Guandu Tide Reversed

In 1964, under the advice of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Guandu Estuary in Taipei was blasted open in an effort to control flooding. Instead of solving the problem, the intervention intensified tidal differences and worsened inundation. As seawater began to flow back into the estuary, the area gradually turned into a saline wetland.

Following the global trend of mangrove planting at the time, Kandelia obovata (a species of mangrove) was introduced to the Guandu Wetland, transforming the area into a mangrove forest that continued to expand for decades. Only later did ecologists begin to recognize that such rapid mangrove growth could threaten biodiversity. The wetland has since undergone continual transformation under shifting human policies and interventions.

Entering this muddy landscape through my body, I confront its density and pull that I begin to sense the fear of death. The power of the wetland is immense, yet it remains constantly reshaped by human control and policy.