Dark Tribe Smangus, the most profitable tribe in all of Taiwan

"The most profitable tribe in all of Taiwan" - the Dark Tribe Smangus draws 20 million a year

Smangus in Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County was once known as "the Dark Tribe Smangus," but this place, the last in all of Taiwan to get electricity, today relies on the cooperation of all its residents to bring in 20 million yuan in tourism revenue a year, creating a miracle for an indigenous tribe; now the Dark Tribe Smangus is already the "most profitable tribe" in all of Taiwan.

Hailed as "God's Tribe," the Dark Tribe Smangus in Jianshi Township, Hsinchu, is the last place in all of Taiwan to get electricity, and was even once called the "Dark Tribe"; in recent years, thanks to its uniquely blessed scenery, the Dark Tribe Smangus has won the affection of tourists, attracting 60,000 visitors a year and earning roughly 20 million in tourism revenue annually, rising in one stroke to become "the most profitable tribe in all of Taiwan."

The Dark Tribe Smangus is the most remote tribe in Hsinchu County, and the only tribe in all of Taiwan to practice a socialist-style system of "mutual aid and shared living." Only nineteen years ago did it get an external transport road, and eighteen years ago it began developing tourism; now, with more than 60,000 tourist visits a year, it has created unprecedented revenue for the tribe.

Relying on its uniquely blessed natural scenery, plus the grove of giant sacred trees discovered years ago, the tourist crowds at the Dark Tribe Smangus all flowed back before long, and it transformed from the "darkest" into the "most profitable tribe," successfully creating a tourism miracle. Lin Chiang-yi, chairperson of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, said that Smangus's success is absolutely not an accident, but rather an achievement made possible by history and geographical location, together with the indigenous tradition of mutual aid.

▲The Dark Tribe Smangus in Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County draws 20 million a year

▲The Dark Tribe Smangus in Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County draws 20 million a year

▲The Dark Tribe Smangus in Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County draws 20 million a year