Black Knights of Chishang: Farmers Are the Scenery in the Fields, and the Land Grows a Mutual-Aid Economy

Young people returning home and newcomers have gathered in Chishang, surging in like waves and receding again. Many who flow back want to grasp the roots of their hometown, yet have to bow to reality and leave home once more to make a living. Wei Wenxuan returned to Chishang sixteen years ago. Through sheer hard work, he has built his life up to now by running a homestay and farming. Beyond stabilizing his own finances, he has connected returning young people to put down roots in Chishang, aiming to develop it into a small town that combines industry, art and culture.

This group of returning young people has now become Chishang's "Black Knights," connected and cooperating with one another. "Three years ago there were seven people; today they have become seven shops, all with their roots kept here." These include restaurants, lodging, cafes, studios and second-hand bookshops. Wei Wenxuan says the Black Knights now number more, a dozen or so large and small, and Chishang has gained a rich and diverse living circle.

"As long as people who love the land become the majority in Chishang and it becomes a way of life, big corporations will not come in and wreck Chishang." Peng Mingtong, who works in tandem with Wei Wenxuan, believes that the more people who identify with Chishang's rural aesthetics and realize that farmers in the fields are the scenery, the more this is the development Chishang should pursue in the future.

Not pursuing short-term consumption, Chishang aims for the Asian market

However, he has also begun to wonder whether Chishang's consumption has been driven too high by tourism, which could ultimately lead to a decline like that of Kenting Street. At the same time, "Chishang should not only serve the Taiwan market, but also the Asian market." Otherwise, the customers who come to Chishang only on weekends are mostly trend-followers, "and once a new landmark appears elsewhere, they will run off."

As for his vision for Chishang's future, Wei Wenxuan believes it is not only necessary to preserve Chishang's old houses; in recent years many people have brought an atmosphere of art and music to Chishang, such as Lin Hwai-min, Chiang Hsun and Lin Sheng-xiang, and this is surely the broad direction for Chishang's future. The train heading to Chishang quietly plays a gentle "Ode to Joy"; on arriving at the Chishang train hall, one is greeted by calligraphy characters everywhere; classical music even plays beside the Chishang rice paddies, bringing people and art closer together. "Chishang is no longer just a traditional old farming village; in the future it will develop into a town of music and art."