The government’s flagship Taiwan Romantic Route 3 project is driving the rejuvenation of Hakka communities and industries.
Wu Che-ming (吳哲銘) was 39 years old when he decided to move back to his hometown of Dongshi District in central Taiwan’s Taichung City. After spending a decade working as an electronics engineer in the northern city of Hsinchu, he felt compelled to return to his Hakka roots and help revitalize the community where he was born. “A major fruit-growing area, Dongshi has the oldest population of any region in Taichung,” Wu said. “The farmers here are struggling to make ends meet because they don’t really understand modern marketing, so I wanted to help them out on that front as well as promote our town’s heritage.”
Over the past three years, Wu has been working on community projects funded by the district office and central and local governments. He has recruited over 30 young Dongshi natives, including artists, designers, marketing specialists and researchers, to support these efforts aimed at improving the lives of locals and shining a spotlight on Hakka culture.
The biggest undertaking in which Wu is involved extends far beyond Dongshi, stretching over 150 kilometers along Provincial Highway No. 3, also known as the Inner-Mountain Highway. Taiwan Romantic Route 3, as the project is called, is a flagship tourism and sustainable development initiative linking Hakka villages in 16 districts and townships across the country’s northern and central regions. Much of the funding for Wu’s work comes through the sweeping central government program. “Thanks to enhanced support under this project, we’re on track to make our town a better place to live, work and visit,” he said.
Rush weaving, a traditional practice in Yuanli Township of northern Taiwan’s Miaoli County, is among the economic activities targeted for strategic promotion under the Taiwan Romantic Route 3 project. (Photo by Chen Mei-ling)
Paving the Way
Taiwan Romantic Route 3, also called the Hakka Romantic Avenue, is a key plank in government efforts to rejuvenate Hakka communities and promote their culture. It falls under the urban-rural category of the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, designed to meet the nation’s development needs for the next 30 years and ensure future generations enjoy greater prosperity.
A task force comprising the Cabinet-level Hakka Affairs Council (HAC), 10 other central government agencies and four local governments was established in 2016 to implement the Taiwan Romantic Route 3 project. The HAC is taking the lead, overseeing planning and resource coordination. More than NT$10 billion (US$324.7 million) had been invested in the initiative by the end of 2018.
According to Chen Jui-jung (陳瑞榮), deputy director of the HAC’s Department of Industrial Economy, the main components of Taiwan Romantic Route 3 are cultural landscape reshaping, environmental enhancements and economic development. The three are closely linked, he said, which is why interdepartmental and public-private sector collaboration are essential.
Well-preserved traditional houses line the streets of Miaoli’s Nanzhuang Township. (Photo by Chen Mei-ling)
Complementary measures include conducting cultural surveys of Hakka settlements, creating low-carbon transportation networks, establishing artist villages and cultural parks, instituting support systems for young people to return home and start their own businesses, and restoring traditional houses, streets and trails. The HAC is also cooperating with media outlets to produce public relations materials like books, films and television programs that showcase Hakka culture, food and tourist attractions along the stretch of provincial highway.
“It’s about much more than simply improving transportation infrastructure or creating a scenic travel route,” Chen said. “The initiative is a cultural renaissance movement seeking to help Hakka villages retain their traditional way of life characterized by slow food, slow living and a slow travel ethos, while also revitalizing local economies and promoting ecological sustainability.” It strives to make the Hakka towns more “livable, lovable and prosperous,” he added.
Intrinsic Value
The Taiwan Romantic Route 3 Special Assignment Office, staffed by private sector specialists and scholars, was set up by the HAC in 2018 to consult on program planning, implementation and evaluation. Tseng Kuang-tsung (曾光宗), a professor in the Department of Architecture at Chung Yuan Christian University in the northern city of Taoyuan, serves as its chief executive.
According to Tseng, a critical step in the process is conducting resource inventories so as to identify and preserve distinctive community traits. The office has undertaken intensive investigations of tangible and intangible assets as well as the industrial activities and social customs of Hakka towns along the route, he said, adding that the results are used in strategy formulation.
Now open to the public, the former residence of renowned Taiwan author Chung Chao-cheng in the northern city of Taoyuan is among the structures renovated under the Taiwan Romantic Route 3 project. (Photo courtesy of Hakka Affairs Council)
The goal is to improve existing infrastructure while minimizing environmental disruption. Related measures consist of designing signage and wayfinding systems, incorporating cycling and walking paths and tour buses into transport networks, and upgrading and renovating cultural sites and natural landscapes, Tseng said.
Efforts are also underway to promote adaptive reuse of historic buildings, instead of constructing new structures. Dozens of ancestral halls and estates have already undergone refurbishment, including the former homes of local luminaries such as the late entrepreneur Chiang A-hsin (姜阿新), who made his fortune selling and exporting tea, and celebrated novelist Chung Chao-cheng (鍾肇政).
In addition, numerous historical trails originally used for hunting, seasonal migration and trade are being renovated and made available for public use. Under a large-scale program involving the HAC and four local governments and implemented by the Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association, these paths are undergoing restoration using eco-friendly materials. The trails are also set to be connected to form a seamless network. “People will be able to drive along the provincial highway to appreciate diverse natural landscapes, and then take their pick from the various foot trails for more in-depth exploration,” Tseng said.
A tour guide explains the history of local tea production at the Formosa Tea Industry and Culture Gallery in Hsinchu’s Guanxi Township. (Photo courtesy of Marty Luo)
Crossing the Teas
Some of the most distinctive views along the provincial highway are of tea plantations spread out over rolling hills. Another objective of the Taiwan Romantic Route 3 project is to preserve such traditional agricultural landscapes by keeping the tea industry thriving.
The Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture and local governments are offering subsidies with the goal of encouraging the rehabilitation of tea plantations. In the same vein, a tea-themed cultural park is under construction in Taoyuan. It houses a nearly century-old tea factory that will highlight Hakka tea culture encompassing production and brewing as well as the art and ceremony of serving the beverage. The complex is slated to open by year-end.
Chen said tea is of vital importance to the Hakka, having helped shape their culture, economy and landscapes. Plantations have long dotted the land along Provincial Highway No. 3, which was once Taiwan’s largest tea-producing region.
The traditional Hakka festival Xin Ding Ban, during which locals make rice cakes to thank the gods for granting a wish or for the birth of a child, is celebrated annually in Dongshi District of central Taiwan's Taichung City. (Photo courtesy of Wu Che-ming)
“Our vision is of a travel route with numerous tea gardens set amid the fertile soil of rural towns, drawing tourists in much the same way that vineyards bring visitors to California’s Napa Valley,” Chen said. “The expansion of tea plantations can spur the establishment of tea houses, factories, paraphernalia producers and even instructional institutes, creating abundant employment opportunities.”
According to Chen, his department’s major goal for the Taiwan Romantic Route 3 project is to entice young people to stay in or return to their hometowns. Like many rural locations in Taiwan, Hakka villages are experiencing the consequences of aging populations, including declining economic growth and productivity as well as labor and skills shortages.
“Investing in young people—empowering them to achieve their potential and realize their dreams—will contribute to long-term community stability and well-being,” Chen said. “So we’re helping the next generation start or grow businesses through financial and technical assistance, while positioning them to become the local leaders of tomorrow.”
Visitors pick strawberries at a recreational farm in Miaoli. In addition to Hakka culture, Provincial Highway No. 3 offers spectacular scenery and enriching travel experiences. (Photo courtesy of Hakka Affairs Council)
Hakka entrepreneurs can apply for preferential loans to set up or expand enterprises or purchase new equipment, with the HAC paying the interest for the first three years. To facilitate revitalization programs, the council is also financing community workshops.
Wu’s facility in Dongshi is one of 11 such sites currently supported by the HAC. Taiwan Romantic Route 3 programs based at his workshop span agricultural marketing campaigns, cultural and historical surveys, guided tours for visitors and promotions for traditional festivals like Xin Ding Ban, in which locals make rice cakes to thank the gods for granting a wish or for the birth of a child. “I believe that our measures to foster the arts and culture scene, improve the environment for residents and protect cultural landscapes are laying a solid foundation for economic growth and sustainability,” Wu said.
Chen similarly expressed confidence that the dedicated efforts of Wu and others are bolstering community rejuvenation. “On my fact-finding trips, I’ve found that many Hakka villages are regaining their vitality and becoming popular tourist destinations because young adults have returned home to take over family farms and reinvent traditional businesses,” he said. “We have high hopes that Taiwan Romantic Route 3 will continue to strengthen these towns and help share their fascinating culture with the world.”
Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw