Popular author Lin Kwei-yu (林奎佑), better known by his pen name Yufu (魚夫), on Wednesday led a group on a tour of Pingtung County’s attractions to promote local tourism and his new book, Pingtung: A Tour Through My Beloved Hometown (戀戀故鄉屏東行).
Published last month, the book is an introduction to the author’s favorite historic sites and street food vendors, which he walked through with the tour group.
“Visiting a city is about strolling through the city and enjoying its street food. Pingtung is an excellent destination for both,” Lin said.
The one-day tour, which he co-organized with the Pingtung County Cultural Affairs Department, assembled at Pingtung Railway Station for a tour of the surrounding district, which is rich in Japanese colonial era sites, such as Wude Temple (武德殿) and the former Yamato Hotel, Lin said.
The group lunched at Minzu Night Market (民族夜市), which Lin calls the “Kitchen of Pingtung,” to sample his personal recommendations before heading to the former Shengli-Zongren (勝利崇仁) military dependents’ village and cultural park.
“Minzu Night Market has the finest food south of Tainan: bawan (肉圓), savory rice cakes (碗粿), pork chops, Taiwanese-style Japanese food, danzi noodles (擔仔麵) and shaved ice. What we need is integrated marketing,” Lin said.
“This place holds the memories of my generation and that of my father. We know most of the venues’ proprietors well and I have introduced a lot of them in a show on Formosa TV,” he said.
At the former military dependents’ village, the group visited general Sun Li-jen’s (孫立人) former residence, the former official residence of the military academy’s principal, known as the General’s House (將軍之屋), and the Military Song Museum.
Numerous historical figures and celebrities have lived in the village, including Sun, movie star Hsu Kuei-ying (徐貴櫻) and author Chang Hsiao-feng (張曉風), Lin said.
“General Sun had a momentous impact on history and he led a dramatic life. I think he should become the face of Pingtung’s military dependents’ village culture,” he said.
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