After the market glut hit, Chishan began sliding downhill, but in fact the seeds of the town's malaise were laid during its heyday. While the youth of other locales were heading off to find jobs in Taipei and make their way in the world, banana wealth in Chishan meant that young people there could stay at home, where they missed out as the rest of Taiwan began its swift march toward industrialization.
香蕉滯銷，旗山跟著沒落。當別的鄉鎮孩子都遠赴台北打工、胼手胝足闖天涯之際，農業帶來的榮景讓旗山年輕人不必離鄉背井，卻也錯失了朝工商業發展的機會。