A typical juan cun at the foot of a moutain in northern Taiwan. Photo: Zhang Liwen 

By Du Guodong

In 1949, hundreds of thousands of defeated Kuomintang soldiers fled to Taiwan with their families and settled down in juan cuns, military dependents' villages. At the time, no one imagined that the temporary settlements would become permanent homes.

More than half a century later and a collection of memoirs written by 15 celebrities who grew up in the small villages, A Glimpse of Taiwan Military Villages (Bao Dao Juan Cun), has hit the shelves, providing an interesting insight into the lives of the refugees.

"Behind every family that relocated to Taiwan and settled in the villages there is a touching story of separation and nostalgia for their hometowns and relatives they left on the mainland," chief editor of the book Shaun Chang told the Global Times.

Chang explained that in her view, the establishment and unique environment created by the military villages have played a significant role in shaping Taiwan, with many still inhabited to this day.

Many household names were born or lived in the settlements, including singer Teresa Teng, actress Brigitte Lin, director Ang Lee and senior TV producer Wang Wei-zhong.

"It is such a special group of people, we relied on each other and always kept our doors open," Wang Wei-zhong said at the book's launch ceremony in Beijing earlier this month.

"The military village is not only a community but also a cherished memory for my parents who helped to set up villages and for us who grew up there," he added. "The experiences of living in the village enriched my whole life of artistic creation."

Currently a lecturer at Communication University of China and China Youth University for Political Sciences, editor Chang's grandfather took his imm-diate family to Taiwan, leaving her 3-year-old aunt on the mainland with relatives.

"I wanted to demonstrate how the immigrants to Taiwan fared, show their sorrows and dreams," Chang explained. "These stories are not only about the partings and reunions of ordinary people, but also a collective memory of the two sides of the Taiwan Straits."

"Juan cun is an unique historic and cultural product in Taiwan from which you can find cultural blends of different identities, linking immigrants to the local people," Chang added.

Taiwan's oldest juan cun near Taipei 101 Tower.

"In the book, readers can experience the courage and faith of the immigrants when facing radical changes of fate and how they lived and missed their homes in a distant and remote new settlement."

A Glimpse of Taiwan Military Villages gives readers a comprehensive overview of the formation and current conditions of the villages, its life, literature, love stories and culinary culture, presenting a colorful, dynamic picture of the city.

Wang explained that people living in these villages tended to keep to themselves in the early years of the resettlement, with relationships within the villages tight and people living like one big family.

With the passing of time, the lifestyles and customs between villagers and people surrounding them blended together, Chang explained, adding that a unique cultural mix ensued.

More than 1 million people resettled in juan cuns, with the oldest village still existing at the foot of Taiwan's Taipei 101 Tower.

Houses were often poorly constructed in haste, with straw roofs and mud and bamboo walls. As time went by, many of the villages were demolished and replaced by high rises. To this day, approximately 200 villages remain from an original 800-odd settlements.

"According to local government' schedule, as of 2009 the remaining villages have to be rebuilt and only a few representative places left as cultural relics and tourists spots," Chang explained.

She said that three representative villages have been preserved as museums and ecological parks in northern, central and southern Taiwan to keep the unique cultural diversities of the island alive.

In recent years, a number of literary works and art performances have also been produced in a bid to remember and protect the villages. Acclaimed Taiwan director and playwright Stan Lai produced the stage play The Village in 2008 that was performed on the mainland last year and was positively received both in Taiwan and on the main-land alike.

Book tag

A Glimpse of Taiwan Military Villages by Shaun Chang

213pp, China Renmin University Press, $5.56