The Cherry Blossoms at Wushe

Wushe was already known as the cherry blossom capital during the Japanese occupation. At the time the endemic varieties of oriental cherries included the Taiwan Cherry, the Wusheh Cherry, and the Alishan Cherry. Yet under the cloud of colonial rule, the cherry blossoms were the only thing able to show forth its true beauty. In October 1930, the Atayal tribe, under the leadership of their chief Mona Rudo, started an intense offensive against Japanese rule. The result was the death of many, not unlike cherry blossoms falling in the wind. It did, however, lead many people to begin think on the treatment of indigenous peoples in Taiwan. Now each year during February and March, the cherry blossoms at Wushe are as spectacular as in older times. Visitors often remark on the beautiful vista, but do they stop to think of how the aborigines once sought to survive under these blossoms?