But the question of whether or not greed gave way to violence in those years is an insult to the adventurers of the "gold rush." One Chiufen oldtimer said that although there were amongst those men some on the lam, or others who were orphans, everyone could get his share. In their small gold-mining community, nobody needed any written "rules of the game."
這樣的問題，似乎是「侮辱」了當年那群淘金的漢子﹘﹘九份的老人家說：淘金漢中，雖有許多亡命之徒、無父無母的孤兒，人人都可以放手一搏，大不了十八年後又是一條好漢；但當年那個小小的淘金社會，卻自有一套人心認定而不需白紙黑字的「遊戲規則」。