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Q1：How did you come up with the name
Swan-Lien-Pei ?
A1： Basically, the name itself says it all. It is a joint of
two lakes, one big and the other small. The larger one is
named as the “Elder Sister Lake.” It is of 500 meters in
length and 300 meters in width. Waterweeds grow by the lake
and the bamboos too, by the bank of the pond.
The smaller lake is named as the “Little Sister Lake” with a
length of 200 meters, a width of 100 meters. With the
deposit of soil from the mountain, the waterweeds have grown
all over this area, and became a swamp. It is especially
beautiful in late autumn. The whole field is full of
Miscanthus floridulus. It is really beautiful.
Q2：There are some really special
architecture on our way to Swan-Lien-Pei.
Do they have any special meanings?
A2：There was a horrific murder happened about 120 years ago.
Back in the past, the Hakka people and the aborigine lived
separately and had their own life in peace. However, when
one tribe crosses the boundary, the other kills them all.
The murder happened when one Hakka crossed the boundary and
was attacked by the aborigine. Hakka villagers went in hope
to help him, but found a bloody beheaded body. According to
their custom, a body without a head is not allowed to be
buried in the village. Therefore, they could only bury the
victim in the aborigine’s property. That is exactly the
special buildings that you saw on your way here.
Q3：What are the unique plants that are
only found here at Swan-Lien-Pei?
A3：Most plants that you can find here are unique, and can be
found only here. Good examples would be Salix kusanoi (Hayata)
Schneider and Trapa bispinosa Roxb. var. iinumai Nakano,
which are easily identified.
Salix kusanoi (Hayata) Schneider are oval or needle like in
shape. You would find a heart shape base on the leaves.
Trapa bispinosa Roxb. var. iinumai Nakano looks just like
water chestnut. It also resembles human shape if you look
from a certain angle, thus people here regard this plant as
a guardian angel.
Q4：What do you think about the
evolution of Swan-Lien-Pei?
A4：It takes at least 30 minutes drive to the nearest
village. So its natural beauty is preserved. Swan-Lien-Pei
is actually a private estate, and it is sold to a business
man in Taipei. The pond water has been outflow, so the clear
water can no longer be found. Although the
County Government
applied to make this area an ecological protected zone, the
application was not yet accepted. The environment and its
ecology are now greatly damaged.
Q5：What are the main reasons of
Swan-Lien-Pei’s failure in ecological protection?
A5: Since Swan-Lien-Pei is privately owned, the legislation
can not be changed as to preserve it. The legislation now
can not offer protection to the natural resources of
privately owned land. Whatever landowner do on the land,
they are not violating the laws, as the lands are privately
owned. The economical value of farming is far more important
to the landowners, so, there wasn’t way to stop them from
damaging its natural resources. Most of the residents here
are 50-70 in age and they do not expect their offsprings to
inherit the land. As a result, they sold them out. They do
not care about preserving nature environment. All the
aforementioned worsen the situation.
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