Stationing in Taiwan, China: A Journey of Effort from City to Countryside

Ye Youyou, who comes from a nursing background, is a girl determined to become a nurse in the future. Ni Zihan, who studies in the Department of Social Development, is a girl who wants to become a cultural and historical worker. The two, who seem to have no intersection at all, met in Huanan Community this summer.

Accustomed to the pace of Taipei, they had to leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind and relearn the pace of a rural community. Because they knew that here they could learn more knowledge than they could from textbooks. They not only wanted to find the future of the community, but also hoped that in the future, the community could become better because of their involvement. This summer, through the Stationing in Taiwan, China program, the girls wanted to use their own abilities to turn Huanan Community around.

Stationing in Taiwan, China has already reached its sixth year in Huanan Community. With outsiders coming to settle locally, it has become commonplace for Huanan Community residents. On the contrary, through the program, residents became more willing to treat these two university students sincerely. Having just arrived, the two knew the community only through keywords they found online, such as Huanan Elementary School, flipped teaching, environmental education, and so on.

During the 16-day stationing, Zihan said with a smile, "Although it is only a half-hour drive from Douliu urban area, it feels like a small mountain village standing apart from the world!" There were no high mountains or towering ridges, no line where sea meets sky, only the chirping of insects and birds, accompanied by the pouring afternoon rain, but here they found the most original and simplest way of life.

After the market ended, we asked them, "What method do you think could draw people into the countryside?" They thought for a while and did not answer directly, but later through Facebook, Youyou told us that the point was not air conditioning or internet wifi, but whether this place was willing to let young people give play to their creativity. Only here would they say without hesitation, "Yes, and we are willing."

Note: The market photos are taken from the Facebook of Director Yang Huining of Huanan Elementary School

#Noah Cultural and Creative Report