Longtian Village is a historic and culturally rich settlement in Eastern Taiwan. In the early years, Longtian Village was a hunting ground for the Puyuma indigenous tribe, and was known as “Luliao,” with a lot of butterflies flying around and droves of wild deer running and playing. Later, after Japan began its colonial rule in Taiwan, the village became one of the famous Japanese immigrant villages. It still retains traditional Japanese-style buildings such as the “Japanese School Principal’s Dormitory.” Immigrants of different eras bring different cultures to the area, giving Longtian Village its diverse style.
Lung Tian Village Green Tunnel | 龍田綠色隧道
The most beautiful section of the bicycle path in Luye is the green tunnel in Longtian Village, and the Terminalia tree in the pineapple field, which form a cool green boulevard. Longtian Village was once a Japanese immigrants’ village. Because of its high terrain, it has good views of the horizons. The village streets are neat and the trees are tall. Japanese people during the colonial era planned a complete chessboard of roads and beautiful farmland landscape. It is a perfect place for the villagers to come for a relaxing holiday. Since the story of the successful reproduction of the yellow butterfly was spread, more villagers have become interested in the reproduction of the butterfly here. As a result, butterfly gardens have been set up one after another in Longtian Village. The Aristolochia vine in the garden attracts the beautiful Swallowtail butterfly to reproduce here, as well as the rare and very beautiful yellow Swallowtail butterfly. Therefore, here you can view the ecological habits of the yellow Swallowtail butterfly on a large scale. Walking in the village, visitors can easily spot beautiful scenes of butterflies flying around. Longtian Village has thus become Taiwan's most beautiful butterfly village.
Lungtian’s Tung Flower Avenue
Luye Township enjoys a good natural environment. Tung oil trees are scattered in the mountains and flat lands in the countryside here. Each year in March and April, snow-white Tung blossoms bloom in the mountainous areas, among which Longtian, Yong'an, and Ruiyuan have a more dense accumulation of the Tung oil flowers. These areas also see the earliest flowering of the trees, and Longtian’s Tonghua Avenue is the best place to see Tung blossoms in Taitung. Every year, many people come here to enjoy the Tung blossom tours. In recent years, Luye Township has actively preserved and promoted Hakka culture and achieved good results. It organizes annual events such as Tian Chuan Day (on the 20th day of the first lunar month), the Harvest Festival (or Shou Dong Xi in November) and the Hakka Tong Blossom Festival (in April). It has also assisted the local Hakka people in revitalizing their communities, including by establishing the Hakka Audio and Video Records Center in Ruihe Community, the Dayuan Flower Fabric Lantern Life and Culture Museum in Ruiyuan Community, the Ruiyuan Watermill, Rice Mill and Tobacco House, and Xinyuanchang Black Tea Industry Culture Center in Fengyuan Township, Yongan Community.
Luye Shrine | 鹿野神社
The Luye Shrine is a shrine in Longtian Village. It is funded by the Taitung Sugar Corporation and the Japanese Immigrants Obligation of Luye Village. It was built on July 10th, 1923. It was originally located in the northern part of the village, close to the foothills near Mabei, at the end of Beilongliu Road as you head north. On November 13, 1931, it was moved to the location now known as Kun Citang.
The main annual rituals during the period of Japanese rule included: the festival of the New Year (June 8th) and the day marking the seating of Taiwan Shrine (October 28th). The teachers and students of each government institution’s school come to this shrine to participate in the worshipping ceremonies. It is the most important shrine in the Luye area. Usually, villagers freely visit the shrine, and weddings are often held there. When the villagers are called to join the army, a grand ceremony is held at the shrine. The shrine was demolished after the war, leaving only a base. In 2014, in order to restore the historical features of Longtian Village, the Luye Shrine was rebuilt with Japanese Tochigi wood, under the guidance of skilled Japanese craftsmen, thus recreating the historical features of the Japanese immigrants’ village in Longtian.