In July of this year, a headline of one newspaper announced that the Ministry of the Interior had approved the Taipei City government's plan to establish the nation's first special enterprise zone that would include cabarets, clubs, dancing halls, massage parlors, etc. The news attracted intense interest.

Some celebrated that this special district would allow the development of residential areas to come out from underground and hence be easier to control.

Others said that it wasn't fair to subject Shetzu Island to this kind of "garbage."

"If we really were to designate Shetzu Island as a red light district, then we wouldn't be showing much respect to the local residents," says Tsai Ding-fang, director of the Taipei City Office of Urban Development, who solemnly denies this report.

He states that besides a residential area set aside for the current residents, there are plans for developing a high-class recreational district, that will include a water amusement district, camp grounds, a sports area, a bird watching park, an opera hall, a theater, cabarets, restaurants, amusement parks, etc.

"This is the basic idea, but the details are still being worked out. If all goes well, the plan will be completed in a year," says Tsai.

Can't Stand the Wait: But how is Shetzu Island--with its river banks awash with garbage, vegetable fields, illegally constructed factories and old residences--to be made into a recreational area? And what do the residents of Shetzu Island really want?

"We're not very concerned about this problem," says Chen Long-hui, head of Shetzu's Fuchou Li, who recently has several times been in contact with the Bureau of Public Works of the Taipei City government. The government has already guaranteed that the district will be developed as a high-class area for tourists and not as a low-class red-light district. "Even if a small portion is made into a special enterprise zone, it won't have a major impact on the area overall," he admits openly.

"But development has already been prohibited on Shetzu Island for 20 years, and from the making of the development plan to the finishing of it, another 20 years will go by. Added up, we will have had to wait a half century before 'seeing the light.' Isn't this all a bit too drawn out?" says Chen Long-hui, who is hoping that the development can be sped up.

Tsai Ting-fang explains that the detailed plan has yet to be set and that the proportion of land to be set aside for national housing projects, the ratio of square footage of housing given in return for confiscated land, the percentage of each lot that can be developed and the square footage of housing that can be built on each square foot of land may all be revised. "Just the cost of the detailed plan is estimated at NT$10 million," he says, emphasizing that the city government will surely take great care in making plans for the island.

Scenic Beauty: Waiting another 20 years may be difficult, but the natural conditions of the island make it worthy of such meticulous work.

Three years ago, when first appointed principal of the island's only junior high, Fuan Junior High School, Lin Yao-wen became deeply enamored of the local scenery, which has been especially favored by nature. The entire family of volcanoes ringing Taipei, including Mt. Tatun, Mt. Chihsing, Mt. Shamao and Mt. Kuanyin, are all visible from the school's athletic grounds, and the magnificent Keelung River and Tamsui River slowly wind by.

Between the rivers and the school is a patchwork of vegetable fields. "Many of the students are the children of farmers. When school lets out, they walk back home on small country roads. Some of them go into farm houses and others suddenly disappear behind windbreaks. They'll be walking along and then suddenly all of them disappear." Previously, when watching students go home from school, he often experienced the illusion of their "disappearing in the picture."

The locale's hottest entertainment spot is in an lane off of Yenping North Road, Section 7, where the residents have built a platform out of discarded earth on the banks of the Tamsui River. Here they have planted trees and set out tables and chairs. In the shade they play chess, brew tea, play four color cards, chat, and enjoy the cool air . . . . Every day people congregate here from lunch until evening.

For several decades, old folks, children and housewives have all come here to while away the hours. Everyone calls it "The Harbor Hotel."

Most Backward of Places?: The ban on development made Shetzu Island a vegetable district, giving it the reputation as "Taipei City's most beautiful backyard." The island, however, had to pay a heavy price for this. Its administrative district was Taipei City, and in neighboring communities just across the bridge, an inch of land was already worth an inch of gold. But the ban on new development caused reluctance to proceed without construction of public works. Disordered, illegal constructions and dilapidated old red brick structures with leaky roofs are everywhere. Though nearly 10,000 people live there on almost 300 hectares, Shetzu Island lacks a single bookstore or supermarket. The former head of Fuan Li, Yang Mingchao, and the current head of Fuchou Li, Chen Long-hui, together shout, "This is the most backward place in Taipei City."

As early as Kang Hsi's rule (1662 to 1722) during the Ching Dynasty, Chinese from Tungan Prefecture in Chuanchow of Fukien Province had settled there and began cultivating the land. The majority of the current residents have roots on the island that go back for more than 100 years. Twenty years ago, Shetzu Island had only 2-3,000 residents and after the island was designated as a protected area, the city government adopted strict restrictions about people moving to the island. But the natives multiplied in profusion, leading to the current 10,000. Housing has became the biggest problem for local residents.

In 1970 the government built a national housing project which consisted of groups of four-story buildings, but down to the present there is still not enough housing. Chen Lung-hui explains that most people have this experience: living in the same old, one-story house that their grandfather did, they would like to renovate or rebuild. Finally, when the family is simply too large, they do just that, illegally expanding their house.

"The relatively bold break the law and worry about the consequences later, whereas the 'law abiding' cram ten or more bodies into the same old house. The island has several hundred households in this predicament," says Chen Lung-hui, who does not avoid mentioning that currently the vast majority of multi-storied building on Shetzu Island are illegal. The most "advanced" legal buildings are those of the 20-year-old national housing project.

Because Shetzu Island is currently in the spotlight, buildings put up in recent years have been sprayed black upon completion in order to look old and prevent enforcement of the law.

Since the construction decisions for the island regarding shape and materials have all been made by the individual residents, the island has a disorderly appearance.

Transportation Difficulties: Transportation, as well as housing, is a serious problem for the island. Forty-three-year-old Yang Ming-chao remembers that when he was in junior high school, before the main road on the island was called Yenping North Road, asphalt had been paved only in the center of the road and the two sides were yellow earth. At dusk every evening, the neighbors would bring straw mats to the side of the road and chat in the cool air. "Now children leaving the house to go to school--whether they're walking or taking the bus--makes people very wary."

They're nervous because the average width of the single major traffic artery, Yenping North Road, is only six meters across, and "at its narrowest only five meters," explains Chen. After the China Junior College of Marine Technology was built at the end of Yenping North Road in 1966, there have been ever greater numbers of students driving motorcycles. In recent years, as the number of factories on the island has grown, the coming and going of cars has grown ever more frequent.

"How can such a narrow road with the roaring of so many vehicles not be dangerous?" While Chen acknowledges that rush-hour traffic jams are a problem for all of Taipei City, he holds that the traffic situation on Shetzu Island is particularly horrible.

Lin Yao-wen also points out that the door of the Fuan Junior High School faces Yenping North Road. Previously, every day when school got out, the road became instantly jam packed as large groups of students left the school. It was very difficult to "keep to the side."

In response, last year the school adopted two methods: students leaving the school on foot first get into a line and then leave the school in groups, and for students who ride buses, the school negotiated with the bus companies to have the buses drive right to the school to pick up the students.

Fate Tied Deeply to Water: Shetzu Island, located in the northern end of Taipei basin, is a sandbar made of mud and sand deposited by the Keelung and Tamsui rivers. Because it has a low altitude, it is considered a Taipei area flood district. It was formed by water and its history has been tangled up with water ever since. Most of the islanders who are at least of middle age, in addition to dreading floods, have strong emotions about coming into contact with water. One Fuan Li resident says, "When I was young, loved 'catching clams and washing my pants' with my companions on the banks of the river." At high tide, the grown-ups would come out for a wash and "the whole bank would be like a gigantic swimming pool," he says.

Over the past ten years, the Erhchung flood channel and other flood-prevention works have been completed one after another, and the island has not had major flooding. But because the island lacks a good drainage system, the low-lying areas of the island becomes completely water logged after a big rain, and pedestrians have to slog through the water carrying their shoes.

The litter floating in the Tamsui and Keelung Rivers are the island's most frequent tourists. Kandelia Candelis, which have been a hot environmental topic of late, can also be found on Shetzu Island--there is a mangrove swamp at the fork of the two rivers. But the fate of the mangrove swamp is in sharp contrast to the one of Kuantu. There are only seven or eight Kandelia Candelis left, making their last stand amid the floating garbage.

Farmers in Girlie Bars: The economy of the Shetzu was originally based on agriculture. Originally farmers planted rice, but because of bad drainage, they all switched over to vegetables after the fifties. After the ban on development and the prohibition of land-use conversion in 1970, fewer people have changed professions, and farmers have remained predominate. Chen Long-hui and Chen Pi-feng, current heads of the island's two lis, both carried their share of human manure.

Along with the progress of the industrial and commercial age, the cost of living has gradually increased. Depending on the weather for one's livelihood gives rise to a great lack of security, and these farmers have found it increasingly difficult to meet their living needs. Since there are taxes on land lying fallow, an alternate course has been adopted for making the land pay: renting it out for use by a factory to make quick money.

"Previously, when driving down Yenping North Road, all you'd pass was green fields of vegetables--it was beautiful," says Hsu A-hsueh, head of the planning group of the Taipei city government's Department of City Planning, who has been coming to Shetzu for years on inspections. "Since 1988 the factories have been sprouting up one after another."

In the past three years some 200-300 factories or warehouses have been built in the vegetable fields, and as a result the fields are being polluted by the waste water of paper plants, car body painting plants and cement mixing plants. Now large trucks must frequently pass each other on the narrow country roads, making a bad traffic situation even worse.

Converting farm land for use as factories is of course illegal on the island, but this practice reaps huge rewards and more and more people seem willing to take the risk of breaking the law.

The head of Fuan Li, Chen Pi-feng, points out that the land rented out for factories can currently fetch about NT$400 per ping. If one rents out 300 ping, that's over NT$100,000 a month. "Hence, local people often say that the biggest change on the island in recent years is that vegetable farmers have started going to girlie bars!"

Wealth Improves Attitudes about Education?: While the growing number of factories has destroyed the beautiful verdant ambiance of the island, brought pollution and added to the traffic problems, the local people have a love-hate relationship with these intruders.

Chen Long-hui holds that five or six years ago there was a flow of people leaving the island. At least these factories have provided employment opportunities and stopped the "wave of emigration." Chen Lu-pin, principal of the Fuan Elementary School, believes that the improved economy of the island has indirectly transformed parents' attitudes about their children's education. She remembers that four years ago, when she first became the principal of the school, whenever she tried to organize any student-parent activities or invite parents to a student athletic event at the school, which is the only elementary school on the island, the response would be extremely poor, and the reason was always "busy with farm work."

"Now that many landowners have rented out to factories, they have money and time and care more about their children's education." To cite an example, Chen points out that whereas previously most students walked to school, more and more are being dropped off by a parent on a motorbike. Now there are even some taking children home in a car. And now parents need not be invited to activities; they'll come by themselves.

Starting on the Plan Is Everyone's Hope: While the rise of illegal factories has improved the standard of living for some, those who truly love Shetzu hold that improving the living environment is the only way the island can save itself.

Yang Ming-chao says, "Our environment is getting worse day by day. The river water and soil are enduring heavy pollution. The standard of living is low, and we are cut off from the outside. Our public works are backward, and no one is willing to come and invest. Even if we can bear it, what about our children and grandchildren." A fifth-generation resident of the island, he hopes that adoption of the plan for Shetzu this year will give the island a new look.

But the city's plan to turn Shetzu into a recreational zone has not proceeded smoothly on the island. Public hearings alone have taken two years. There are supporters and two groups of dissenters: one composed of those who have become rich by renting illegally to factories and another composed of people who disagree with the content of the plan or disagree with the measures concerning the tearing down of buildings, the moving of people out of their homes and the compensation for this, and the number of square feet of housing that can be developed on each square foot of land.

"No matter what, one need only care about this island to support development," says the head of Fuchou Li. While everyone may not share the same opinion about the development plan, the proposing of this plan has given a focus to everyone's concern about the place. "At least it gives us hope," he says.

[Picture Caption]

Map of the Proposed Shetzu Island Plan

Country within Taipei City--the flow of the Keelung and Tamsui Rivers around Shetzu Island.

Things are done the old way on Shetzu Island. This ice cream peddler uses the old style push cart, calling out for customers.

The public facilities on Shetzu Island are backward. This simple small clinic looks like it could be in a small village of southern Taiwan.

Residents watch a procession welcoming the gods.

On Shetzu Island the cars are many and the roads narrow. Fuan Junior High School asks buses to come right to the school to pick up students get ting out of school.

The farmers of Shetzu Island often use underground water to irrigate their crops. This has caused the ground to sink.

"The Harbor Hotel," which faces the Tamsui River, is a spot where the local residents take it easy.

The old national housing project behind this child is the "most advanced" architecture on Shetzu Island.

A farmer, who has just left his work in the fields, rides his bicycle home.

Ever more numerous vans have created increasingly serious traffic jams.

After 20 years of prohibition on development, the plan to develop Shetzu Island as a recreational district will bring what kind of tomorrow?

Country within Taipei City--the flow of the Keelung and Tamsui Rivers around Shetzu Island.

Things are done the old way on Shetzu Island. This ice cream peddler uses the old style push cart, calling out for customers.

The public facilities on Shetzu Island are backward. This simple small clinic looks like it could be in a small village of southern Taiwan.

Residents watch a procession welcoming the gods.

On Shetzu Island the cars are many and the roads narrow. Fuan Junior High School asks buses to come right to the school to pick up students get ting out of school.

The farmers of Shetzu Island often use underground water to irrigate their crops. This has caused the ground to sink.

"The Harbor Hotel," which faces the Tamsui River, is a spot where the local residents take it easy.

The old national housing project behind this child is the "most advanced" architecture on Shetzu Island.

A farmer, who has just left his work in the fields, rides his bicycle home.

Ever more numerous vans have created increasingly serious traffic jams.