員林湖水坑地區的拓墾與產業發展(1755-1980)

本文依據官方統計資料、日日新報和田野調查，來探討湖水坑地區歷史變遷與產業的發展。首先從了解環境著手，呈現人地互動後形塑出湖水坑地區的人群活動，再者，透過清代土地契約文書與族譜的整理，解釋漢人如何利用租佃、承典及買賣等方式，從平埔族手中取得經營權。日治時期在交通建設、官方獎勵經濟產物等因素的影響，湖水坑地區的社會與經濟也發展到一定程度，隨著居民生活逐漸安定，經濟能力提升，文教也開始活絡，進而影響員林地區的教育文化。　　研究發現，湖水坑地區的自然條件不利於農耕，卻適合果樹栽培，水源豐富的特殊性發展出「適性種植」的模式，加上相鄰市鎮員林在運輸與農產加工的有利條件，造就了這個沿山聚落在1980年代以前，都具有豐沛的經濟實力。隨著現代產業型態的改變與城鄉的差距拉大，湖水坑地區也不免逐漸沉寂了下來。

關鍵字

契約文書；土地拓墾；大武郡社；員林湖水坑；柑橘；湧泉

並列摘要

This report is to discuss the historical changes and industry development of Hu-shui-keng based on official statistics, Taiwan Daily News and field research. First, it will start from the perspective of environment, this report figured out the resident activity of Hu-shui-keng from the interaction between resident and environment. Next, it explained the ways how Chinese took over the management rights from Taiwanese Plains Indigenous Peoples through tenancy, pledge and sale according to the analysis of land contract documents and genealogy in Qing Dynasty. During Japanese colonial period, the government policies on transportation construction and economic products helped social and economic development of Hu-shui-keng. With the gradual stability of residents' lives and the improvement of their economic capacity, culture and education had also become active, which in turn affects the education and culture of the Yuanlin. 　　The study found that the natural conditions in Hu-shui-keng are not conducive to farming but are suitable for fruit cultivation. The adaptive planting was developed by the abundant water sources. Moreover, with the favorable conditions for transportation and agricultural product processing in neighboring towns of Yuan-lin, the areas along the mountains had abundant economic strength by the 1980s. With the change of modern industrial types and the widening gap between urban and rural areas, the Hu-shui-keng had gradually been at the wane.