Taiwan, China's version of "The Gleaners": Bending down to pick green gold edamame at the Gaoping Great Lake planned site

In the edamame fields swept by the edamame harvesters, plenty of fresh edamame is left behind. People can be seen bending down to pick and rummage through the plants and fill their bags, while nearby, buyers sit in small pickup trucks waiting to receive the crop. This is not manual harvesting, but a distinctive scene of the busy farming season in the Meinong, Qishan and Ligang areas.

Picking edamame was originally a leisure activity for locals, and the landowners were happy to share. To help the public understand the development controversy over the planned Gaoping Great Lake site and to experience the vitality of the edamame industry, the Earth Citizens Foundation specially called on people to join the ranks of edamame pickers. 300 people flooded the scene, eager to roll up their sleeves and experience the fun of picking edamame.

Yang Junlang, director of the Mountain and Forest Conservation Department of the Earth Citizens Foundation, said the controversy over the Gaoping Great Lake (formerly known as the Jiyang Artificial Lake) has lasted 12 years. It was only on March 13 this year that it was rejected by the Environmental Protection Administration's environmental impact assessment conference, and sent back to the Ministry of Economic Affairs for reconsideration over multiple concerns including land use, water resource dispatch and management, and the necessity of development. By picking edamame with their own hands and experiencing the vigorous vitality of the edamame industry, people can not only personally feel the precious local natural resources, but also understand the absurdity of the Gaoping Great Lake development plan.