The Bamboo Raft

People may be surprised how "drifting" plays an important role in the development of human history. The act of moving on the water leads to satisfaction for the needs in people's lives, including transportation, fishing, and exploitation; it also brought about cultural and economic exchanges, as well as cultural understanding and harmony between different countries and people.

Taiwan is a nation surrounded by sea. Taiwanese people in the early days used bamboo rafts mainly for purposes like crossing the rivers, transporting goods to inland areas, as well as fishing on the rivers. Big bamboo rafts with sails played an important part in inshore fishery and overseas trades.

竹筏
漂流是人類歷史發展的重要手段,它不但解決了台灣住民交通、漁撈、拓殖等基本的生活需求,更進一步促成台灣與海外各地的文化交流、經貿往來與族群融合,使台灣成為具有海洋文化特色的國家。舟筏則是源自人類漂流經驗與需求的產物,早年台灣漢人以手撐竹篙的竹筏多用於溪流擺渡、內陸運輸、河川漁撈與海岸漁撈,加上風帆的大型竹筏則是扮演當時近海漁撈與跨海運輸貿易的重要角色。

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