The new arrivals struggled to make a living, but faced many unexpected natural calamities. Taiwan is on the earthquake belt, it is also afflicted by typhoons, and because its climate is tropical or subtropical, disease was more rampant.
但新的問題又出現了，首先是防備高山族的攻擊，然後要與不同的移民群爭土地（所謂漳、泉、客的械鬥），最後還要設法組織群眾以建造灌溉系統。