Land property,Irrigated system,Settlements-The composition of a traditional agricultural settlements on the region of Kao-mei in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Yi-Ting Cheng, 鄭伊婷
• Other Authors: Wei-Zhou Wang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2006
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/83728984049111314477

碩士 === 華梵大學 === 建築學系碩士班 === 94 === Taiwan has a narrow shape and short, rapid water flows from its river streams which originate from its centralized high ground of terrains and mountains. This topology divides Taiwan’s water supplies unevenly throughout its body. Throughout Taiwan’s history of settlement and land development, early Sino settlers had better knowledge and skills than the “flat-land” aborigines with regard to water distribution and irrigation development, This level of understanding underpinned the viability of their settlements for more than two hundred years and is both still relevant to the current farming villages and evident in the area formations that we see today. Reasons for the topic discussions, on Land property, Irrigated system, and Settlements that are specifically within the Kao-mei region, are: 1. the region of Kao-mei is a delta which was formed at the lower stream of the Tacha river, and clear descriptions and changes within this region can be seen in many historical citations and documents. 2. Kao mei’s irrigation area now covers the five districts of Kao mei today. Since the Ching Dynasty, this region has been categorized as an independent area, and has been representated as having a body of community and society of its own. 3. Most of the farmlands within this region have not been reorganized, therefore, evidence of land utilization and Irrigated system can still be traced from the process of early settlement. This assists research and analysis into early Sino settlement in this particular region. 4. This particular agricultural region is part of the central regional development plan that is part of the specially designated area of Taichung port. Agricultural developments still remain as its primary specialty and focus for the presence and future within this region, and hopefully, this research and investigation will bring benefits and be of value to future development and study of this particular region. This thesis includes records and investigations into early settlements, villages and towns formation, in particular the development of Land property and Irrigated systems, and the religion and temples that evolved in this region. It covers a sequence of detailed analyses from social and political backgrounds, land ownership, irrigation development and utilization, and the religious sphere, with an emphasis on a dissection that focuses on the early development of the Sino settlement and historical transitions dated from the era of the Manchurian dynasty up to the industrialization period. The results of this research show that the development of settlements is initiated by the availability of water and land – essential elements - and is extended further by social and religious aspects as developments progress. This research uses the Kao-mei region as an example, and identifies the religious sphere, water and irrigation utilization as relational components for its coexistence and development in this particular region.