An exhibition of prehistoric heritage showcasing the cultures of Austronesian-speaking aboriginals and Han Chinese opened Sept. 14 in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien Railway Cultural Park.
Featuring items from Hwa-Gang archaeological site, the exhibition traces the development of civilization on Taiwan through the Neolithic Period, Iron Age and Japanese colonial period between 1895 and 1945,” said Jiang Chia-jen, secretary of Hualien County Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau.
“It is a time tunnel that takes us back through the ages to glimpse the lives and wisdom of our ancestors.”
Jiang, who made the remarks at the opening ceremony, was accompanied by Chao Chin-yung and Liu Yi-chang, research fellows of Taipei City-based Academia Sinica’s Institute of History and Philology, as well as Lin Tung-hsin, principal of Hwa-Gang Junior High School.
Commissioned by the bureau, work on the dig was led by Chao and Liu.
“The site was originally designated as the home of Hwa-Gang Junior High School’s new building,” Chao said. “But long before that, it was located under Hwa-Gang Mountain and emerged over time as a result of geographic movements.”
Over the past five years, Chao said, the team has discovered prehistoric glass and agate marbles, ceramic cups, grindstones, net sinkers and stone knives, as well as bowls, ovens and glass bottles from the Japanese period.
“The glass marbles originated in India some 2,500 years ago and are evidence that Austronesian-speaking aboriginals were capable of conducting ocean-going voyages, international trade and possessed a world view,” he added.
Liu said the team also found stones used as cooking utensils. “The aboriginals’ methods of putting red-hot pebbles into vessels to cook food or wrapping ingredients in tree leaves can be traced back 4,000 to 5,000 years ago.”
The exhibition, which wraps up Nov. 10, is open to the public free of charge. (RC-JSM)
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