less than 1% of Taiwan's population, Taitung attracts little attention during election time. Consuming vast amounts of subsidy and providing very little tax revenue, it is of little interest economically. After Taiwan joined the WTO, agriculture and fishing profits diminished.

For those who go to Taitung on holiday, it is a beautiful place. Everything is rosy. But for those who want to make a more meaningful life, be active in the community, it isn't long before you are forced to pull back the thin veneer of charm and beauty to reveal the writhing tangle of crime and corruption which has become the very veins and arteries, known as 'kuan-hsi'. We Chinese are a tolerant people. And one thing that we are just too tolerant of is criminal activity, especially in our government.


I sat in a large beach side tin building, once the restaurant of an Australian artisan and his wife. It is a beautiful place, on the shore, about 15 km north from Taitung. The Australian has long since moved out. Two other people have tried to make a success of the place and failed. Now, the land owner's son, Winsom Lee, who has just graduated from college, is trying. He's failing too.

I order my usual chrysanthemum tea and chat with Winsom. “How well do you know Mr. Wang up the hill?”
“I know him in passing.” he replied.
“ He is applying for Tourism grant to put in a pagoda. He's pretty good with that. Get's a couple million every year.”

“ Ha, that's nothing my father owns 80 jya of land. That whole valley below Mr Wang's is all his. Right now he has 4 back hoes digging a water runoff way up in the mountain. The Tourism Department is paying for it. Do you know how much? Can you guess?”
“I dunno, 10 million?”
“Higher.”
“20 million?”
“10 times that.”
“200 Mil?!?! Wow. Your father is pretty clever.” I flattered him.
He nods his head approvingly. “They want him to open the land for tourism farm. But he doesn't want to, “ he said.
“Why not?” I asked.
“The government money is more than enough for him,” he replied.
“Isn't intent to do the business necessary to get the grant money?” I asked naively.
He laughed, “It is easy to get around. When they asked him to build cabins for bed and breakfast, he used industrial corrugated tin. They are little sweat boxes. Who would want to stay there? Hahaha .” Every year he gets paid to plant hundreds of trees on his own land. Haaha .”

“ Hey, I know a guy, he pays aboriginal work crews to ….”
“ Yeah, I know Chen E - tai. He gets gov't money to cut the trees. Then he gets gov't money to replant the trees. Pretty crafty, eh?” Winsom said.
“ He's not doing too badly is he? He has an Jeep Cherokee. His wife drives a Benz E-500. His kid drives a BMW. And, he pays his workers peanuts....” I said.
“ Hahahaa less! Betel nuts!” he laughed.
I try to hide my revulsion at the whole scenario so I can keep drawing him out.
“You heard about the Asian games?” I ask.
“Know, what?” he asks.
“He had hired a foreign Olympics coach, who took the team to gold medals. The national government gave them millions in reward...” I began.

“Yeah, He was supposed to share it with the team and with the other coaches. He gave them a big fat zero,” he finished the story for me.
“Yeah, I heard that from the foreign coach. How did you find out?” I confessed.
“He and my dad are drinking buddies. They got to drinking and bragging,” he boasted.

“So, tell me, what is the hope for tourism development in the coastal area in Taitung?” I probed.
“Less than hopeless,” he apologized.
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“Because there are basically 2 power groups in the county, the people of the valley, and the people of the coast. The coastal people are mostly dirt poor aboriginal. No capital, no education, no kuan-hsi. And, they don't vote,” he lectured. “The Hua-dong valley is heavily invested Wai Sen Ren from centuries ago. They have kuan-hsi, relationship, education. And, they vote. Why do you think that the train went up the valley rather than up the coast?”
“ I dunno, better foundations?” I guessed?
“Yeah, better 'kick back' foundations! Hahhaha . Also, in the valley they are afraid of the coastal area developing and taking away their tourism opportunities. So, whenever they see an opportunity growing on the coast, they suppress it. Do you know where the Coastal Tourism Office is for Taitung County?“ he tested.
“ Yes, it's in ...near the boarder to Hualien.“ I said.
“Don't you think that if they really wanted it to be effective, they would put it in the middle of it's territory?“ he argued.
“ Hmmm, ” I was getting to see the picture here.
“ Didn't you try to get on a piece of land on Dulan mountain, just under Mr. Wang's as a take off zone? “ he asked.
“How did you know that?” surprisedly I asked.
“ How can I NOT know that? Small town. Every body knows everything about everyone. It's not always correct but we know it anyway,” he laughed.

“Well, what about it?” I tried to get him back on track.
“So, what happened?” he parried.
I launched into my story, “I offered Mr Wang to buy or rent the land. He said that he would get back to me. A week later I went back and somebody had moved hundreds of giant boulders onto the once beautiful grassy plateau. It was useless as a take off zone. Heck, you couldn't even walk on it. These boulders are a meter high. Must have cost a fortune to move.” dejectedly I explained.
“ Yeah, you see. Somebody sabotaged your plan. Probably in the valley they are trying to protect their monopoly. Somebody bought or rented the land from him and paid him to make it useless to you,“ he explained.
“Well, that is what he said, somebody had bought the land,” I offered. “I'm thinking 'crabs in a pot.'”
“Huh?”
I tried to explain “ You ever go to a sea food place where you can choose the fresh seafood? And they have a pit full of crabs? The crabs are climbing up on each other until they reach the top. Then, as one is just about to climb out, a claw comes from behind and pulls him and he tumbles to the bottom.“
He laughs hysterically,”Yes, yes, Taitung society is like this! Crabs in a pot. We fail to cooperate to the common good. We're so busy pulling each other down.“

“So, why doesn't the national government do something about the fiscal waste, the corruption in government?“ I asked.
“Taitung is too far away,“ he told me as if this were so obvious.
“What 40 minutes by plane, 5 hours by train,” I retaliated.
“Not just physically far, politically and economically far,” he said.
“Mr. Ma, you come from a democratic and capitalist country. What are the 2 most valuable commodities? “ he quizzed me.
“Well, you tell me. “ I was tired of the game
“Money and votes. Taitung has neither. So why bother?” with an offhanded shrug.
And, then reaching for that spot on his back, he said, “You cannot reach it to sratch it, much less clean it.”