Indigenous girl from Taiwan traces her origins to neolithic site in Fujian

A girl from the Amis ethnic subgroup in Taiwan has traced her genetic connection with the mainland after visiting a cluster of archeological sites, known as Keqiutou, in Pingtan County of east China's Fujian Province.

The story is featured as part of a China Global Television Network (CGTN) special program titled "The Way Home" that aired Monday. It highlights the experiences of young individuals from Taiwan who have ventured to Fujian Province to pursue their dreams.

Lai Shu-jen, or Lailai as she prefers to be called, is from the Amis ethnic subgroup populating mountains in central Taiwan.

In 2017, she left for southern Fujian looking for opportunities. She started in the creative industry before getting involved in rural development, namely revitalizing villages hit by poverty. But tracing the genetic origins of the Amis has always been on her mind.

"We Amis people belong to the Austronesians. As children, we were taught that we originated in Taiwan. But since arriving on the mainland, I found out that we actually come from Pingtan. I wanted to come here and learn more about the story of the Austronesians," said Lailai.

Indigenous peoples populating territories in and around the Pacific and Indian Oceans, including the Amis, are known as Austronesians.

For a long time, Austronesians were believed to have originated in Taiwan. But archaeologists have discovered numerous stone tools at the Keqiutou Neolithic site in Pingtan, dating back to between 5,000 and 6,500 years ago. The artifacts are similar to those found at the Dachakeng ruins in Taiwan which are believed to be the home of the ancestors of the Austronesians.

The findings indicate that the Austronesians didn't originate in Taiwan, but in Fujian Province on the Chinese mainland. In 2020, a DNA study further validated this theory.

"The DNA genome data from the 8400-year-old cranium found in Qihe Cave, central Fujian's Zhangping City, matches the genome data of the Austronesian. This proves the hypothesis of the study, that Austronesians originated from the Chinese mainland," said Taiwan scholar Hsu Kuei-jung who is now the vice director of the Pingtan International Institute of Austronesian Research.

Hsu introduced Lailai to another member of her group, Chiu Yung-Ying, who has been running a souvenir shop featuring Amis culture for a year now.

Lailai was filled with excitement upon stepping into Chiu's shop as they exchanged knowledge on Amis cultural traditions, including the "alofo bag" used by young people to express their love and the feathered adornment worn on important occasions.

Lailai's love for singing and dancing is evident, but as an indigenous person, she is often looked down upon by others in Taiwan.

"In Taiwan, I wasn't a very confident person. I felt that the music I created sounded terrible, and my singing voice wasn't good. But when I came to the mainland, everyone said that my songs sounded great and had my own unique style. All the feedback has been positive, so my confidence level has kept rising," said Lailai.

Now she has a new idea; to tell the Austronesian story in creative and fun ways.

"I'd like to use short videos on social media, to tell the Austronesian story in a creative, fun, and intriguing way. I want to create videos about ethnic minorities on both sides of the Strait, about their stories of integration," said Lailai.

Indigenous girl from Taiwan traces her origins to neolithic site in Fujian

Los Angeles is grappling with rising costs and delays in its wildfire recovery process, as tariffs on construction materials imposed during the Trump administration compound the challenges.

The devastating wildfires recently destroyed over 17,000 homes and businesses, leaving communities urgently pushing forward with reconstruction.

The Trump administration has recently rolled out new tariffs on a wide range of construction materials, including steel and aluminum, from the main trading partners of the United States, such as Canada, Mexico, and China. This has significantly driven up costs, further complicating the recovery efforts

"As the city and county of Los Angeles move aggressively to rebuild the wildfire areas in Malibu, Pacific Palisades, and up in Altadena, to build those houses, we need softwood lumber, aluminum, and steel from Canada," said Gene Soroka, executive director of Port of Los Angeles.

While the tariffs aim to boost domestic production, the transition will take time. In the interim, the shortage of materials is creating ripple effects across the construction sector.

"We are still handling a lot of imported steel, despite the tariffs because there's not enough American manufacturing of steel right now. So, one of the unintended consequences that this has done the wrong way is you don't have enough steel. That impacts construction, that impacts economic growth across the board," said Weston Labar, chief strategy office of Waterfront Logistics.

According to the Associated General Contractors of America, housing costs could skyrocket by almost 50 percent, widening the gap between insurance payouts and actual rebuilding expenses. It may force many homeowners to delay or even abandon their reconstruction plans, prolonging the housing shortage in Los Angeles.

Tariffs are also driving up prices for other products, impacting recovery efforts.

"We need appliances from Mexico, furniture from China, and all of those prices are going up, whether anticipatory, or real as these imports are coming across our port complex. So, we've got to have some pretty detailed discussions about this because families who want to rebuild, businesses who want to get back into the office are going to be impacted by these tariffs one way or another," said Soroka.

As Los Angeles strives to recover, the economic uncertainty caused by tariffs presents a formidable obstacle.

Tariffs add strain to Los Angeles wildfire recovery efforts