Maple Leaf Village Introduction
In this quiet little village, there is a proud history. In 1968, the children of the Bunun tribe from Hongye Village formed the Hongye Little League team, defeating the then Japanese world champion team, sparking a craze for Little League baseball in Taiwan and ensuring the Hongye Little League's place in history. In addition to baseball, Hongye Village has something special—it is designated by the Council of Agriculture as the "Taitung Hongye Village Cycas Nature Reserve." Originally, the unique Taitung cycas was misidentified as the Taiwan cycas, commonly known as the iron tree. Later, experts verified that this plant is a living fossil that has been evolving for over 140 million years, thus renaming it the Taitung cycas. The Ear Shooting Festival held every April is the most grand and solemn ceremony of the Bunun tribe throughout the year. Here, you can witness a complete process of rituals such as blessings, ear shooting, distributing pork, gun sacrifice, and celebrating military achievements. Most importantly, the renowned polyphonic singing of the Bunun tribe is performed here in its most authentic form. [Source: Tribal Backpackers Taitung Tribal Tourism Guidebook]
