From Takow to Kaohsiung

Xiuguluan Mountain (秀姑巒山; 3,825m), Hualien County

The name of Mt. Xiuguluan (秀姑巒山) derives from the nearby Xiuguluan River, which is a Hoklo transliteration of Amis “Ci’poran” meaning “at the mouth of the river”, which originally referred to a small island at the mouth of Xiuguluan River. (For details see here)

> ................... (photo Wikipedia)

This transliteration process extended to the river itself, and then to the highest mountain in the Central Mountain Range (3rd highest in all of Taiwan). The mountain was originally hunting territory of Bunun aborigines (who call it Halinpudu or Mahudas, meaning “Old man with gray hair”), so that it now bears a Chinese name derived from the language of a different indigenous ethnicity. (Though this might be due to an error in mapping during the Period of Japanese Rule; see here.)



Copyright Jiyue Publications 2022