From Takow to Kaohsiung

Campaigns for the Rectification of Names

As part of Taiwan's move from authoritarianism during the postwar four-decade Martial Law Era towards democratization, and the concomitant increases in cultural and ethnic pluralism and autonomy, the process of recifying place names is gradually gaining steam.

One example that From Takow to Kaohsiung came across today (albeit dating from June 2021), was the result of a campaign by local people to change the name of Hezuo Village (合作村) in Ren-ai Township, Nantou County.

As already noted on this blog (here), according to legend, the Truku ethnic group arrived in Taiwan from across the South China Sea in prehistoric times, first living on the plains in the island's southwest, before migrating to ever-higher inland locations, eventually taking their name from Truku Truwan in today's Nantou County. This was transliterated into Chinese as 德鹿灣 (Mdn. Deluwan), which later became 合作村 (Hezuo Village).

Following a campaign by local people starting in 2019, in June 2021 the village name was changed "back" to 德鹿谷村 (Mdn. Delugu Village), albeit using the character 谷 (Mdn. gu; "valley") rather than 灣 (Mdn. wan "bay / bend in river").

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Source: Ren-ai Township Household Registration Office bulletin June 23, 2021.