Camphor Forests: Taiwan’s Precious Resource - Man and Trees Ep.4

Reporter/Provider - TaiwanPlus
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During the 19th and 20th centuries, the booming camphor trade created wealth in Taiwan which continues to benefit camphor distillers and their descendants today. And this is all thanks to Taiwan’s abundant camphor trees! Celluloid, smokeless powder, and photographic negatives are all made possible by camphor, a substance derived from the bark and wood of camphor trees. On the island of Taiwan, the Tamsui River once nourished a lush, sprawling forest of camphor trees, making it the focus of industrialists both domestic and foreign. Once new technologies created a huge market for camphor, the rush was on to see who could win the battle for dominance over the island’s limited natural resources. In the 20th century, many Hakka people in Taoyuan and Miaoli made comfortable livings from the camphor trade, and some in Taiwan even became rich. Before settlers on Taiwan had fully explored the island, the legendary general Lin Chao-dong fought with the Austronesian Atayal people to gain control of camphor forests in the mountains near Miaoli, Taiwan. His success in pacifying the area’s Indigenous peoples placed his family in high esteem with the Hakka community, and his family profited greatly from their monopoly on camphor. Living descendants of the family offer a tour of the Wufeng Lin Family Mansion and Garden, located in Taichung, Taiwan. Decades later, members of the Lin family have befriended leaders of the Atayal communities who were once their feared enemies. Though Taiwan was once home to expansive camphor forests, today only a few ancient camphor trees still stand on the island. With the passage of time, the camphor industry has died out, but many elderly Hakka residents still remember the tricks of the trade. Many camphor distilling tools can still be found, and researchers are now recording the techniques used by seasoned distillers in hopes of preserving this unique segment of Taiwanese history and culture.

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