The greenbelt park that runs along the Dongsing irrigation ditches, part of the High Speed Rail urban planning for Jhubei City, conserves eight historic sites and buildings, as well as some historic trees. The irrigation ditch runs through an area with many new buildings and seven schools on either side along its length.
During the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, the Lin clan from Raoping county in China’s Guangdong province, including Lin Hsien-kun, cultivated 30 hectares of land in the Dongsing Community area, calling it Liuchangli. Wanting to increase agricultural productivity, the Lin family clan got together and built the Dongsing irrigation ditches, starting at Wuzuowu in Cyonglin Township, irrigating several hundred hectares of land with water from the Toucian River, for a length of around 5 kilometers. The area is called Lioujia — literally “six families” — and there is a theory that this name comes from the phrase “six houses of Raoping,” which referred to the six main family lineages of the Lin family clan.
For many years the Dongsing irrigation ditches have performed many purposes, from the early function of irrigation to the current uses of flood retention, water catchment, ecology, landscaping and soil conservation, carrying life-giving water and connecting six families.
(Liberty Times, translated by Paul Cooper)
Photo: Liao Hsueh-ju, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者廖雪茹攝
竹北高鐵都市計畫東興圳沿線的綠帶公園,保存了八處古蹟與歷史建築和老樹,周邊新建大樓林立,還有七所學校分佈水圳兩側。
清乾隆年間,中國廣東饒平人林先坤等林姓宗族,在東興社開墾田地三十甲, 稱為「六張犁」; 為提高農業生產力,林姓宗族合力修築東興圳,以芎林五座屋為圳頭,引頭前溪水灌溉數百甲田地,全長約五公里。而今日六家的地名由來,有一說源於饒平六屋, 也就是林姓宗族六大世系。
東興圳從早年的灌溉功能,到現代滯洪、集水、生態、景觀及涵養土壤等多項用途,都是串聯六家的生命之水。
(自由時報記者廖雪茹 )
Huge stretches of coral reef around the world are turning a ghostly white this year amid record warm ocean temperatures. On April 15, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the world’s fourth mass global bleaching event is underway — with serious consequences for marine life and for the people and economies that rely on reefs. WHAT ARE CORALS? Corals are invertebrates that live in colonies. Their calcium carbonate secretions form hard and protective scaffolding that serves as a home to many colorful species of single-celled algae. The two organisms have evolved over millennia to work together, with corals providing shelter to algae,
Taiwanese cuisine boasts a rich culture of thick soups, with various options available at street vendors or high-end restaurants. In English, this style of dish is typically called “thick soup.” Western cuisine typically uses flour, cream, or mashed vegetables to create a creamy consistency, while in Taiwan, thick soups are made by simply incorporating food starch into the soup and creating a smooth and silky texture. Tutuo fish in thick soup is such a soup with fried tutuo fish chunks, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and wood ears. 台灣羹品飲食文化豐富,無論是巷口小店或是高檔餐廳,都有提供羹料理。羹在英文稱作「濃湯」,西式濃湯是以麵粉、鮮奶油、蔬菜泥等達到濃稠的口感,台灣的羹湯用太白粉即能做出濃稠絲滑的湯頭。土魠魚羹就是在勾芡的羹湯中加入炸土魠魚塊、香菇、竹筍、木耳等食材的料理。 boast (v.) 擁有(令人驕傲的事物) consistency (n.) 濃稠度 chunk (n.) 厚塊,大塊 wood ear (n. ph.) 木耳 The star of this
In Taiwan, a quick stop at a local convenience store allows you to grab a hot dog whenever you want. But have you ever wondered how this popular snack got its unique name and became a leading light of American cuisine? First, the name “hot dog” is actually a combination of different ideas. Vendors called the sausages “red hot” to get customers to buy one fresh off their grills. As for the “dog” part, it’s a playful joke to compare the meat of the sausage to that of a dog—specifically , a dachshund. This small, long dog breed was
A: Also, police seized seven pornographic videos featuring minors that entertainer Mickey Huang purchased in his hard disc. B: That’s just outrageous! A: His ex-girlfriend entertainer Little S and some others are calling for a legal amendment to increase the penalty. B: The buyers and sellers should both be punished heavily. A: But the porn sellers’ Web sites are mostly overseas, so they are hard to catch. A: 此外警方也在黃子佼的硬碟裡,查到7部他買的未成年色情片。 B: 真是令人火大! A: 他的前女友小S等人,還呼籲修法,加重相關的罰則。 B: 購買者和販賣者雙方都該重罰。 A: 不過色情網站大多設在海外要抓也不容易吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)