Dayan Village Se Shui Community Introduction
The Seshui community is located on the west side of the Dayan Tunnel along the Zhongtan Highway, surrounded by mountains. From a bird's-eye view, the terrain resembles a blooming lotus flower valley, with residences distributed at the base of the lotus heart and petals, creating a picturesque basin landscape. The name "Seshui" has two explanations: one suggests that spring water often seeps out in the mountains here, which is referred to as "leakage water" in Taiwanese; the other is that the spring water in the early days indeed had astringent qualities, hence the name "Seshui." Initially, the community primarily cultivated rice, but in the 1940s, the rise of Assam black tea prompted villagers to switch to growing black tea, making it the main industry in the Yuchih area. The soil in the Seshui basin is suitable for pottery, and there was an early kiln called "Huaizi Kiln," which produced everyday pottery for a living. However, with the advent of plastic products, "Huaizi Kiln" eventually declined and ceased operations. After the 921 earthquake, residents rebuilt the wood-fired kiln with the assistance of the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute and established a community pottery classroom, utilizing the "Bai Xian Tu" from Seshui for pottery creation, attracting tourists to experience the joy of pottery making. In 2007, Seshui community stood out in the competitive national agricultural and fishery village selection, ranking as one of the top ten classic agricultural and fishery villages. Today, Seshui has become a great place for "drinking black tea, playing with clay, and experiencing ecology," surrounded by mountains, with undeveloped valleys, streams, and towering wooded trails, each with its charm in different weathers. It also integrates bed-and-breakfast accommodations, forest natural environments, and plant explanations to develop a forest community, becoming a popular leisure destination for the public.
