An Unexpected Encounter: Jiasian Bookstore Owner You Yong-fu and British Photographer John Thomson
An Unexpected Encounter: Jiasian Bookstore Owner You Yong-fu and British Photographer John Thomson
◎Written by Li Siao-ping
◎English translation by Lin Yu-ciao
◎Photos by Carter
Who was the first person to photograph the mountainous areas of Kaohsiung? The answer is John Thomson, a 19th-century Scottish photographer.
Thomson arrived by boat in Takao (now Kaohsiung) in 1871. Accompanied by missionary Dr. James Laidlaw Maxwell, he made a 20-day journey from Takao Port to Taiwan Fucheng (now Tainan), and eastward to Jiasian, the Laonong River, what is now Liouguei District, and other destinations. He took 59 photos and made several notes during the excursion.
More than a century later, You Yong-fu, owner of Pumen Bookstore in Jiasian and a native of that town, stumbled across a photograph Thomson had taken of his hometown. That moment marked the start of an 18-year quest for knowledge.
The lives of Thompson and You Yong-fu converged in 2001, when You began to study literature and history relating to Jiasian. He came across the volume Old Photographs of Taiwan: Collection of the National Library of France, in which he noticed that one image was described as showing “the mountain stream between Jiasianpu and Laonong.”
You was stunned to find a photo that depicted the landscape of his hometown. What is more, the mention of a welcoming party of Pingpu (lowland indigenous) people in Thomson's notes intrigued You, so he began a “detective-style investigation” in which he sought to identify and compare the locations shown in each photo. During this process, he uncovered a plethora of heartfelt stories.
Eighteen years later, You published his book John Thomson Formosa. It carries readers back to the southern Taiwan of 150 years ago, revealing the lives of the Siraya and Taivoan Pingpu tribes.
Recreating Thomson's journey has not been easy since much of the cultural and geographic landscape has changed. In 2006, You set out on foot to explore Baiyun Waterfall Valley in Jiasian. However, when he returned to the valley for the seventh time in 2015, after a flood had destroyed manmade facilities and exposed original rock forms, he realized that the true shape of this spectacular valley had finally emerged.
Europe boasts various pilgrimage routes, while Japan has the Kumano Kodo network of trails. You Yong-fu is endeavoring to create a “Thomson-Maxwell Route” with Thomson's footsteps as the main axis. The tour connects local culture, ecology, homestays, and special dishes, leading travelers to learn more about Takao, Zuojhen in Tainan, and several places in Kaohsiung's rural interior, such as Mujha, Gouping, Shanlin, Jiasian, Laonong, and Liouguei.
You hopes that this cultural heritage path in Taiwan will shine a new light on Kaohsiung's mountainous areas, while helping to preserve the area's culture and history, and reverse depopulation trends.
甲仙書局老闆游永福遇見英國攝影師約翰・湯姆生
◎文／李曉萍
第一位拍攝高雄內山地區影像的是誰？答案是蘇格蘭攝影家約翰・湯姆生（John Thomson）。1871年，湯姆生與宣教士馬雅各醫生搭船從廈門到高雄，開啟二十餘天的臺灣行旅，從打狗港（現今高雄）至臺灣府城（現今台南），更向東深入甲仙、荖濃、六龜里（現今六龜）等地，留下59張照片和遊記。一百多年後，甲仙小書店的老闆游永福看到一張湯姆生拍攝家鄉的風景照，從此踏上長達18年的追尋之路……
游永福與湯姆生，兩條不同時空的劇情線在2001年交會，當時游永福開始投入甲仙文史研究，偶然翻閱《法國珍藏早期台灣影像》，其中一張由湯姆生拍攝的〈甲仙埔與荖濃間的山溪〉風景照，這張照片呈現游永福家鄉百年前的地貌和湯姆生遊記中描繪的平埔族迎賓晚會深深震撼游永福，從此，游永福以偵探式的踏查，比對每張照片拍攝地點，挖掘出許多動人的故事。
18年後游永福出版著作《尋找湯姆生：1871臺灣文化遺產大發現》，帶領讀者回到150年前的南臺灣，認識平埔族群西拉雅族與大武壠族的生活細節。
重建湯姆生的旅程並不容易，許多人文地貌皆已改變。游永福於2006年啟程踏查甲仙白雲仙谷照片，直到2015年第七次造訪該地，白雲仙谷人工設施被大水衝走，瀑布岩層露出原貌，找尋許久的壯麗溪谷終於出現眼前。
歐洲有朝聖之路，日本有熊野古道，游永福正努力規劃以湯姆生的足跡為主軸的〈湯姆生馬雅各之路〉。串連在地文化、生態、民宿及特色料理的遊程，帶領旅人認識打狗、左鎮、木柵、溝坪、杉林、甲仙、荖濃及六龜。
游永福期待這一條臺灣線性文化遺產路徑，能為高雄山區帶來新的亮點，留住文化歷史，也留住人。
閱讀中文版：
書局老闆遇見英國攝影師，「甲仙柯南」穿越150年的南臺灣行旅
https://takao.kcg.gov.tw/article/717