Introduction to Zihu Minnan Dialect and Customs

Zihu Town in Yushan County is home to a community that speaks the Minnan dialect. During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, particularly during the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, the imperial court implemented a policy of evacuating coastal areas in Fujian Province to isolate Taiwan. This policy, which left a 300-li stretch of coastal land uninhabited, forced many coastal residents to relocate inland. As a result, people from Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Tingzhou, Nan'an, Hui'an, and other areas in southern Fujian migrated successively to Zihu in Yushan, where they established new homes and livelihoods. This migration has a history of over 300 years.

For more than three centuries, the descendants of these Minnan settlers have preserved their language, lifestyle, and agricultural production methods. Their architecture retains traditional Minnan characteristics, and their life rituals, such as weddings, birthday celebrations, and funerals, continue to follow unique Minnan customs.

However, with the development of education, improved transportation, and increased interaction with the outside world, the role of the Zihu Minnan dialect in social communication has gradually diminished. Certain grammatical structures and vocabulary have also been influenced by the surrounding environment. Traditional customs are progressively being replaced by modern lifestyles. To preserve and sustain this unique cultural heritage, the Yushan County government officially listed the Zihu Minnan dialect and customs in the county-level intangible cultural heritage registry in May 2009. In conjunction with the development of tourism in the nearby Sanqingshan area, efforts have been made to promote agritourism featuring Minnan folk customs, giving this cultural heritage new vitality.