Haiduan, Taiwan
Aug 9, 2026
“It is a very small place. It is deep in the countryside and there is nothing there” was the discouraging comment I heard from locals in Chisheng which itself is hardly a teeming metropolis. But there was a Bunun cultural center there and I meant to try to get some information. How wonderful if I could actually go to a village or meet some of the community!
The sole visitor, I was greeted in a friendly fashion but was also given the unwelcome news that their festivals are held in May and April. And no, there was no community I could visit. But the young man waved me toward the exhibits. The stairwell ramp was lined by old photographs, mostly taken during the 1920s Japanese era.
Built on an ambitious scale, the center houses precious little. A lackluster display of reproduced bamboo basket, a cured animal skin and a mock-up of a traditional porch with hanging clusters of millet just about sums it up.
A TV continuously cycles through programs showing workshops that seem to be attended enthusiastically by visitors. They learn weaving, basketry, carpentry and leather working skills from Bunun elders. That would be fun I think but I would have to arrange such a workshop far in advance and it would run only if there were enough attendees. Strike two, I thought.
One of the sixteen officially recognized tribes of Taiwan, the Bunun call the high mountains of the Central range their home. They are known for their traditional hunting culture but are most famous for their polyphonic singing. I had pipe dreams of witnessing this special event but knew that it is performed within their community and rarely witnessed by outsiders. Strike three I mulled as I set off for the sweaty walk back to the train station. Oh well.
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 