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Written records of the history of Eastern Taiwan only began to appear gradually over the last century. Consequently, the uniqueness of the eastern region of the island has long been omitted when considering the history and diversity of Taiwan as a whole. In terms of policy-making and implementation at the local level, a Taipei-centric mindset has obscured the subjectivity of Eastern Taiwan, rendering it a mere accessory. As such, the current research attempts to gain a perspective on the history of Eastern Taiwan through the personal histories of the residents through field studies in the three villages of Fengtian in Fengshou Township of Hualien County: Fengshan, Fengli, and Fengping. The study also aims to explore how the place is formed and to rediscover its subjectivity. Founded over a century ago in 1913, the village of Fengtian was established as part of the official immigrant village policy during the Japanese Colonial period. As an official immigrant village, Fengtian was distinctively constituted by Japanese culture. After Japan lost World War II, the village immediately transformed into a destination for secondary migrants within the island of Taiwan. However, it is the large number of immigrants who moved to Fengtian during the Japanese Colonial and National Government periods that have defined the immigrant character of Fengtian and the diversity of its people. For this study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 80 local residents of Fengtian about their life experiences and memories. By studying the interaction between a population and the environment from a humanistic geographical perspective, this paper explains how a typical immigrant village during the modern development of Taiwan would gradually form a distinctive sense of place and attachment to create a village community. Finally, the study combines interviews along with twenty-seven years of the author's personal experience living in Fengtian to culminate into a “Guide to Fengtian”. Aside from being a location guide, “Guide to Fengtian” emphasizes the lifestyle, protocols, and latent customs that are part of the daily lives of residents to reexamine the traditional culture and values of Fengtian.
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