Man and Trees ：Tallow Tree｜Hakka Story

Описание: Taiwan's first of its kind documentary series “Memoirs of the Tress” introduces the migration of the "Hakka" people by documenting the trees seen and used in their everyday lives. Through three specific species that the Hakka ancestors relied on - the plum tree, tallow tree, and chaste tree, we are able to explore the history of the interaction between trees and humans for the past thousands of years.

The (Chinese) tallow tree is a tree species that was used by our ancestors in China thousands of years ago. The entire tree can be utilized for different purposes, from the leaves to the roots of the tree. Cloth dyed from its leaves is firm and beautiful, and makes up the majority of the color of our ancestors’s clothing.

Oil can be extracted from the tallow seeds and are used as an ingredient for making soap and candles. The texture of tallow tree wood is delicate and unique, making it the only suitable material for the quilt-making instrument - the Lundou. The yoke made by tallow wood is full of the compassionate spirit of our ancestors, because the flexibility would allow the cows to feel less pain when plowing the ground.

Because they relied heavily on the tallow tree, so when they left their original homes, they planted its seeds in their new habitat, and thus the tallow tree begin to spread with the migration our ancestors.

Whenever the immigrants felt homesick, they would use the tallow tree to make tools and dye their clothes, which healed their homesickness to a certain degree. In this aspect, the tallow tree is a tree species enriched with the emotions of us human beings.