"Vroom - whoosh -" In the pouring rain, cement trucks and heavy trucks weighing 20 or 30 tons apiece speed along the Provincial Highway No. 2 coastal road. This highway is not only a key artery for transport trucks from Yilan, Hualien and Taitung heading north, but also the only route to school for elementary school students along Yilan's coast. Walking to and from school means marching side by side with cement trucks or trailing behind them - that is the everyday scene here.

This situation is even more pronounced at Dali Elementary School, the northernmost in Yilan. The usable land here is narrow, and settlements along the route are scattered; some households form a neighborhood all by themselves. More than 10 years ago, to avoid being shut down, the school expanded its catchment area to 8 km, and transportation naturally became a challenge that had to be overcome. Sometimes rebar carried by trucks accidentally falls onto the road, frightening the children walking there. Teacher Zhuang Huimin, who has taught at the school for more than 20 years, constantly warns her students: "If you see a vehicle coming, jump into the field on the seaward side."

That was until the nearby Tiangong Temple generously donated money to sponsor the school in buying a bus to pick up and drop off the children. And Aunt Yu Meihua, the school caretaker who had just gotten her driver's license at the time, stepped up and took on the job of driving the children, and nothing has changed since. What is even harder than getting to school is that the fishing parents are not around, and the school may face closure in the future.

Cement Trucks Roar Past, Dali Students' Commute Is Terrifyingly Dangerous

Dali Elementary School is the northernmost rural elementary school in Yilan, established in the 62nd year of the Republic of China. Its catchment area spans several fishing villages, and from north to south it covers three fishing ports: Shicheng, Dali and Daxi. Most parents make a living by fishing, but with the depletion of fishery resources, a sharp decline in job opportunities and the impact of a falling birth rate, the number of students here has dwindled - from more than 300 since the school's founding to only 44 students now.

About 15 years ago, the number of students at Dali Elementary School once fell to just over 30, and word of closing the school traveled from the Yilan County Government to the school. The news terrified the teachers and parents at the time, because once Dali Elementary School disappeared, children in the Shicheng and Dali areas would have to go to Daxi Elementary School 6 or 7 km away, which would be a very inconvenient and much longer commute.

So the school's teachers launched a battle to defend Dali. They got parents and neighborhood heads to sign a petition together, and sent an official letter to the county government explaining the importance of keeping Dali Elementary School. In the end, the school was "temporarily" saved.

After Dali Elementary School survived the closure crisis, the nearby Tiangong Temple decided to sponsor the school in buying a bus to pick up and drop off the children, solving the safety problem of walking to school. And Aunt Yu Meihua, the school caretaker who had just gotten her driver's license at the time, stepped up and took on the job of driving the children. Unexpectedly, that driving lasted more than 10 years.

Hong Zuxi, principal of Dali Elementary School, said that Dali has a long, narrow terrain and is close to both the mountains and the sea. If in the future it can become an experimental school and put experimental education into practice, it could adjust the pressure of studying core subjects and strengthen students' connection to the Dali area, including adding mountain-and-sea courses so students can understand the coastal terrain and fishery patterns here and experience marine recreational sports. Perhaps there is a chance to cultivate talent that can drive the transformation of the fishing villages around Dali.

But will the fishing villages still be there by then? (To be continued)

[Fisherman Shen He'an] There Is No Future in Fishing, But I Will Stay Here

[Zhuo Yuxiang, 11 Years Old, Son of a Fisherman] Dad Fishes, Mom Sells Fish - I Want to Open a Bakery