Lishan--Mountain of Pears

Lishan, or Mountain of Pears, located at the half-way point on the famed East-West Cross-Island Highway in Taiwan, is a center noted for its beauty and profusion of riches. Lishan is named for its pears, but the first fruit grown there was sour and tough. With government aid, however, the pears produced today are the best on the island of Taiwan. Since Lishan is several thousand feet above sea level, the vegetables grown there are particularly tasty. Most meat eaters become temporary vegetarians when they stay at Lishan, and often take fruit and vegetables with them when they leave. The reclamation work at Lishan was started by retired servicemen who cooperated with the aborigines already living in the area. Its peaceful and picturesque setting also enabled Lishan to be developed into a popular tourist area. Sometimes, the number of visitors reaches 5,000 a day, many of whom are houses in more than 60 hotels at the resort, which are rated from modest to luxurious.

The most famous and luxurious hotel there is the Lishan Hostel, built in ornate Chinese palace style with modern conveniences such as a swimming pool, tennis court and bowling alleys. A 15-minute walk to the east brings one to the Fushoushan Farm, operated by the Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen and occupying an area of 800 hectares. There are 15 villages with more than 300 residents in the vicinity of the farm, which has 5,000 apple trees, 4,000 pear trees and 3,000 peach trees. Under normal conditions, each tree yields 2,000 fruit a year on the average. One of the most productive trees produces 8,000 apples a year. The late President Chiang Kai-shek used to visit the farm every year, and had a special affection for the sinewy pines growing there. At the highest point on the farm, there is a small stretch of water known as the Heavenly Lake.

Eight kilometers off the branch road from Lishan to Ilan, another well-known farm, Wuling, can be found. All the farmers there are retired servicemen, each of whom has been provided with 0.3 hectares of land to grow fruit and vegetables. The farmers' average monthly income is NT$12,000 (US$315), more than three times higher than Taiwan's average per capita income. A 20-acre vegetable farm brought in NT$7.3 million (US$192,000) for its second crop this year. Because of Wuling Farm's many cultural and recreational facilities, and its scenic setting, the government authorities are planning to develop the area into a national park. A ski slope will be set aside for the winter months, and trout streams will be a summer attraction. In addition, the reservoir at Wuling is ideal for boating.

Before the highway was built in 1960, there were about 2,500 aborigines in the Lishan area living off the land reserved for them by the government. With the opening of the cross-island highway to traffic, however, they began to use the land to grow fruit, resulting in today's bonanza. The aborigines in the area now have the best-furnished farm homes some of which have wall-to-wall carpeting. Many of them own cars, perhaps giving rise to one of most unusual sights in the Lishan area- -an elderly aborigine woman sporting a full set of facial tattoos seated at the wheel of a car. This is envied by people on the plains.

Despite their new-found affluence, aborigines living at Lishan have never neglected the spiritual side of their lives.

Most of them are pious Christians who worship at one of the two churches at Lishan. The Presbyterian church has been built with more than NT$4 million (US$100,000) contributed by the aborigines themselves.

After Sunday services, the farmers often exchange experiences gained during the course of their work.

The other church, built from funds raised by Madame Chiang Kai-shek, was often honored by the late President as worshiper. The President was the most revered figure in Lishan, and on hearing of his passing two years ago, many aborigines wept openly. Later, they appeared on television to sing hymns in praise of the beloved leader, providing a moving experience for viewers.

The church is now in the charge of Paster Pai, as he is known to the aborigines. The pastor also runs a kindergarten with two teachers and 30 children at the church.

In such a peaceful setting, the children seem more content and the teachers more patient than in the bustling cities and villages on the plains.

Lishan has a brisk fruit market, which attracts hundreds of buyers from the plains everyday. Huang Hsin was an outstanding fruit grower among the retired servicemen, who were resettled at Lishan, and owns a two-acre orchard, producing apples, peaches and pears. Before he was settled down in, 1966, by the government he didn't know what an apple tasted like. But now he has an annual income of more than US$10,000 from the fruits. He lives in a four-bedroom house and leads a comfortable and affluent life in the mountainous town with his wife and two daughters right. When he meets guests, he never forgets to express his gratitude to the government.

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Aborigines at Lishan have modern facilities in life, including cars and gas ranges. Dresses of young women are westernized, but old women still sport facial tattoos.

Apples are expensive in subtropical Taiwan. They are often used for gifts. Indigenous growers at Lishan make longevity marks on their apples by shading them with black paper patterns. As most Chinese are auspiciousness-minded, they buy such apples at double prices. Maybe, this is a way to make the Lishan growers rich.

Right: Grower Huang Hsin, his wife and their two daughters. Huang is among the most prosperous retired servicemen at Lishan.