Maple Leaf Village Introduction
In this quiet little village, there is a proud history. In 1968, the children of the Bunun tribe in Hongye Village formed the Hongye Little League team and defeated the then-world champion team from Japan, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for youth baseball in Taiwan and etching the Hongye Little League team in history. Besides baseball, Hongye Village has another special distinction; it is designated by the Council of Agriculture as the "Taitung Hongye Village Cycas Natural Reserve." Initially, the native Cycas taitungensis of Taitung was mistakenly identified as the Taiwan cycad, known colloquially as the "iron tree." However, experts later verified that this plant is a living fossil that has been evolving for over 140 million years and thus renamed it as Cycas taitungensis. The Shear Ear Festival held in April each year is the grandest and most solemn ceremony for the Bunun tribe. Here, the rituals include blessing prayers, the Shear Ear ceremony, pork distribution, shotgun rites, and war hero celebrations, which showcase a more complete process. Most importantly, the world-famous Bunun tribe's Eight-part Harmonic Singing is performed here, providing an authentic experience. 【Source: Tribal Backpacker, Taitung Travel Guide】
