![[A True Engineer! ] YoiChi Hatta Tribute Ride Part 1 致敬八田與一騎之一](http://modernblackhand.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/yoichi-hatta-tribute-ride-1.jpg "[A True Engineer! ] YoiChi Hatta Tribute Ride Part 1 致敬八田與一騎之一")
- YoiChi Hatta Tribute Ride Summary
- Background
- Start: MaDou 麻豆, the Home for Pomelo 文旦
- Tsung-Yeh Arts and Cultural Center 總爺藝文中心
- Towards the Reservoir
- WuShanTo Reservoir 烏山頭水庫
- Continue to Part 2!
- Also Recommended:
- Taiwan Bike Routes Map
- [History Everywhere! ] Tainan History and Coastal Ride Part 1 台南古蹟塭田騎之一
- [Water of Gray, Green and Black] Great TsengWen Reservoir Loop 環曾文水庫
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YoiChi Hatta Tribute Ride Summary
- Self Ride
- Starting/ending Location: near MaDou, Tainan (麻豆，台南)
- Bike Length: ~ 110 km.
- Hill profile: Flat.
- Good for: Base training ride.
- CAUTION:
- Scooters running red lights.
- Route Highlights:
- MaDou Daitian Temple (麻豆代天府)
- Tsung-Yeh Arts and Cultural Center (總爺藝文中心)
- WuShanTo Reservoir (烏山頭水庫)
- DeYuanPi Holland Village (德元埤荷蘭村)
- NanKunShun Temple (南鯤鯓代天府)
- BeiMen Old Town (北門)
- Jingzijiao Salt Fields (井仔腳鹽田)
Background
The YoiChi Hatta Tribute Ride was the first experimental ride “from coasts towards the mountains”. It also paid homage to the great civil engineer YoiChi Hatta (八田與一), who built the ChiaNan canal (嘉南大圳) & reservoir system that greatly increased agricultural productivity of ChiaNan Plain.
Start: MaDou 麻豆, the Home for Pomelo 文旦
Our YoiChi Hatta Tribute Ride started at MaDou (麻豆), a town famous for its pomelo production commonly eaten near Mid-Autumn Festival.
Pomelo tree.
At August, the pomelo was almost ready to consume.
This orchard claimed to be the first Madou pomelo orchard. Lol.
As an old town in southern Taiwan, MaDou also had some big old temples.
Local temple.
Pomelo shaped cartoon figures.
Some creepy old Chinese painting.
The largest temple in MaDou was MaDou DaiTian Temple (麻豆代天府), featuring a giant dragon at its backyard.
The badass dragon.
Front gate.
Not sure what this building was for, but it was cool.
Temple’s backyard, featuring traditional Chinese garden with figures.
Swag Phoenix.
The dragon at the backyard was a mixture of garden, playground and religious portrays.
Dragon and pomelo cartoon figures.
See me so swag riding a tiger and having cool beard!
Near the dragon there was a “18 levels of hell” entrance.
Dragon puking.
Tsung-Yeh Arts and Cultural Center 總爺藝文中心
After the cool temple, our YoiChi Hatta Tribute Ride visited a nearby 100+ years old sugar factory converted cultural center.
Now dis-commissioned Tsung-Yeh Elementary.
Old Japanese dormitory.
Brick made old factory buildings. Now an art center.
Can you spot the little people?
Yen Shui-long Memorial Hall. Yen was a Taiwanese artist.
Old dugout?
Towards the Reservoir
Having enough of the cool cultural center, our YoiChi Hatta Tribute Ride moved towards east, tracing the water upwards to the reservoir.
Lots of water caltrop (菱角) fields at this area.
The canal created some lakes along the way, like this “Hulu Bi” (葫蘆埤).
Passing LongTian (隆田) with its traditional market.
Train station.
Along the canal there was a pheasant-tailed jacana (水雉) preservation park.
Water caltrop fields and mountains.
Passing local military training camp.
One of the canals.
Tainan National University of the Arts
Some university and farmer collaboration projects.
Is this art or just ruins?
WuShanTo Reservoir 烏山頭水庫
Originally in YoiChi Hatta Tribute Ride I planned to reach the reservoir via a suspension bridge. As it was closed I had to enter via entrance…
Closed suspension bridge towards the reservoir.
You could see the green reservoir walls far away.
The entrance. It costed about 200 NT…
Power station.
Pressure chimney. The water flew out of the chimney just by the water pressure from the reservoir.
Reservoir constructors memorial.
Grass covered reservoir body.
Just a replication of Chinese temple.
The closed suspension bridge.
The main reservoir water body!
Helicopter landing platform.
Old reservoir steam train.
Near the reservoir was the tomb of YoiChi Hatta and his wife, along with its statue. Unlike other statues in Taiwan that were made by the government, YoiChi’s statue was created by locals to memorize its contribution.
The statue of YoiChi Hatta. Unlike other politician statues, it depicted YoiChi wearing his working suit, sitting on the ground pondering.
Boy scout camp site.
Water supply station.
Near the reservoir, there was a YoiChi Hatta Memorial park.
YoiChi’s former residence.
