Eternal Spring: Part Six / 永遠の春：第六巻 / 永遠之春天：己

還有一些恆春的照片想分享。

Just a handful of remaining photos from the Hungchwun area.  First some assorted scenery photos:

恆春の最後の写真。

有簡體字的意思就是，對中國觀光客提醒。

A notice not to litter, pointedly written in both real and simplified Chinese letters.  They use simplified letters in China, so we all know which tourists this sign is aimed at.

正体字と簡体字どちらもある看板はポイ捨てしない様に注意している。台湾は簡体字を使っていないが、中国は使っているので、これは明らかに中国観光客向け。

台灣島最南端

Some weird monument at the southernmost tip of the island of Taiwan.

台湾島最南端

The southernmost point

日治時代建立的紀念牌。是紀念牡丹社事件。

Up north a bit is this monument erected by the Japanese government.  The Japanese government's first foray into Taiwan was the 1874 Botan Incident.  This was actually a huge incident in the history of Japan, Taiwan, Qing Manchuria, and the Ryukyu Kingdom.  A shipload of people from one of the Ryukyu islands washed up on Taiwan and were attacked by local Paiwanese people.  Japan sued Manchuria over this, and because of how the Qing government responded, they de facto acknowledged Japanese rule over Ryukyu.  (They contested this interpretation, of course.)  Furthermore, the Qing responded that the actions of "uncivilized" tribes on the island were not their responsibility, thereby weakening their claim to be in control of the island.

The Japanese decided to solve the problem of the murdered sailors themselves and sent an invasion force.  They killed a bunch of Paiwanese people, but eventually pulled out before the thing blew up into a full-out war with Manchuria.  However, this incident did a lot to reveal the weakness of the Qing government, and gave the Japanese government confidence to eventually go to war with them in 1895 and receive the whole island of Taiwan as part of the peace negotiations.

１８７４年の牡丹事件の記念碑。これは日本政府が建てたものだけど、戦後の反日運動によって元々あった文字がなくなっている。（この写真は後ろ姿だけど、下に正面の写真もある。）この事件は日本、琉球、台湾、清朝の歴史に大きく関わっている。この事件によって琉球王国は完全に日本の支配下に入った。清朝の台湾に対する領土主張も弱くなって、日本は１８９５年に清朝と戦争する自信があったのはこの事件も関係しているだろう。そして１８９５年の日清戦争によると、台湾が日本の植民地になった。

The letters have, of course, been changed.  Like many Japanese-era monuments, this one did not survive the post-war anti-Japanese movement untouched.

原本的字沒有了。應該是戰後反日運動的結果。

台上以前好像有東西可是我不知道什麼東西。

There was something here originally.  It was probably put up by the Japanese government and was therefore torn down by the Chinese Nationalist government when they took over Taiwan.

この台の上に何かあっただろう。

四周美麗

The surrounding countryside.

周辺の様子