The field-side reading room reopens, becoming a house for villagers' daily life
Looking back to when the Field Study House first opened, I had imagined many ways of running it. Some I managed to carry out, some I did not do well, but either way, several more years have passed. Since resting from last July until now, the Field Study House is finally about to reopen. Taking into account my personal circumstances and the spatial characteristics of the house, once reopened it will offer only three services -- lodging, work exchange, and hosting events.
To be honest, I do not have much time to run the house, and from a practical standpoint, the house has never had convenient amenities aimed at the general public (for example, no TV, no air conditioning, no internet, no transportation, no neat and tidy surroundings…none of that). Most of the time I may not even be at home, though I still live in the old three-sided courtyard house not far from the study house. But because of my other personal affairs, I cannot spare much time to look after friends who come to stay or to do work exchange; and because the Field Study House is built in the middle of farmland, insects, fish, birds and animals were the original inhabitants of the house. To stay here, you must be mentally prepared to live peacefully alongside spiders, geckos and mosquitoes. Moreover, here "money" is not very useful (unless you want to buy second-hand books); if you want to eat, you need to do it yourself; if you want to take it easy, that is your decision; if you want to feel restless and ill at ease, that too is your own doing.
So I need to say to every friend who wants to come to the Field Study House -- this is a place that makes you face yourself anew, and also a place to (try to) live more closely with nature. The simplest and most common way I put it is: "When you come to the study house, you will be forced to face your own 24 hours again." I am willing to bear your mistakes. Even though I have given special warnings, some people still cleared out all the lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) thinking it was silvergrass; others put a clay pot that cannot be used over a direct flame onto a gas stove and boiled it until it cracked; still others piled the vegetable beds into snake-like shapes, forcing me to redo the whole thing from scratch;……none of this matters, I accept it all. Although four hours of work exchange earns you one free day of lodging, I really do not have the time to follow behind you watching what you do (I hope you are not a daddy's boy or a mommy's girl; and I do not want to be a nagging old man either). So whether you like to work or not, and how well (or badly) you do it, just think it through for yourself. Perhaps sometimes I will find your qualities are good, and then I will be willing to teach you a bit of woodworking, treat you to good coffee, do some O-card counseling, or split firewood and light a fire, or bake bread. But if I do not, please do not make demands of me; that was never part of the work exchange, nor is it my obligation.
Whether you come to the study house to stay or to do work exchange, deliberately not providing meals is one of my simple principles. In 24 hours a day, you have plenty of time to practice your own cooking. There is a gas stove, a large oven, a rice cooker, a refrigerator, pots and pans (and even many cookbooks), but if you want to eat instant noodles for all three meals, as long as you feel fine about it, I have no objection. The study house's second-hand books, films and music CDs mostly come from my own collection. I know these are all excellent spiritual nourishment, but whether you want to taste them or not, please judge for yourself. Late at night, there may be howling wind and ceaseless insect calls. Whether that is enjoyment or torment is your problem; I cannot teach you how to feel it. Because I know some people can sit quietly in meditation here and enjoy an inner silence they have never felt before; and I also know that with the lights off, the study house is so dark you cannot see your own hand, and some people may find it unbearably terrifying.
The study house sits in a small valley in Linkou District, New Taipei City. Actually, it is not very far from the city or from Taipei City, but here you have no neighbors. In one example I encountered, a university student once booked a stay, but before coming, because his parents were worried, they brought him to look at the place beforehand. Whether it was he himself or his parents who felt it was unsafe, he afterward gave up the idea. I did not know when they came. But what I do know is that when you encounter a knife-wielding thug, here you have countless places to run and to hide, but if you are in a Taipei MRT car, I do not know where you could escape to. Please think about the crime rates in the city and in the countryside -- which one is actually higher?
Finally, I sincerely wish you well. When you have the chance to come to the Field Study House, when you must learn to arrange your own "day," what you truly need to face -- is your own heart. Whether you can let your heart go, whether you can merge your heart into these mountains and fields, so that you gain experience and grow. Whether you want all of this, or whether you can do it, I do not know. For my part, I have merely created and opened up this opportunity for people to try a "simple life" (the study house only ever keeps making me put in money and time, yet brings back very little return, so please truly empathize -- I do not know how long I can keep the study house going like this). In the end, the decision is yours; this is just like life -- no one can live it for you. Your future can only be experienced and created by yourself.
2014.07.15
[Note] Study House Opening Information
1. Work exchange for lodging: four hours of work per day earns one day of lodging; each work exchange period is at least seven days.
2. Lodging only: 300 yuan per person per day, with a minimum stay of three days and two nights.
3. Production activities and working holidays: related activity information will be announced online.
For more information about the Field Study House, please link to the "Field Study House Agro-art Inn" blog to inquire:http://mypaper.pchome.com.tw/mospeo