On the walls, the doors, the weapons, even the household tools--the engravings of Wu T'ai are so ubiquitous that they shock the first-time visitor. Devoid of any artistic feeling, they usually represent people or animals. Asked why they casually toss off these engravings, one villager replies, "Because it's our Lu K'ai tribe tradition."

The inhabitants of Wu T'ai are all Lu K'ai. Legend has it that several hundred years ago, there was a struggle for power within the tribe. Fearing conflict, the male and female priests prayed together to heaven for a god to come and reunite the tribe. The next day, as the sun shone into someone's water vase, out popped an enormous egg, guarded by two poisonous snakes. The egg kept growing until finally it hatched--a man. A strapping gentleman, he called himself Calabadas, and had superhuman intelligence. The people treated him as a god and made him their leader, ending the dispute.

Whether or not this myth is true is pointless, as Lu K'ai leaders for centuries have carved on their homes representations of this god and the two snakes, as a gesture of respect and for good fortune. Commoners also like to carve, but images of the god and the snakes must be carefully engraved, so they carve animals instead.

"More than anywhere else, Wu T'ai has kept the old culture of the mountain people," says Wang Ch'ang-hua, research assistant at the Academia Sinica. Maybe so, but most young people leave the town, with the old staying behind and maintaining the traditions, one of which is stone houses. Other places in Taiwan have stone buildings, but modernization is quickly taking its toll, and Wu T'ai remains the only town composed completely of stone houses. The furniture and beds inside are similarly made of stone.

Lu K'ai culture has several interesting customs. For example, deer horns and strings of pigs' teeth commonly adorn the interiors of Wu T'ai households, representing hunting success and male prowess. In another tradition, the bride on her wedding day sends gifts to each of her former suitors. The women usually wear long black or blue dresses, resembling the traditional Chinese ch'i-p'ao, with colorful bound leggings. Leggings are worn even with skirts, for to do otherwise would be immodest and impolite.

Located at the southern foot of the Central Mountain Range, Wu T'ai has an area of 278 square kilometers, where less than 4,000 people live. Most of the land is either dry plain or forest, and the inhabitants eke out a living growing an assortment of crops. Altogether, there are six villages, between which run primitive roads and paths. Transportation to the rest of Taiwan is intermittent, dependent entirely on the villagers' small trucks. Without a schedule, they come and go as they please, and the steep and tortuous road that they travel back to Wu T'ai usually leaves the outsider with his heart in his mouth.

Often enshrouded in fog, Wu T'ai is a beautiful and tranquil place, over 1,000 meters above sea level. Protected by mountains, its climate is fairly mild, free from bracing winter winds and with an average temperature of 55° Fahrenheit.

Traveling to Wu T'ai is no weekend picnic. Because it is a specially protected mountain reservation, visitors must register twice at the government office, and service facilities are nonexistent, without even a restaurant or noodle stand. The unprepared tourist must be content with cookies from the two or three general stores, assuming that they happen to be open that day. Lodgings require similar good fortune; the sole hotel is run as a sideline and is as likely to be closed as it is to be open. But the traveler should turn in early, for every morning before five, the entire village bursts into song, whose sound reaches everywhere, even under the blanket where the outsider has hidden. Should that fail to arouse the sleeper, the staff will simply knock on the door and get him or her out of bed.

Singing is a favorite pastime at Wu T'ai. Anyone, at any time, will start singing, whether it be a mountain tune, a Taiwanese song or even a popular Mandarin hit. Practically every home owns a guitar. This spontaneity often affects the visitor, who soon finds himself unselfconsciously joining a passerby's tune, just as the natives do. Evenings though are quiet in Wu T'ai, and the motorcyclist from Pingtung who shatters the peace knows not how many teeth he sends gnashing.

To make ends meet, Wu T'ai people favor the "early to bed, early to rise" philosophy. There is little precipitation except for the summer rainy season, and the main crops are millet, maize, taro and peanuts. Millet is the staple food, with millet cakes being prepared for special guests, weddings and religious ceremonies. Homemade millet beer, which resembles thick milk and is said to be quite nutritious, also packs a strong kick. To the inexperienced, beware!

Mountain women are extremely able and industrious, plowing fields, brewing beer, and raising children. There is little that they can't weave, making all sorts of mats and baskets for household use. As the land is poor in natural resources, they are expert in making use of so-called "trash."

"Homemade things are made better and last longer than what you find in the store," says one woman pointing to a seat cushion she made. "It'll last for ten years. The color may darken, but it won't tear." Most tourists like the fine village handicrafts, which are better than most, being designed for home use, not for sale.

When weaving or embroidering, the women usually put up their hair in a wrap, inserting several leaves as well. Tradition has it that because they didn't cut their hair, Lu K'ai women were obliged to bind it up, and then added the leaves for good looks. Still a popular practice, white lillies are particularly favored, since they denote women of noble status.

These then are the people of Wu T'ai, who wear flowers in their hair, love singing, drink millet beer, live in stone houses, and carve on every wall. Asked why they wouldn't prefer to join the modern world, they'll reply, "Too much trouble. Our ancestors lived like this and so can we. Why change?" One hopes that the forces of "civilization" will take these words to heart, and take care not to spoil this very special culture.

(Mark Halperin)

[Picture Caption]

1. Needing little water, millet is the chief crop of the mountain people. Harvested in spring and fall, millet grains here are being sifted. 2. Such carvings can be found everywhere in Wu T'ai.

1. Wu T'ai women usually wear yarn in their hair, then insert some leaves inside. Besides being pretty, the practice also helps to beat the summer heat. 2. Located over 1000 meters above sea level, Wu T'ai can only be reached by this long and serpentine road. 3. Wu T'ai is the largest village in the district. 4. Hard working women bear homemade baskets on their way to the fields.

1. Wu T'ai women are skilled weavers, and often pass the time weaving baskets. 2. Making use of "trash" is a specialty of the mountain people. One practice is to peel peach blossom stems, dry them in the sun, and then weave them into mats. 3. Little concrete is found in Wu T'ai, whose stone walls are often inlaid with traditional carvings.

1. 70% of the people in Wu T'ai are Christians, and attending Sunday church services is an important part of their lives. 2. Bound leggings, skirts, and covered heads--the typical dress of Wu T'ai women. 3. Even while hanging up laundry, mountain people like to smoke. Chewing betel nuts is also popular.

1. This hempen sack and broom are both homemade. 2. These primitive, child-like engravings, made of wood, probably represent the god and snakes of Lu K'ai myth. 3. This woman is pounding millet, which will later be made into millet beer.

Mountain children have many ways to amuse themselves. 1. Here a youth rides a toy, while working on his own private construction project. 2. "Maybe it was a little dirty, but so much fun!" 3. Tired after a morning of play, two boys rest on the cool terrace.

2. Such carvings can be found everywhere in Wu T'ai.

1. Wu T'ai women usually wear yarn in their hair, then insert some leaves inside. Besides being pretty, the practice also helps to beat the summer heat.

2. Located over 1000 meters above sea level, Wu T'ai can only be reached by this long and serpentine road.

3. Wu T'ai is the largest village in the district.

4. Hard working women bear homemade baskets on their way to the fields.

1. Wu T'ai women are skilled weavers, and often pass the time weaving baskets.

2. Making use of "trash" is a specialty of the mountain people. One practice is to peel peach blossom stems, dry them in the sun, and then weave them into mats.

3. Little concrete is found in Wu T'ai, whose stone walls are often inlaid with traditional carvings.

1. 70% of the people in Wu T'ai are Christians, and attending Sunday church services is an important part of their lives.

2. Bound leggings, skirts, and covered heads--the typical dress of Wu T'ai women.

3. Even while hanging up laundry, mountain people like to smoke. Chewing betel nuts is also popular.

1. This hempen sack and broom are both homemade.

2. These primitive, child-like engravings, made of wood, probably represent the god and snakes of Lu K'ai myth.

3. This woman is pounding millet, which will later be made into millet beer.

Mountain children have many ways to amuse themselves. 1. Here a youth rides a toy, while working on his own private construction project.

2. "Maybe it was a little dirty, but so much fun!".

3. Tired after a morning of play, two boys rest on the cool terrace.