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A ballad said, “Black-faced spoonbills fly over snow season and snow land,
gound on Tseng-Wen River. Black-faced spoonbills fly to the western Anping of
Tainan and to Cigu Tseng-Wen River. “ This song indicates that the endangered
black-faced spoonbills take Taijiang as their second hometown due to the
wetlands enviroment of Tseng-Wen River and Cicao.
Why do these northern travelers fly thousand miles with their families to
East Asia —Taiwan? Plentiful food for the migratory birds is the answer, no
matter the cultivation of milkfish but also the biodiversity of Tseng-Wen River
wetlands.
In 1823, severe rainstorm triggered Tseng-Wen River’s diversion that caused
lands emerged from the Taijiang inland sea. Most of lands in Annan district and
Cigu district was formed in this way. Local residents cultivated fish farms to
breed milkfish. Therefore, the gatherings of fish farms and dishes of milkfish
characterised Tainan’s milkfish culture as the description in the song of
“ Counting Fingerling”.
Taijiang used to be a wide inland sea and an ancient battlefield in Taiwan. It
was also a famed international habor in Ming and Qing Dynasty. Nevertheless,
time brings great changes to Taijiang. The biggest remnant of inland sea remains
Cigu lagoon. Oyster racks become the beautiful scene of lagoon. Moreover,
oyster cultivation and harvest become the major economic sources for the
female locals.
Newly tourism industries formed by various of sea food, processed food of
milkfish, scene of oyster racks, salt-pan remnant, Anping site and tunnels of
acient canal are replacing traditional industries gradually. They also create the
stunning scene of Taijiang, the home of black-faced spoonbills.
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