Shih Ching-sun spent fifteen years establishing a folk village in central Taiwan to preserve traditional Taiwanese architec ture and crafts. Since its opening at the end of 1993, the village has become one of the most popular recreational centers in Taiwan and has received awards from several public and private organizations for its contribution to society.
The construction of a folk village to preserve Taiwan's traditional arts used to be a burning government issue. Although the government talked with pundits and scholars several times, no serious plans were presented until the announcement that a massive park would be built next year. However, Shih Ching-sun, a businessman with only six years of education during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945), has already turned the idea of a folk village into reality.
"Under the leadership of the two former presidents [Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo], more effort seemed to be spent on policies to recover mainland China. Although many countries had established folk villages to preserve their tradi tional arts, Taiwan did not have such a place," says Shih, who decided to establish a folk village to preserve these valuable assets. "As a native Taiwanese, I hope that this place will help today's young people, who have long been used to the conveniences of modern life, to understand our ancestors' difficult days, and remind them to treasure today's prosperity."
The Taiwan Folk Village was opened to the public in 1993, and in the first year set a record for the highest number of visitors among Taiwan's private recreational centers. For five years, it has attracted an average of 1.24 million tourists each year. What are its attractions?
Most of the structures in the village were donated from all over Taiwan. They were reconstructed after being removed from their original sites because of public construction or other reasons. Many buildings in the village possess a long history. The village's Dien An Temple has existed over 200 years. Although other structures in the village may not have as long a history, they all have witnessed people's lives in more pioneering days.
The Taiwan Folk Village is located in the mountainous Changhua County suburbs in central Taiwan. After passing through an imposing gate with twelve cannons at the top, visitors encounter cattle, traditional architecture, furniture and hand tools in an atmosphere reminiscent of pre-industrialized Taiwan. Guides interpret life in the village to its modern visitors.
Sonya Tsao, a senior guide at the village, explains to visitors the significance of traditional architecture. "The majority of Taiwanese people were immigrants from Fujian and Guangdong Provinces in mainland China. Unable to afford building materials from the Chinese mainland, these immigrants had to produce their own materials for construction," says Tsao. "Some people used bamboo or combined earth and straw with cow manure to produce bricks to build their houses, as these materials were more than easy to get at the time." Tsao adds that people with extra money would cover their houses with straw or nailed tiles to protect the bricks from the elements.
Tsao continues by explaining the meanings behind wall paintings and floor tiles around the houses. "In the agricultural society, there was always a need for manpower, so every family wished to have more children. These wishes were revealed in many architectural decorations."
She points to a painting of a gourd and a banana. "People in the early days wanted to have as many children as possible, just like gourd and banana plants that bear a lot of fruit." Floor tiles arranged to resemble the Chinese character for "person" expressed the same wish, she adds. The guide goes on to say that some floor tiles express welcome, while other patterns mean "no visitors please." "If somebody didn't understand the meaning, they'd probably consider these wall paintings or floor tiles ordinary decorations for aesthetic appreciation," says Tsao.
Many structures in the Taiwan Folk Village tell interesting stories. Tsao points to a well embedded into a wall surround ing the courtyard of a traditional building. "This was called a 'half-side well,' evidence of mutual assistance in the old days," she says. According to Tsao, few people in the early days could afford to have their own well because digging was expensive. A well was therefore such a valuable asset that most people were reluctant to share theirs with others. However, the owner of this well put it halfway outside of his property to share water with his neighbors. "I am very impressed by this warm, admirable act," Tsao says, adding that this is not the only such story from the village. "Many buildings here have stories. The New Peitou Train Station is a good example," she says.
The New Peitou Train Station, originally located in Taipei, closed because of a new public transportation system. It was donated to the Taiwan Folk Village by the Taipei City Government. Tsao remembers that when a railway exhibition was held in the station after it had been moved to the village, an old man came and sat in front of the station for more than two hours. She wondered if he was okay, and asked him if he needed help. After talking with him, she realized that he had been a conductor at the original station.
His eyes brimming with tears, the gentleman shared many stories about the old station with the guide. The former conductor said that in the early days, there was no school in the station's neighborhood. Students had to count on trains to go to school in other cities. Every morning, he would check who hadn't come yet. Unlike today's trains, which leave with punctuality, trains there would wait for any student who was late. "The man told me about how this train station had been used by a lot of couples for dates. They often came here to take the train to see movies in other cities. He had also met his wife at this station," says Tsao.
Besides free-standing structures, there are also live performances of traditional weddings, festivals and acrobatics. Visi tors can watch and experience how their ancestors once produced paper, squeezed sugarcane to make sugar, and pressed peanuts to create oil. Many of these demonstrations are done with the help of livestock or stone mills.
Visitors can also try traditional snacks such as "dragon whiskers" candy and rice noodles, as well as see how these things are produced. Tsao mentions that many visitors especially like to see how dragon whiskers candy, once a valuable offering to imperial families, is made. "When the young candy-artist produces this snow-white candy, his black hair and eyebrows will become covered with white powder, making him look just like Santa Claus," says Tsao.
In order to offer something for the whole family, the traditional village has adopted some modern facilities to please children. A merry-go-round, Ferris wheel and high-tech entertainment facilities aim to keep younger children amused. The "Sailing King" ride, a curious combination of a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) tale and contemporary technology, opened last year. The ride showcases computerized thunderstorms, volcanic eruptions, and waterfalls, to give tourists an experience of one of the most exciting sailing adventures in Chinese history.
Jason Tung, assistant manager of the village's information center, says some special characteristics of old Taiwan can be found here. "Most of the recreational facilities [in Taiwan] are created by big foreign companies, and many of them offer similar facilities. The facilities here [at the village] are unique because no matter how modern they are, they have historical content that gives visitors the opportunity to make contact with traditional culture."
"The more I stay here, the more I like this village because it is really a place of culture," says Tung. "My salary was better before, but I like to work here because I can get a greater sense of achievement which can't be acquired by money."
A mother from Taipei with two children also admires the village. "This is a meaningful place. It gives my children opportunities to see how difficult the lives our ancestors led was and therefore reminds them to treasure today's prosperity. I think more villages like this one should be constructed, with educational functions." It was not very easy, however, to build such a village. Shih's family had to undergo several hardships and invest more than NT$3.1 billion (nearly US$100 million) to establish it.
Shih started to buy the land for the village in 1980, on the site of deserted fruit fields. In the beginning, it was easy to buy the necessary land because fruit prices were very low at the time and many landowners wanted to sell their fields. When people found out that Shih was going to construct a recreational center, they raised their prices and it became more and more difficult to buy the land. In order to acquire the last piece of required land, Shih even exchanged a plot he owned in an urban area with a landlord whose piece of land was smaller and located in this barren and remote area. It was eight years before Shih got all the land he needed from about seventy landlords.
For permission to construct this village, Shih had to wait over four years and obtain nearly 300 official seals on his application.
Finding companies capable of designing the village was another obstacle. Shih had asked three foreign companies that specialized in designing recreational centers to plan the village. None of them, however, dared take the business because they were unfamiliar with Taiwan's history. Even local companies wouldn't take any contracts, for the same reason. In the end, Shih worked with folk-art specialists, scholars and architects.
After construction of the village began, Shih, his family and employees had to work in a difficult environment for several years. The area was once covered with steep slopes, and leveling them for construction was not easy. Lee Chao-jen, an eight-year veteran of the park and currently the director of the planning and marketing department, remembers those difficult days.
"I witnessed how machines dug earth to turn the high hills into plains every day," says Lee. "At that time, over sixty employees worked in a small office near the construction site. And the whole area was full of dirt and sand." Lee jokes that he didn't need to worry about washing his car during that time. "It didn't make any sense to wash the car because it would be covered with dirt immediately after cleaning it," says Lee.
Tung also remembers how their chairman, who was nearly seventy then, hopped around the construction site every day to supervise the work. Shih's son, Daniel T.H. Shih, the current executive vice president of the village, even wondered why the group should put so much effort into establishing the village.
"Many of my friends went to the stock market in the morning and relaxed at the sauna in the afternoon. They seemed to be living in a paradise. But I had to work at the construction site from early in the morning until late at night. At that time, I really wondered if I was doing the right thing," the younger Shih says. However, he now thinks that their efforts were worthwhile. "We not only made this place a popular recreational center, but also preserved Taiwan's historical development from the past 300 to 400 hundred years on a large scale," he says. Their efforts are also being noticed by the public.
For the past five consecutive years, the village has been honored by the Taiwan Tourism Administration as a top private recreational center, and the two Shihs have received awards from several public and private organizations for their contribu tion to society. "For nearly twenty years, Shih's family was the sole investor in the construction of this village. For a family to support such a big social responsibility, I think what they've done truly deserves a hand," says Tung. Last year, a Kuomintang -run business became the village's major shareholder.
Although the village has received awards and become one of the most popular recreational centers since it was estab lished in 1993, it never slows down its efforts to make improvements in the face of growing competition.
"No matter how busy my daily work is, I still squeeze in some time to acquire the latest tourist information from abroad to offer people more tourist options with international standards," says Daniel Shih. "Although it is truly exhausting, it's worth doing. My father and colleagues have worked so hard to build and operate this village, I don't dare goof off," says the younger Shih.
For the future, the two Shihs have set five plans to be finished in five years. In addition to an existing resort hotel, they plan to construct a tourist-class hotel and enlarge the campground to encourage more budget visitors. Upgrades and expan sions around the village are planned, as are a chain of stores around the island which will sell traditional-themed goods. The Shihs also hope to cooperate with other recreational centers at home and abroad to form an international recreational club.
Shih Ching-sun is seventy-three years old now, and still energetic about operating his village. Although he and his son Daniel occasionally have disputes about the village's operations, they both say they will continue to work for its prosperity, to preserve Taiwan's traditional arts for generations to come.