Chapter 2431: Sonia (VIII)

Sonia had read many Australian survey reports. These reports were filled with large amounts of terminology very unfamiliar to her. Some terms were very abstruse—even after consulting dictionaries, she had difficulty understanding their specific meanings and had to ask relevant Senators. For example, "plate" in this article.

To help her understand the meaning of plates, Lin Hanlong specially spent an entire evening starting from continental drift theory and explaining from the beginning. It opened Sonia's eyes. Although Lin Hanlong indicated that continental drift and plate theory were relatively accepted "theories" in Australia, Sonia had studied logic. She knew that from a logical perspective, this theory was tenable.

But after understanding the meaning of these terms, Sonia had her usual doubts: from Lin Hanlong's explanation and the various books she borrowed from the Science Department, the Australians had a full and comprehensive understanding of the entire earth. Whether terrain, topography, or the "three kingdoms" of nature, they had rich and detailed data, including the vast regions of South America and Africa that people hadn't yet explored much.

Judging from these materials alone, the Remote Survey Team's expeditions had almost no "discovery" value—they were almost entirely "verification." From the Hainan and Taiwan surveys she had participated in, the collected species specimens, whether animal or plant, rarely included varieties not recorded in the reference books—and most varieties even had simple line drawings attached.

This somewhat diminished the joy of surveying, Sonia thought. However, being able to personally see these wild worlds was still an exciting thing. She really hoped to return to the survey team soon. With such excited feelings, she continued reading:

"Proceeding northwest from the Taitung camp, past the Beinan foothills, one enters the first gorge at the southern entrance of the Taitung Longitudinal Valley: Chulu Gorge. Passing through Chulu Gorge, one enters the heartland of the Taitung Longitudinal Valley. On both sides, peaks stand in rows, soaring to the clouds. On the west, the Central Mountain Range presses close to the valley. There are 24 peaks above 2,000 meters elevation, including Luntian Mountain, Yuli Mountain, Mugua Mountain, and others. On the east, the Coastal Mountain Range is higher in the south and lower in the north. Though not as precipitous as the Central Mountain Range, it still has six peaks above 1,000 meters. The high mountain ranges on both sides of the valley not only give the valley plain natural barriers, avoiding or reducing monsoon and typhoon attacks, but also make the valley plain's terrain more undulating than Taiwan's western plain, with some gorges separating it. The entire plain is divided into several sections, with Taitung Longitudinal Valley as the general name.

"The Taitung Longitudinal Valley has abundant water sources, divided into three major water systems. The Beinan River and Xiuguluan River flow in opposite directions. The Beinan River flows south, entering the sea near Taitung City. The Xiuguluan River flows north, near Ruisui, cutting across the Coastal Mountain Range and entering the Pacific at Dagangkou. The Hualien River flows in the same direction as the Xiuguluan River, joining the Mugua River downstream and entering the sea south of Hualien City. These three streams and their main tributaries mostly originate from the eastern foothills of the Central Mountain Range. Rapid currents rush down, carrying large amounts of sand and mud, forming more than 30 alluvial fans large and small. Among them, the Taitung Plain at the valley's southern entrance is the Beinan River's alluvial fan; the Hualien Plain at the valley's northern entrance is the Hualien River's alluvial fan—both over 100 square kilometers. The Xinwulü Creek alluvial fan and Xiuguluan River alluvial fan in the valley account for about half the area. These alluvial fans are all suitable settlement sites and agricultural cultivation areas.

"The Taitung Longitudinal Valley Plain is eastern Taiwan's most favorable region for agricultural production. Water and heat conditions are most suitable for rice cultivation, which can be planted and harvested twice a year. On slopes and terraces, corn, wheat, sweet potato, peanuts, soybeans, and citronella grass are suitable crops. On the mountain slopes on both sides of the Taitung Longitudinal Valley, especially the Coastal Mountain Range side, due to good drainage and relatively high soil fertility, citronella grass grows very well. This could be a choice for future cash crop development."

Sonia knew about citronella, this aromatic crop. The Senate, through the VOC and the English, imported large quantities of this aromatic plant from Southeast Asia, then refined it into essential oil—part for export, part for their own use. Some of the skincare products she used contained it.

The text then listed fruits and other cash crops that could be grown locally, including pineapple, banana, citrus, betel nut, and so on.

Sonia read while recalling the drawings and related characteristic descriptions she had seen in atlases.

"Compared to Taiwan's western and southern plains, the Taitung Plain has smaller area, thinner and more barren soil layers, and greater terrain undulation. But the climate conditions here are very favorable for crop growth. In winter, cold air masses from the mainland are blocked by the Central Mountain Range and don't greatly affect the valley. At this time, there happens to be a warm Pacific current flowing northward near the East China Sea. Therefore, the average temperature in the valley region is higher than in western plain regions. Taking January as an example, Taichung's temperature is around 16°C, Tainan is 17°C, while Hualien's temperature is 17.1°C and Taitung is 18.9°C. The number of months with annual average temperatures above 18°C is 9 months for Hualien and a full 10 months for Taitung—both longer than western plains at the same latitude. Rainfall is also abundant, with annual average precipitation of 1,260mm for Hualien and 1,840mm for Taitung. Except for July-October when rainfall is more concentrated, precipitation in other months is relatively even. Such humid climate conditions are very favorable for crop growth."

Reading such descriptions, Sonia secretly wondered: did the Senate have weather observation stations in the Hualien and Taitung regions? It seemed not. Then where did they get this data?

Continuing to read, next came information about the indigenous people:

"Currently, the indigenous inhabitants living in the Taitung Longitudinal Valley are the Amis people. Among them, the southern Amis call themselves Amis, while the northern ones call themselves Pangcah.

"It's generally believed that the Amis living here are currently the most numerous among Taiwan's indigenous peoples, and their origins may trace back 3,000 years. The Taitung Longitudinal Valley is the birthplace of the Amis in Taiwan. Therefore, one theory holds they may have arrived in Taiwan by navigating across the Pacific.

"At 121.30° East longitude, 23.26° North latitude on the Wuhe Terrace, there remain two large stone pillars. According to Amis legend, these are relics left by their ancestors, called Sapat. According to on-site investigation, these stone pillars are Neolithic remains, 8 meters high, 2.3 meters wide, 1 meter thick. Their upper ends have carved traces of building construction, traditionally said to be the former Amis chief's residence. This site is distributed in roughly an elliptical shape, ranging about 600 meters north-south and about 400 meters east-west. Within the area, large stone pillars, yang stones, and yin stones are scattered throughout.

"Regarding their origin, local Amis have many legends. The accepted one is the legend of their ancestors, as follows:

"In ancient times, the siblings Nakaw and Sera, to escape a flood, rode in a pig trough and drifted to the top of Cilangasan Mountain. The two married and lived and farmed there. But this place had many snakes and wasn't suitable for settlement, so they descended the mountain and moved to Jiananana. But this place lacked arable land and couldn't support them. Finally, they moved to their current Qimi village and settled. The stone pillars remaining on the mountain east of Wuhe village on Jiananana Mountain are relics of their house pillars from that time."

Another flood legend! Another sibling marriage after a flood! Sonia thought. Similar stories existed among many ethnic groups in various places she had surveyed. Could this be a genuine memory of ancient humanity?

The notebook contained simple maps and relevant natural history illustration indexes—but Sonia hadn't seen them earlier. They probably hadn't been drawn yet. After all, there were still too few professional illustrators. She really wanted to see natural history illustrations of the stone pillars and the site. In her heart she harbored an unrealistic fantasy: if she could take these to the guild in Lisbon to publish, what high honor could she win!

Of course, it wasn't just this. Any one of the Remote Survey Team's reports would be enough to make her famous throughout European natural history circles! The pioneer of Far East expeditions!

"The Amis are a matrilineal society. Family affairs are centered on women and handled by women. Family property is passed down through the maternal line. But in external affairs, men are still dominant. In the tribe, matters big and small are planned and executed by age-based groups composed of tribal men.

"Each tribe has its own chief and headman, but their social hierarchy isn't strict. The tribal headman isn't hereditary but elected. There's no 'aristocratic' class in the tribe either. The elected headman has considerable authority in the tribe. Besides representing the tribe in dealings with other tribes, he has jurisdiction over any disputes in the tribe, and tribal members must respect the headman's decisions."

...

Sonia read the notes hungrily. Although this was a survey report, not a literary work, and she still had to frequently consult the dictionary while reading, to her it was more attractive than any literary work. She wanted to finish it in one sitting.

Not until the wall clock struck three did Sonia reluctantly put down the notebook. Time had really flown—it was already so late, and her work hadn't even begun yet! If she got home late that night, the baby would fuss and cry again. Although her daughter had been weaned, this was the time she was most attached to her mother.

I must manage to leave on time today! she silently resolved. Then she put the notebook in the locked security cabinet. These materials couldn't be taken home. Losing them was a serious incident—even if she was a Senator's maid.

Sonia pulled herself together. She took her personal tool bag from the shelf and left the office heading downstairs—the specimen storage was in the museum's wing building.

She didn't take the large external staircase but directly opened a door in the corridor, going down an internal staff staircase to the first floor. Then she passed through a corridor and came to the wing building.

The wing building was the museum's large workshop. Specimen storage and preparation were both in this unassuming two-story annex. The basement and first floor were the museum's storage rooms; the second floor was the specimen preparation room.

(End of Chapter)