An important archaeological find that could necessitate the rewriting of Taiwan's pre-historical culture records has been made at the site of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四發電廠), lawmakers and field researchers said yesterday.
DPP legislator Chang Chin-fang (張清芳) said at a press conference that a large shell mound rich in residue of silver, iron, coal and charcoal had been found at Yenliao Bay (鹽寮灣).
The excavation was done around a month ago by the Katagelan Culture Workshop, a field research group which focuses on Aboriginal pre-historical culture.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES N
Lin Sheng-yi (林勝義), founder of the cultural workshop, said the site was many hectares in size, and that one-third of it was within the area of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant.
The remainder is on a site allocated for the construction of Yen-liao Park, Lin said.
Lin said Taiwan Power Corp had rejected a request by his workshop to extend excavation to the site of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, which is currently under construction.
The building of the power plant was approved by the legislature in 1994 against strong resistance from opposition parties and environmentalists. Ground was broken on the plant last year and it is currently 29 percent complete. It is scheduled for completion by 2005.
Lin, along with legislators, were worried that these possibly pre-historic relics might be destroyed before a scientific evaluation of the site could be conducted.
"On initial examination it is quite possible that the site was originally a processing area for precious metals thousands of years ago," Lin said.
Echoing Lin and Chang, DPP Legislator Lin Chung-mo (林重謨) said the shells unearthed seemed very similar to the ones of Sanxingtuei Culture (三星堆文化) in Sichuan (四川), China.
Sanxingtuei was first excavated in 1986, and it was immediately recognized as one of the world's ten most important archaeological discoveries. The ancient civilization centered on the Sanxingtuei site has been estimated to be 3,300 years old.
So far, there has been no complete academic research done to the relics of Yenliao Bay, but according to radiocarbon dating conducted by the NTU geology department, the shells from the site are estimated to be 3,510 years old.
The great age of the shells discovered indicates that the site needs immediate preservation for further archaeological researches legislators said.
Legislators called for research institutes to do studies on the site and said the government should set up a Taiwan pre-history cultural preservation center at the site once there is clear evidence that it is important.
Field researcher Lin said his cultural workshop have asked the Cabinet-level Council of Cultural Affairs (文建會) for support.
"Chairperson Lin Cheng-chi (林澄枝) has promised to provide support for further scientific examination to the site," he said.
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
THUGGISH BEHAVIOR: Encouraging people to report independence supporters is another intimidation tactic that threatens cross-strait peace, the state department said China setting up an online system for reporting “Taiwanese independence” advocates is an “irresponsible and reprehensible” act, a US government spokesperson said on Friday. “China’s call for private individuals to report on alleged ‘persecution or suppression’ by supposed ‘Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices’ is irresponsible and reprehensible,” an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson told the Central News Agency in an e-mail. The move is part of Beijing’s “intimidation campaign” against Taiwan and its supporters, and is “threatening free speech around the world, destabilizing the Indo-Pacific region, and deliberately eroding the cross-strait status quo,” the spokesperson said. The Chinese Communist Party’s “threats
RSS