Southwest Coast National Scenic Area

Tu Chu-shan (b. 1947), a native of Keliao, did odd jobs for a fish farm, and dried salt. After the salt fields closed down, he went to Fengshan in Kaohsiung to learn how to roast sweet potatoes from his brother Tu Chu-ching (b. 1943). Once Chu-shan learned the technique, his older brother gave him a set of ovens. The younger Tu began to sell sweet potatoes in front of Yong'an Temple in Keliao. He later decided to sell someplace further away, too. Thus, he rode his three-wheeler to the Xuejia Farmers’ Market and sold sweet potatoes there in the mornings, then at Wuwang Bridge in the afternoons. When he got older he stopped selling at the Xuejia Market, but continued to set up his stall at the north end of Wuwang Bridge.

Tu Chu-shan eats lunch at 10 am and heads out to sell potatoes afterward. When he’s home, Tu bakes one tray of sweet potatoes first, and then bake another tray or two while he sells. When they sell out, he goes home, sometimes after 2 pm or 3 pm. He doesn’t open the stall at a fixed time. He doesn’t open when it rains, and he doesn’t open if the sweet potatoes aren’t good. If you want to buy Tu Chu-shan's roasted sweet potatoes, you’ll have to rely on luck.

A three-wheeler stationed at the top of the Wuwang Bridge; no enclosure, no shelter. Summers are scorchingly hot; winters, bitterly cold. But Tu Chu-shan doesn't think too much of it. As long as conditions permit, he will withstand the blazing sun and resist the biting wind. His only purpose is to ensure his regulars can eat the delicious sweet potatoes he roasted.