摘要 早期臺灣降雨季節不均，以及因為地形的因素，河流短促，以至於水資源沒有充分的被加以利用，因此水圳、埤塘灌溉的工程，變成是一種很重要的工作。桃園臺地地區也就是因為降雨不均、河流被強烈的淡水河流域給截流，因而河水變短促及旱澇時期，降水落差又大，先民遂興起了建立埤圳灌溉設施的動機，因此桃園有「千埤之鄉」的美名，綿密分佈的埤塘及水圳，數量與密度極高，是世界上其它國家地區少有之景觀，這也是先民開埤鑿圳為生存的歷史痕跡。而埤塘水圳在桃園臺地上的發展歷程中，一直與聚落墾拓、水利社群活動之間有著緊密的關係。 本研究以桃園第三個示範埤塘~龍潭觀光大池生態公園與周邊客家聚落為研究範圍，藉由透過文獻分析法、深度訪談法等來蒐集資料，並進行調查研究，將配合地方誌、石碑等文獻資料參考，析探龍潭大池與周邊客家族群社區營造之發展，以建構出桃園臺地特殊的自然生態體系與聚落生活文化。 ;Abstract The water source was not fully used in the early days in Taiwan due to irregular rainfall seasons and the topographic factors which made the rivers short and rapid. The ditch and pond irrigation engineering had therefore been a critical work. The river water in Taoyuan Plateau was short and rapid because of irregular rainfall and rivers’ being closed by freshwater river basins. Moreover, the rainfall drops are large between drought and flood period which motivated the ancestors to construct pond and ditch irrigation facilities that was the reason for good reputation of [Hometown of Thousands of Ponds] of Taoyuan. The meticulously distributed ponds and ditches with high quantity and density are rare landscapes throughout the world and other countries and regions. The ditches and ponds recorded the living history of ancestors by excavating the ponds and ditches. Besides, the ponds and ditches were closely associated with the settlement opening up, water conservancy and community activities all along the development history of Taoyuan Plateau.
This study took the third largest demonstration pond—Longtan Lake Eco-park and peripheral settlements as research objects. The data were collected and surveyed by literatures analysis method, in-depth interview method along with the local chronicles and stone tablets and other document literature to further discuss over the development of Longtan Lake and peripheral Hakka communities and construct special natural ecosystem and settlement life cultures of Taoyuan Plateau.
