Qualla: Jiadong

Jiadong: Introduction

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Dquai, CC BY-SA 4.0. On October 11, 1895, the correspondent James W. Davidson rode into what he described as a village "surrounded by a low stone wall loop-holed for rifle fire," a body of water nearly encircling it. He was there to witness or report what happened next: Japanese forces attacked Jiadong as part of their systematic conquest of Taiwan, set several houses on fire, and won. The battle lasted long enough to mark the historical record but not long enough to turn the tide. The Republic of Formosa — the short-lived state that had declared independence to resist the Japanese takeover — had already lost its capital. Jiadong was one more step in a foregone conclusion.

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Image: Dquai | CC BY-SA 4.0

Jiadong: Katangkha: The First Name

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit JeanHavoc, CC BY-SA 4.0. Before the Hakka farmers arrived, before the Japanese renamed everything, before the Republic of Formosa existed as even an idea, this place was called Katangkha. It was the home of the Makatao people, one of the Pingpu tribes — the plains-dwelling indigenous peoples of western T...

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Image: JeanHavoc | CC BY-SA 4.0

Jiadong: The Battle of Chiatung

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit ellery, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Battle of Chiatung on October 11, 1895, was a small engagement in a large tragedy. The Treaty of Shimonoseki had ceded Taiwan to Japan earlier that year, and a group of Taiwanese officials and citizens had responded by declaring the Republic of Formosa — an act of resistance ...

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Image: ellery | CC BY-SA 4.0

Jiadong: Twelve Villages, One Township

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Taiwankengo, CC BY-SA 4.0. Today Jiadong Township is a quiet rural place in eastern Pingtung County, its 31 square kilometers divided among 12 villages: Changlong, Datong, Fenglong, Jiadong, Laijia, Liugen, Qiangyuan, Shiguang, Wanjian, Wenfeng, Yanwen, and Yuguang. Its population of roughly 17,838 makes i...

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Image: Taiwankengo | CC BY-SA 4.0

Jiadong: A Director's Hometown

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit 雅婕, CC BY-SA 4.0. Jiadong's most internationally recognized native son is Chung Mong-hong, the film director, screenwriter, and cinematographer whose work has brought him recognition across the Taiwanese film industry and beyond. Chung's films are known for their meticulous visual construction — n...

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Image: 雅婕 | CC BY-SA 4.0