The settlements on these hills were founded over two hundred years ago by Hakka people who crossed the sea from the mountainous regions of Guangdong. In the…
Multilingual AI audio guide exhibit on WOUDiO (PWA). WOUDiO pioneered the world’s first audio guide platform with built-in donation: listeners can support the cultural venue without leaving the listening experience. The text below is the localized description, details, and narration script for this audio guide stop.
The settlements on these hills were founded over two hundred years ago by Hakka people who crossed the sea from the mountainous regions of Guangdong.
In the southern part of Taoyuan — in areas such as Longtan, Yangmei, Pingzhen, and Xinwu — many Hakka people make their home. While the Hokkien people had already settled the flatlands along the coast, it is said that the Hakka went on to open up the hill country, where water was scarce.
Walking through these settlements, you'll find small shrines at the corners of the roads. These are Bak-gung — deities worshipped by the Hakka as guardians of the land. At the corner of a rice paddy, by the foot of a bridge, beneath a great tree — Bak-gung shrines are scattered throughout daily life.
The Hakka people sometimes describe themselves with the word "ngang-giang" — literally, "hard neck," meaning unyielding, tenacious. This spirit was forged through a life of digging ponds, planting tea, and growing rice on hills where water was hard to come by.
The number of people who speak Hakka is gradually declining across Taiwan. Today, efforts continue in schools and broadcasting to keep the language alive.
At the Bak-gung shrine, someone has already left an offering of fruit this morning.
