A rainy land
Shu spent about six months reading histories and other Yilan-related documents before and after his residency, and averaged about three trips per month to the county during it.
While Yilan’s residents often feel plagued by rain and poverty, the writer found a particular charm in them.
“Yilan used to be known as the rainy county. The misty atmosphere and verdant fields that the rain creates give rise to a nostalgic yearning in the people of Taipei, so I’m especially fond of this aspect of Yilan’s beauty.” For Shu, Yilan’s poverty also has a silver lining: “It’s this poverty that has slowed development and left Yilan with so many fields and orchards.”
He focused his Yilan romps on the county’s rural areas. “To me, Yilan’s most attractive feature is its scenery, and rural landscapes are the heart of this scenery.”
Rice fields, levies, villages, big trees, small bridges, country roads... all are therapeutic and nurturing in Shu’s eyes and in his writing.
He sees Yilan’s people as distinctive, too. “They are a country folk, and, like other rural people, are very cautious when they travel. It’s adorable.”
On the other hand, Shu spends hardly any time at all describing the wonders of the Lanyang Plain’s famed “eight sights” and “18 beauties.” “Those are classic tourist destinations. Take Guishan Island, for instance. It’s such a sacred island rising magnificently in the distance. How can reading about it take the place of seeing it for yourself? You never tire of looking at it.
“The Beiguan coast makes a nice view, but staring at the waves doesn’t compare to gazing at Guishan Island. But, regardless, Beiguan is a great location. Jinmian is wonderful, too. Looking out from the switchbacks as you come down into Yilan on the old mountain highway, you get fantastic vistas of the Lanyang Plain and Pacific Ocean.”
But Shu sees nothing unique about Yilan’s other “marquee” destinations.
Yilan’s rustic scenery is exceptional.