The Pingtung County Government on Tuesday approved the listing of heritage sites, ceremonies and protection of Paiwan artifacts.
The artifacts include a skull altar and ceremonial house with a wall relief of human faces, both in Wangjia Township’s (望嘉) old village; the former Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) railroad crossing through Chaojhou Township (潮州); the Chang family’s ancestral residence in the north gate area of Hengchun Township (恆春); the Shan Mu Catholic Church in Sinpi Township (新埤); maljeveq ceremonies — a ceremony to worship ancestors — in the Bailu (白鷺) and Wangjia townships (望嘉); the pusau ceremony — a ceremony to send ancestors away — in Laiyi Township (來義), and a ceremonial procession called xun nan ding (巡男丁) in Pingtung County’s Haifong Township (海豐).
The government said the rack of skulls in Laiyi Township is the largest among Paiwan relics, and is the most well-preserved altar made from human skulls, a site that experts believe dates back 400 years.
Laiyi Township Mayor Tou Wang-yi (竇望義) said the altar was built over many years and has many skulls that Paiwan warriors took when head-hunting — a practice that proved the mettle of a warrior and maximized the use of limited resources among different villages.
The ceremonial house with a wall relief of human faces has seen generations of Paiwan worship, Tou said, adding that the building was also important for tracing the migration of the Cimo people.
It is believed that Cimos migrated to Taiwan from Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) and then split into two subgroups, one remaining in Laiyi Township and being assimilated with Paiwans, while another group crossed the mountains into Taitung, later merging with a group of Puyuma people.
The county government’s Department of Cultural Affairs said that Wangjia Township’s old village played an important role in the history of the Paiwan people and suggested that the area become a “cultural sightseeing” destination.
The government said it listed a railway bridge as a designated heritage site in an effort to prevent further damage, after a planned cycle path across the bridge caused damage last year.
The catholic church in Sinpi was built in 1965 using pebble stones from the nearby Laiyi River (來義溪). German architects hired by the Order of Preachers designed the church, known for its unusual hexagonal roof.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not