Sanmin (三民) District, Kaohsiung City

Like many streets, villages and other places throughout Taiwan, Kaohsiung’s Sanmin (三民; lit. “Three People(s)”) is an abbreviated form of Sanmin Zhuyi (三民主義; the “Three Principles of the People”), the political philospohy espoused by Dr. Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) and later promoted in Taiwan by the KMT-led ROC government, particularly in the period before the first hand-over of presidential and central government power to an opposition party in 2000 (for more details, see San Min Zhuyi).

But Sanmin District in Kaohsiung has a somewhat older pedigree. From the 17th century until arrival of the KMT in the middle of the 20th century, its “three peoples” were the Wang (王), Tsai (蔡) and Zheng (鄭; often romanized as Cheng) families who had first immigrated to this area and built their homes here, for which it had been known for more than 300 years as 三塊厝 (Hoklo Sam-de-tsu; Mdn. Sankuaicuo ; lit. “Three Houses”).

In the postwar period, in order to “create a model district of the Three Principles of the People”, Sankuaicuo was combined with 6 neighboring areas to create Sanmin Township (now District). According to Wikipedia, these others were 大港 (lit. “Great Harbor”), 灣子內 (lit. “Within the Bay”), 寶珠溝 (lit. “Precious Bead Ditch”), 獅頭 (lit. “Lion’s Head”), 本館 (lit. “Original Mansion”) and 覆鼎金(lit. “Covered Tripod Gold”).



There was also a Sanmin Township (三民鄉) in Kaohsiung County (which merged with Kaohsiung City in 2010) but in 2008, after a campaign by its residents, most of whom are Bunun (布農), Kanakanavu (卡那卡那富), Hla’alua (拉阿魯哇; formerly considered a subgroup of Tsou 鄒) and Paiwan (排灣) aboringines, this “overly political’ name was changed to Namasiya (那瑪夏; see here).



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The Three Principles of the People (三民主義 Mdn. San Min Zhuyi) is a political philosophy developed by Dr. Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙; SYS) and adopted and widely promoted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (中國國民黨; KMT), particularly by Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石; CKS) and particularly in the period following defeat in the Chinese Civil War and KMT's relocation to Taiwan. As such it is quoted as the first line as the ROC national anthem, and it, as well as its three constituant parts, were used to rename numerous towns, villages and streets around the country.

Also very numerous have been the Master’s and PhD theses written discussing what SYS meant, or could have meant, or should have meant by his Three Principles. The first two inspired, he said, by Abraham Lincoln’s “government of the people, by the people, for the people”; the third by social welfare policies he witnessed in European countries during his travels to garner support for opposition to the Qing imperial state.

i) The 民族主義 (Mdn. Minzu Zhuyi), literally meaning something like “principle of [government] of the people(s)”, is usually translated as “nationalism”, since SYS clearly had the Chinese nation in mind, as opposed to the narrow Manchurian-led Qing court which, at least in part, stayed in power though promoting division between all other ethniciites.
Through this principle, he sought to promote commn cause, a “national consciousness”, for all of China’s diverse ethnicities, primarily composed of the “five main groups” (Han, Manchurian, Mongol, Hui (Muslims) and Tibetan ; [MC: as usual the “minority peoples” seem to be overlooked, just as Taiwan’s dozens of indigenous peoples would be half a century later]), who together were symbolized on the Five Color Flag of the early ROC (1911–1928). In short, SYS’s Principle of the Peoples was based on the idea that China’s various peoples had more that united them than divided them, that they were stronger together.

ii) The 民權主義 (Mdn. Minquan Zhuyi), literally meaning “principle of people’s rights”, that is, of “people power” or, in other words, of “government by the people(s)”, which is consequently usually translated as “democracy”.
From this simple statement of principle, SYS (and the generations after him) set about defining these powers / rights (election, recall, initiative and referendum) and working out how these could be applied through various institutions / branches (legislative, executive, judicial, control and examination) to create a fair and effective system of government.

iii) The 民生主義 Mdn. Minsheng Zhuyi), literally meaning “principle of people’s livelihood”, is therefore, “government for the people”, and is often translated as “livelihood” or “social welfare”. It was somthing of an afterthought from SYS, but, being rather socialist in nature, at least in the way he interpreted it, as well as the direction in which he initially led the KMT, made it perhaps the most radical of the Three Principles. It is also perhaps why it is the most disputed and, some would argue, the most ignored.

The strengths of the Three Principles of the People is evidenced, not just in that they were also prasied by the Chinese Communist Party (although, of course, its definitions of “people’s rights” and “people’s livelihood” in particular differ greatly from those of the KMT), but also in that in Taiwan’s post-martial law, multi-party, democratic period, even the bitter opponents of the KMT (which claims to have enacted five or more decades of one-party rule based on these principles) do not seek to serously discard most of SYS’s political foundation.



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“Why Dunhua South Road (敦化南路) is so wide.”

Actually, if this is true, it is presumably true for the whole of Dunhua Road, both North and South. The information comes from an anecdote recounted by an author* who says he met a Mr. Ye (葉) near Liuzhangli MRT Station. Mr. Ye said that his grandfather, who worked as a stepmaker / paver during the Period of Japanese Rule (1895~1945), had told him the following information**.

At that time, the mountainous area near Liuzhangli (now Fuyang Eco Park 富陽生態公園) was used as an ammunition depot to supply military aircraft at the nearby Songshan Airfield.

Fearing that the airfield might be bombed during the war, Dunhua S. Rd. [or presumably its entire length, of both N & S roads, and presumably under a different, more Japanese, name] was widened and straightened for use as an emergency runway with access to the ammunition store at its southern end and airfield at the northern end.

All Wikipedia has to note on the topic is that "Dunhua South Road was not included in the 1932 urban plan, so there were some problems when it was opened", which indirectly supports the idea that it was built / widened for use as a runway at later date.

(Mr. Ye’s grandfather also told him that the stone steps of the gunpowder storehouse were paved with stones from the dismantled Qing-dynasty city wall.)

Dunhua (敦化; literally … perhaps too ambiguous to translate word-for-word) derives from the Book of Rites (禮記; Mdn. Li Ji), one of the core texts of the Confucian canon, some or much of which is attributed to Confucius (孔子; tr. 551–479 BCE) himself, albeit edited by his disciples or later contributors.

In particular, the Doctrine of the Mean (中庸; Mdn. Zhong Yong) from which dunhua comes, seeks to pin down some of the ambiguities of Confucius’s Analects (論語; Mdn. Lun Yu), and yet, partially through the use of metaphor and other figurative language, has been frequently interpreted and debated over the following millennia.

The relevant sentence states: 小德川流，大德敦化，此天地之所以為大也。

Starting at the end (because it is relatively uncontentious), it states “... are what makes Heaven and Earth (i.e. the World) so great."

But what makes it great? Literally, the 小德 “small virtues” [are like] 川流 “rivers flowing” [whereas] the 大德 “great virtues” 敦化” deeply (i.e, sincerely) transform”.

These symbols and metaphors have been interpreted variously as:
i) “The smaller energies are like river currents; the greater energies are seen in mighty transformations.” (Legge; Western 19th century)
ii) “The nobles ‘soak the sprouts’ (i.e. irrigate new growth); the Son of Heaven (Emperor) gives form to everything”. (Zheng Xuan 鄭玄; China 2nd century CE) and later
iii) “The nobles ‘soak sprouts’, the Son of Heaven gives form to everything through magnifying 仁愛 (“benevolence and love”). (Kong Ying-da 孔穎達; China 7th century CE).

Thus the concept of dunhua was linked to 仁愛 (Mdn. ren-ai), those two of the Eight Confucian Virtues (八德) so beloved by president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石; 1887~1975; see here, here, here and here).

And maybe this explains how dunhua came to be applied to the magnificent tree-lined avenue running south-north through the propsperous postwar eastern districts of Taipei CIty, since CKS believed that it was the "Confucian virtues of benevolence and love are what makes the World so great."



*Wenshan Community College website (here)
** Which makes this 3rd-hand information, 4th-hand by the time you read it here, so certainly awaits confirmation. Indeed, the WCC author adds a note of caution: "Whether the above anecdote is true or not, the history remains to be verified, but logically it is quite reasonable and is extremely interesting."



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Shimen (石門) District, New Taipei City

Shimen (石門; lit. "Stone Door") is the northernmost point of Taiwan. Named for the sea-eroded hole through a free-standing cliff, this was described at least as early as 1694, when Fujian provincial chronicles recorded 一石中空如圓門，故名石門 (“A hole in the middle of a rock like a circular door, thus named Stone Door”).

(For other uses of 門 in place names, see here)



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Banqiao (板橋) District, New Taipei City

Banqiao (板橋; lit. “Plank Bridge”) was originally known to the local Luilang (雷朗族) aborigines as [something like] Peitsie, which was transliterated by early immigrants as 擺接社 (Hoklo: Pai-chiap; Mdn. Bai-jie; lit. “Place-Catch Community”).

The growing Han-Chinese community in this area was served by Lam-a-kang (湳仔港; Mdn. Nan-zai-gang) Harbor, located near where Lam-a Creak (later 湳仔溝 Lam-a Ditch as it was used for irrigation; today also called 湳雅, Lanya) flowed into Dahan River.

After a wooden foot bridge was built across the creek about 1km south of the harbor (just to the west of today’s Lin Ben Yuan Family Mansion and Garden 林本源園邸), the area became known as 枋橋頭 (Hoklo: Pang-kio-thau; Mdn. Fang-qiao-tou; lit. “Timber Bridgehead”).

This was Japanified in 1920 to 板橋 (“Plank Bridge”; Jpn. Itabashi; Hoklo: Pang-kio; Mdn. Banqiao), by which it is still known.



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Wenshan (文山) District, Taipei City

Wenshan (文山: lit. "Culture / Script Mountain") District was formed in 1990 by merging the earlier Muzha and Jingmei districts.

"Wenshan" itself represented the late 19th-century re-adoption of an earlier name for a region on the southern side of the Taipei Basin, from Xindian in the west to Pinglin in the east and Wulai in the south, in an attempt to gentrify the earlier name of Quanshan (拳山; lit. "Fist Mountain", a description of the knuckle-shaped hills).



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Muzha (木栅), Wenshan District, Taipei City

Muzha (木栅; Hoklo: Bak-sa; lit. "Wooden Fence") is in Wenshan (文山) District, Taipei City. As the name suggests, it derives from the wooden barriers constructed to defend immigrant Han-Chinese from local aborigines who wanted their lands back (see similarly Zhuwei (竹圍); "Bamboo Encirlements"), Tuniu (土牛; "Earthen Cattle"), Shipai (石牌; "Stone Markers") and so forth.

These original inhabitants included the Plains Aboriginal 霧裡薛社 (Mdn. Wulixue Community; Hoklo: Bulisih), which later gave its name to the Bulisihtsun (霧裡薛圳) irrigation channels that brought water to this area facilitating its agricultural development.

After retrocession to ROC rule in 1945, both Muzha and Jingmei (景美) became districts of Taipei City, before being merged in 1990 to create today's Wenshan District.



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