Hakka Living Museum Series, Vol. 6 – The Ancient Irrigation Canals

Author: Fu Bao-yu
Publication Date: October 2007
The Hakka Living Museum Series is a collection of works based on extensive field investigations and ethnographic documentation of Hakka culture. Initiated by the Preparatory Office of the Taiwan Hakka Cultural Center, Council for Hakka Affairs, Executive Yuan, this series aims to preserve and promote Hakka heritage by selecting themes that resonate with the general public. Topics include familiar aspects of daily life such as “Blue Garments,” “Oil-Paper Umbrellas,” and “Pottery Kilns” (representing Hakka crafts), as well as “Tobacco Curing Barn,” “Rice Milling Workshop,” and “Irrigation Canals” (representing industrial and agricultural heritage sites).
Prior to the construction of the Taoyuan Main Canal (1916) and the Shimen Main Canal (1956), Hakka settlers on the Taoyuan tableland had already developed a sophisticated traditional irrigation system. The historic canal routes, along with the stories and legends surrounding their creation, not only record the unique process of land reclamation in southern Taoyuan but also reflect the social organization, communal cooperation, and cultural customs of the Hakka people.