| 摘要: | Originating from Lu Tzuan Ta Shan, the Hou Lung River empties itself into the Taiwan Strait near the town of Hou Lung. With a length of 58 kilometers and few tributaries, the river, compared to the others in Taiwan, can only- be classified as a second or even a third degree one. However, the characterics of its regime are among the most outstanding ones in Taiwan in spite of its short length. Take the slope of the river bed for instance, the slope of the river bed of the Hou Lung River is steeper than that of many others in Taiwan, and can be considered to be one of the steepest.
If we start from the beginning and follow its course forward, we can find that the river flows precipitously down the high mountains and into the rough kill region. The channel is steep and narrow, above all, at Chu Huang K'eng, where the river cuts through Mt. Pa Chiao Tung and forms a gorge, only ten meters in width. After passing Fu Chi, the river begins to widen its bed and wanders in a wide plain, that is generally called ”Mioli Basin”, and produces two large meanders at Tung Lo and Tou Wu, together forming a segimoid ”S”. What energy has produced such a strange and interesting topographic phenomanon? According to many vestiges having been found or energies still in process, the author would like to consider the gorge as an antecedent valley, and the Mioli Basin as a fruit of river erosion, not a tectonic basin, since till now we can't find any fault around there. A Japanese geologist pointed out a few decades ago that the fault extending from Taichung basin passes along Tung Lo highland Via San Ⅰ, but, through the careful investigation of Chinese geologists after World War Ⅱ, it was proved that the so-called Tung Lo fault just came from the vacumn, and suggested that the fault turns right to the direction of Ta Hu at San Ⅰ.
The river flows through seven rural areas and towns; Tai An, Ta Hu, Kung Kuan, Tung Lo, Moili, Tou Wu and Hou Lung, more than five-hundred kilometers square in area. It contains various types of lands: high mountains, valleys, hills, basins and sea shore plain. Generally speaking, we can divide them into three principal topographic parts from the sea shore backward to the high mountains region: (1) plain (0-100 meter high above sea level) including sea shore wind-alluvium plain and Moili Basin, (2) hill region around the plain belt, (100-500 M), and (3) in the most eastern part, the high mountain region (above 500 M). The climate and soil are also diversified according to the various landforms. For example, rainfall increases from West to East, where-as temperature and sunshine decrease from sea shore to the high mountain region. The soils, of course, are different from the plain to the mountain region; in the plain, all belong to alluvium soils and regosol; in the hill belt, various types of red earth; and in the high mountain region, lithosols with partly podzolic soils.
Not only are the natural features varied, but the human activities also have their own different ways. There are three principal races here: South-Fukienese, Hakkas, and Mountain tribe. The first two belong to the Chinese people, while the last, it is said, is of the Malaysian race. Based upon historical and geographical background, these three races distribute themselves in belts; the South-Fukienese gather in the sea shore plain; Hakkas, the absolute majority in the region, reside in the whole Moili basin and the hill belt; and the Mountain tribe is limited to the high mountain region. The dialects and settlemental forms are also so colorful that, when you take a trip from the western sea shore, crossing the hill belt, to the mountain region, you may be well surprised and wonder if it's possible for such a short distance to contain so diverse a ”human landscape”.
Agriculture is perhaps the only important production in the region. Since topographically the major part of this region is mountains and hill the upland farmings are very popular, and some of them are beyond their physical limitation or capabilities. In the plain belt, rice paddies can be seen here and there. Only in the most eastern part of this region can you find virgin forest in high mountains. The principal agriculture products are: rice, sweet potatos, peanuts, tea, citronella oil, silk and water melon. These products are known all over Taiwan, especially citronella oil, silk and water melon which hold the foremost place in both quality and quantity. Nevertheless, there still exist some serious problems which have limited the further development of agriculture in this region, such as: misuse of farmland, soil erosion, ect.
The development of industry and tourist business are a new trend in Taiwan today. The industry of this region is still in its primary stage, lagging far behind the general standard in Taiwan, not to mention the advanced countries. It's also true in talking about the tourist business. Notwithstanding these facts, the industry and tourist business of this region, with the excellent location and senic landscape, are potentially full of promise. According to the geographical view the author has suggested the west sea shore for developing an industrial belt, and the east mountain region for tourist business. These two extreme sides are economically undeveloped in the region. If we can improve these two places, it will help develop the whole river basin. And I think, based on the geographically point of view, it's not difficult to improve them. |
