水利開發與地區發展互動之研究：以頭前溪北岸九芎林為例（1775-1945）

Abstract

This paper focuses on the change of regional human settlements and environment owing to the development of irrigation. Since man can’t live without the influence of the natural environment, the interaction and compromise between human beings and mother nature keep going on all the time. There is no doubt that in early agrarian society water resources were absolutely crucial to regional, economic development. And, during the development, local clan organization, social activities and religious worship gradually formed a link in the form of an “irrigation community” which promoted the regional expansion. The object of the research, Jiucyonglin is located at the northern area of the Touqian River. Cultivation in Jiucyonglin began in 1785. Ever since then, due to the abundant water resources, a web of irrigation canals were constructed one by one, which brought about the expansion of the prosperous, agricultural economy of this area during the following century. This study first tried to frame the primitive landforms and landscape of the northern plain of the Touqian River, and then to explore the interaction patterns between the natural environment and the migrating, Han people. The human activities, the evolving relationship between society and belief, the changes in the natural surroundings and the rising of an agricultural economy, spurred by the development of irrigation canals, help us to interpret the cause and effect relationship between the development and cultivation of the wilderness and the taming of the natural environment. This study expects to reach a new orientation towards the integration of research results, that is, to extend the scale of the research timeline, including the Chin Dynasty and the Japanese colonial period, to examine the meaning of social changes. Furthermore, in order to see the two-way influence between human beings and the natural environment, an analysis of natural elements is added to broaden the research range. And these are also a feature of the paper.