'Monkey falls to its death': Tainan place name sparks interest online

Tainan, Jan. 3 (CNA) A social media post by Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) promoting rural shuttle lines sparked curiosity Tuesday due to the stop name appearing in one of the photos, which roughly translates to "monkey falls to its death."

The shuttle stop in the picture -- 摔死猴 (shuāi sǐ hóu in Mandarin) -- was located on one of three shuttle lines now serving Zuozhen District in the southern Taiwan city.

Operated by appointment only, the shuttles, usually taxis or small vans, allow groups of at least two people to arrange rides to other stops along the route.

The post, however, ultimately drew more attention because of the stop's peculiar name. 

Several commenters questioned whether Huang, a member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, was taking a dig at Kuomintang presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), whose surname closely resembles the word for "monkey."

Huang replied that it was only a "municipal introduction."

According to historical records, "shuāi sǐ hóu" was originally the name of a tribal village near the stop, which in 2007 was renamed by its residents as Changxing village.

The name has its origin in the area's mountainous terrain, which it intimates is so dangerously steep that even an animal as nimble as a monkey could fall to its death.

Zuozhen District, located in southeastern Tainan, has experienced a steady population outflow in recent decades, and as of 2021 had only around 4,200 registered inhabitants.

Prior to last February, when a 7-Eleven store opened in the district along Provincial Highway 20, it was the last administrative area in Taiwan without a chain convenience store.