Small town rejuvenation succeeds through public and private cooperation.
When Chen Ying-hao (陳盈豪) moved back to his hometown from China in 2016 after a successful commercial career, he found himself busy caring for his parents and closely involved in local issues. Chen hails from Tuku Township in southern Taiwan’s Yunlin County, a quiet, rural place with a fast-declining population. He primarily returned home to help his mother care for his father, who was suffering from dementia, but he also wanted to establish a business to revive Tuku. When he learned that dark chocolate was potentially helpful in preventing dementia, he decided to set up a cocoa-based enterprise. “Tuku is where I was born and raised, so I felt the urge to help it thrive,” Chen said.
Yunlin Commerce Ryokan organizes trips with English-speaking guides to sites such as the Yunlin Glove Puppetry Museum in Huwei Township and heritage houses in Douliu City. (Courtesy of Wu Erfu)
He has achieved this through setting up TUKUYi Cocoa Farm, which comprises a small chocolate factory and a shop selling distinctive products set in a garden with cocoa trees and ornamental plants. The company uses cocoa grown in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County and has been such a success that an expanded chocolate factory allowing visitors to view the production process is on the way within the next five years. Chen envisages the enlarged facility bringing the total number of jobs at TUKUYi to at least 100, more than double the current count.
Serendipitously, Chen found someone who shared the vision of promoting Tuku’s charms in Wu Erfu (吳爾夫), owner of the largest local hotel, Yunlin Commerce Ryokan. Seven years ago, Wu, a former university English department teacher, started to develop classes for both Taiwan and international students to learn about Yunlin in English, which he augmented with trips around the county led by English-speaking guides. This proved successful, and in 2019 Wu decided to build a new 60- room hotel in town.
Ripple Effect
The two projects are key components of the township’s 2019 National Development Council (NDC)-recognized regional revitalization proposal. “Both commercial activities are all about expanding the county’s economy, so the local government does its part to facilitate the projects by offering administrative support,” said Director General of Yunlin County Government’s Planning Department Lee Ming-yueh (李明岳). “With new job opportunities, young people will have the option to continue to live here with their children and parents, creating a stable, multigenerational community.”
Located in the center of town, Wu’s second hotel is expected to open within two years. He has even published English-language books rich in local Yunlin color as both teaching and tour information materials disseminated through his hotel. “Taiwan has much more to offer than Taipei 101 and the National Palace Museum. Visitors to the country will certainly enjoy places like Tuku that represent Taiwan’s grassroots character,” Wu said.
As large-scale revitalization projects are set in motion, the positive mood encourages small-scale enterprise too. Last year saw the founding of Tuku Shopping Area Association by around 60 store owners and managers. The association holds monthly meetings to share ideas on how to inject new life into the town through fairs, festivals and other events. The monthly meetings are always joined by officials from Tuku Township Office as well as local entrepreneurs like Chen, evidencing the close cooperation between public and private entities necessary to realize a thriving community.
Members of Tuku Shopping Area Association hold a monthly meeting to discuss strategies for community regeneration, among other topics. (Courtesy of Tuku Shopping Area Association)
Tuku Library Director Peng Kuan-lun (彭冠綸) has noticed the gradual changes. “The atmosphere is livelier than when I took this post four years ago. There are more young people and families out and about in the streets,” she said. The library does its part in paving the way for Tuku’s future via projects such as Bookpanda, which encourages children and teenagers to read by regularly dispatching books to schools. “If the next generation reads more, it’s a positive thing for the community’s future.”
Academic Input
Guangfu Township in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County is also exploring ways to revive rural communities through both public and private entities. Local Tzu Chi University’s Instruction Research Center for Social Responsibility of assists the institution in fulfilling its social responsibility mandates, while in 2019 the township office produced an NDC-recognized regional revitalization proposal with plans including design and construction of bike networks to connect major scenic spots. Another key component is the launch of shuttle bus routes between the town center and outlying areas. The new service makes it convenient for residents in remote villages to access medical treatment and go shopping, as well as for tourists to reach Guangfu’s lesser-known sites.
“The university plays the role of counselor,” said head of the university social responsibility unit, Chiang Yun-chih (江允智). “We’re ready to provide professional advice to people working for the town’s future.” The academic is concurrently head of the university’s Center for General Education and therefore familiar with departmental resources, which is helpful when advising on regional revitalization projects.
Meanwhile, Taloma Studio, a six-member social enterprise named after the Amis word for “homecoming,” opened an office in Guangfu to provide training courses for locals in Danongdafu Forest Park as guides for firefly spotting trips in spring. The studio received a subsidy from the government under the NDC’s Youth Empowerment Workstation Project, which funds regional revitalization initiatives for young people. Amis account for 53 percent of the township’s population of approximately 13,000 as the township is home to the Tafalong, the largest Amis tribal group, and the studio works to revive their particular cultural legacy through workshops.
Another facet of its mission is sharing experience in a practical way through the workstation, where it assists those who want to emulate its business model and explore commercial potential. The demand for the service is such that the studio will establish a second base in town by the end of the year for startups looking to set up there. “We invite people interested in our town to take a close look at it by visiting this new office to share thoughts, exchange information, build ties and spark new ideas for rejuvenation,” said studio co-founder Liu Yi-liang (劉奕良). “Our staff are always ready to share experience and connect newcomers with local resources to realize their own projects.”
Fresh Concepts
The Ring-necked Pheasant Sustainable Development Association, named after a bird species native to Danongdafu Forest Park, raises awareness of local habitat conservation. Frogs are a particular marker for a healthy ecosystem, so the association conducts amphibian surveys and educational outreach programs in cooperation with Hualien-based National Dong Hwa University and the Ministry of Agriculture’s Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, respectively. “We also report activity and pollution sources that could disrupt an ecosystem,” said former association Chair Chang Kuo-cheng (張國政), who moved to the town from Changhua County in western Taiwan 15 years ago. “As the environment is well looked after, people are willing to relocate here.”
A major component of regional revitalization around the township is the bike path network linking major local scenic spots like Danongdafu Forest Park. (Courtesy of East Longitudinal Valley National Scenic Area Headquarters)
“Many young people have moved to cities, leading to low birthrates in the countryside, where the elderly have become the dominant demographic,” said head of the Guangfu Township Office, Lin Ching-shui (林清水), adding that inhabitants aged over 65 account for nearly a quarter of the town’s population. Together with nongovernmental group initiatives, the township office has adopted fresh tactics–and the most recent is a boon for the area’s farmers. Starting in autumn 2023, they can test their rice and vegetable harvests for chemical residues with new equipment purchased by the office. Those who pass the test will be given certification. This quality guarantee will be particularly positive for the image of Guangfu rice, as small-batch locally grown rice is popular among educated consumers. Farm income should rise in consequence, and along with increasingly mechanized and smart farming practices, act as an incentive to attract the younger generation back to commercial agriculture.
“We’re taking constructive action to reverse the trend of rural population decline,” Lin said. “It’s very encouraging to see cooperation between the central and local governments as well as private enterprises, all focused on offering solutions.”
Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw