Occasionally I feel that this area of Taiwan is a corner that time and space have both forgotten and cherished.
There is a piece of land like that, with an area of 36,000 square kilometers. It is not particularly large, but it has contained all the temper that the earth has developed over hundreds of millions of years.
The mountains rushed towards the height of 4,000 meters, and the water rushed towards the sea eagerly, just like a young man who speaks out what is on his mind and cannot hold it back at all.
Where mountains and sea fight
It’s dozens of kilometers from the Central Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.
Only a few dozen kilometers, there are temperate fir trees first, and then tropical coconut palms, they are so close together without any scruples.
Zhuoshui River may sound dirty when you hear its name, but it is actually the longest river in Taiwan. It cuts down from the central mountain range and divides the island into two.
It’s humid in the north and hot in the south, and even people’s personalities are different.
In the old streets of Tainan, the houses have a crooked appearance. The statue of Zheng Chenggong stands there, and its expression has become blurred after being exposed to wind and sun.
No one is trying to make it look brand new, it's old, it seems like that's how it should be.
Those weird place names and nicknames
They say this is the "Kingdom of Butterflies" with more than 400 species of butterflies.
In fact, butterflies can't have so many thoughts. It's just that the mountains are so high and the ravines are so deep that it's difficult for humans to reach them, so they settle down there.
and the “Land of Fruit.”
Thinking of Lianwu, the fruit has no taste, it is watery and crispy, and there is a clicking sound when you bite it, like the rain in Taiwan, it comes and goes quickly, but it is just refreshing.
Banana, pineapple, citrus, longan, these names are arranged together to give a tropical atmosphere.
### The most famous one is probably the bowl of human kindness.
The Koreans came and invented a word called "Taiwan Sensibility".
The one mentioned is not the 101 building, but an old apartment with a four-story structure. The stairs are so narrow that two people have to step sideways to avoid each other. The balcony is covered with flowers, and the clothes drying pole stretches out very long, with colorful clothes hanging on it.
The Korean actor known as Kim Dae-myung said that Tainan is a so-called "F-shaped city" that relies on feelings to survive.
I just thought, what is feeling?
It's almost like wandering around the alley casually. The bowls sold by any grandmother are more delicious than the delicacies in Michelin-starred restaurants. Then she will tap you on the shoulder and say: "Are you full?"
Mazu, the faith that crosses the sea
There is Tianhou Temple in Tianjin and more in Taiwan.
Mazu came across the sea from Fujian and took the boat with her homesickness.
At present, there is a Mazu Temple in Taiwan and a Mazu Temple in Tianjin. Such an incense has crossed the entire strait and surprisingly has not been cut off.
In March, there was a "Crazy Mazu" situation. People who usually wore suits and leather shoes followed the mikoshi for many days and nights. Even if their feet were worn out, they did not stop.
At this time, you will feel that there is something more powerful than reason, and it is hidden in the blood.
### From "OEM" to "Silicon Island"
I heard that Taiwan is now the center of the AI industry.
People who once had great reputations in the global technology circle include Huang Renxun and Su Zifeng, both of whom came out of Taiwan.
But in fact, going forward a few decades, Taiwan was built from scratch.
Textiles, umbrellas, and shoes were saved little by little, and then TSMC was built.
There is no secret to this process, it’s just “endurance”.
For example, the Zhuoshui stream mentioned in the legend appears to be turbid, and its bottom is all real silt. After a long period of sedimentation, a plain was formed.
The water of Sun Moon Lake and the tea on both sides of the bank
Sun Moon Lake, Sun Lake is like the sun, Moon Lake is like the moon, separated by an island in the middle.
In fact, it doesn't look like it from the air, but once the name was chosen, everyone believed it.
Now tea from Alishan is also grown in Guizhou.
The Guizhou-Taiwan Society has been held for more than ten years, and it is said that it is the fate of the 25th degree north latitude.
The same latitude, the same mountain, and the same mist can grow different teas and brew the same soup color.
Speaking of which, what is a treasure island?
Not those chips, not those fruits.
It's the kind of day that has been crushed by history, but still retains body temperature.
After enjoying beef noodles on Yongkang Street in Taipei, you took a closer step and turned in the direction. Then you saw the walls of the old house covered with vines. There was an old man sitting at the door listening to the radio, which was playing Teresa Teng's songs.
The evening breeze blows from Kaohsiung Port, mixing the smell of diesel and fish. The fishing boats have returned to the port, and the freighters have set sail, heading for Xiamen and all over the world.
the sea between the two shores
The Taiwan Strait is 130 kilometers at its narrowest point.
When taking a boat, I feel dizzy for most of the day; when taking a plane, I have to land as soon as I take off.
But I feel that the real distance is not the sea.
The Tianjin Tianhou Temple on this side of the sea and the Tainan Tianhou Temple on the other side of the sea are separated by the sea and worship the same god.
It is the earth building in Fujian and the Weilong house in Taiwan. They use the same method to gather people to live together.
The history books you have read and the ones I have read sometimes seem to be two different versions. However, when you open the front pages near the beginning, what you see are written about the two rivers, the Yellow River and the Yangtze River.
The water in Zhuoshui Creek is still muddy and flows into the strait day and night.
It carries the soil from the central mountains and fills up the sea bit by bit.
Geologists say that millions of years ago, Taiwan and the mainland were connected.
Maybe one day, we'll connect again.
Maybe not maybe.
The "Taiwan sensibility" scattered everywhere on the streets of Taipei, the old times hidden in the alleys of Tainan, and Zheng Chenggong standing in the wind, they are all on this island, waiting to be understood by others.
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