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Hualien is a region of multi-ethnicity. The studies of its immigrants, however, were mostly centered on the migration course of one single ethnicity. Some focus on the development of Hualien as a whole, while others split it into three different eras, examining the immigration of Han people in Qing, Japanese in colonial period, and immigration from other provinces in KMT era. As a matter of fact, the immigration of different ethnic groups varied in their time of arrival and geographical distribution due to the different historical backgrounds of each period. By making use of the demographic statistics of late Qing and Japanese period, this research aims to depict the ethnic groups’ state of distribution and its changes over time, and, through investigation of the ethnic distribution, the use of daily language and the marital relationships, to enhance better understanding of the ethnic relationshi ps of Hualien.
Generally speaking, there is a great difference of immigrating ethnic groups and their distribution between late Qing and Japanese period. The former consists of Hans, plain aborigines in the north and the Kavalans in the south. The latter, on the other hand, consists of Hans and Japanese immigrants. With the plain aborigines and Kavalans occupying the northern and southern ends, and the Hans clustering in Hualien plain, neighboring Amis villages, the northern part of Hualien Rift-valley was left uninhabited until late Qing period except for some garrison. This blank area then turned out to be the best choice for Japanese capitalists and the Japanese government’s migration villages. That was the reason for the rapid growth and increasing population of this area during Japanese period. Among the new inhabitants were Japanese immigrants and the more prosperous Hans--Hokkien and Hakka. Due to their different industrial development and historical backgrounds, the Hokkien gathered in Hualien plain, the northern part of Hualien Rift-valley, and a small part dispersed along the valley in main towns; while the Hakka clustered in the newly-cultivated Fenglin and Yuli areas.
When observing the ethnic distribution, daily language and marital status, it’s easy to find a clear boundary between these ethnic groups. Each group used one single language, that was, their traditional language, and only a few people used more than two languages. Examples of intermarriages were scarce. In the case of Chunwei town, the intermarriage between Hokkien and Amis began in late Qing when Amis was the majority and Han the minority. However, after the Hans boomed in Japanese period and made marriage within the same ethnic group a possibility, cases of intermarriages reduced. In other words, the equalization of Han and Amis population had lowered the percentage of intermarriages, and from the example of Chunwei town, the marriage relationships between these groups can be used as an index to indicate the distinct ethnic boundary, which was strengthened as population grew. When taking into consideration the ethnic relationships, the Hokkiens have been building better relationships with the Amis since the Qing dynasty in aspects like geographic distribution, language use, and intermarriages.
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