Time：2025.04.14-2026.03.02

Location: 5th Special Exhibition Room, Taiwan Hakka Culture Development Center

EXHIBITION CONCEPT

This exhibition follows the history of highway construction to retrace the journey of the Hakka people to the east, describing the stories of Hakka villages and communities along Provincial Highway 9, as well as expressing the fluid nature of culture and everyday life. Through the migration of the Hakka people, this exhibition aims to portray the diversity of social mobility and innovation in Taiwan, captured in the dialogue between the “flow of culture” and “culture in motion”.

Hakka Gaze On Route /Roads and the Hakka

The construction of Provincial Highway 9 began during the Qing dynasty and took on its present form in the Japanese colonial period. During this time, Hakka people from the Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli regions migrated eastward, typically passing through Fuxing or Jianshi townships, crossing the mountains of Chatianshan or Lidongshan to reach Cilan. From there, they traveled through Sanxing township to the Yilan Plain, reaching Su’ao and continuing along the coastline past Dananao to Taroko, eventually arriving at the Port of Hualien. By the mid to late Japanese colonial period, transportation infrastructure steadily improved. Hakka migrants from the Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli regions or the Liugdui region in Southern Taiwan, in search of better living conditions, journeyed eastward to Hualien and Taitung by boat, automobile, on foot, or a combination of all three. Although the Hakka people settled in Eastern Taiwan later than the indigenous and Hoklo (Holo) peoples, by the post-colonial period, they had become a significant ethnic group in the region.

Highways, Public Transport and Civilian Life /Guardians of the Highways

Construction of the Huatung Highway began in 1930 and was completed in 1959. The highway was then officially transferred from the Taiwan Railways Administration to the Taiwan Provincial Highway Bureau, which conducted a comprehensive highway survey and implemented a provincial highway numbering system. In 1962, the entire inland highway was designated as Provincial Highway 3, and the name Provincial Highway 9 was officially introduced. By 1971, the improvement project to Provincial Highway 9 had been completed. The development of transportation infrastructure not only encouraged Hakka communities to migrate eastward and develop the region, but also provided employment opportunities for a significant number of Hakka people at the Taiwan Provincial Highway Bureau. Across the mountainous, rainy, and earthquake-prone East Rift Valley, the Hakka people were committed to the development, planning, maintenance, and disaster recovery of the roads, becoming the all-important guardians of the highways.

Hakka migrants on the highway / Hakka Migration and Heritage

Driven by living conditions and economics of social policies, the Hakka people have continued migrating from the west and south to the east, bringing not only the lifestyle, cultures and beliefs of their ancestral homeland, but also fostering new industries, livelihoods, and creativity in their adopted environments. Through the history of Hakka migration, we witness the flow of Hakka culture—and through this cultural mobility, we come to realize the connections between people across different regions, gaining new perspectives on Taiwanese society through its industry and innovation.

The Beauty of Highways and Hakka Culture

Hualien County and Taitung County encompass 11 townships—Hualien City, Jian, Shoufeng, Fenglin, Guangfu, Ruisui, Yuli, Fuli, Chishang, Guanshan, and Luye—designated as key regions for Hakka cultural development. The Hakka population in Eastern Taiwan has been steadily increasing, and settlements and religious centers evolved in response to demographic changes. Similarly, highway landscapes continue to transform with shifting trends and modern concepts, making travel more comfortable and ensuring smoother connections across Taiwan.