It's difficult to say farewell: we set up a shop on Shihguei Street
After passing through the vast rice fields, I stopped at Shihguei village. There weren't the prosperous and busy streets of old, instead, I spotted the elderly sitting under the shade of banyan trees to enjoy the breeze. It's hard to imagine that this was the earliest developed settlement in Dounan Township.
Although the Shihguei settlement is quite a way to go from the railway station, this is Dounan Township's earliest developed settlement which spanned the modern day Jingxin, Shigui, and Shixi villages. Shihguei's reclamation history can be traced back to the Ming Zheng Dynasty three to four hundred years ago. In addition to its old history, the Shihguei settlement boasted a large population, geographical advantages, developed water conservancy facilities and infrastructures, its location on the land route connecting the north to the south, and the success of its agricultural industry.
In the heyday of Shihguei street, there were not only theaters, taverns, traditional Chinese pharmacies, hotels, but also popsicle vendors, pork butcher stands, and other businesses. Perhaps the most well-known product of Shihguei was the straw cape which was in high demand during the Japanese colonial period. Seizing the opportunity, the entire village mobilized and invested in the production of these capes, ultimately becoming responsible for producing more than half of the straw capes in Taiwan. As the production process of these capes typically involves women rubbing straw on their legs, there exists an old proverb that says,“The women of Shihguei, although beautiful, have bruised legs.”However, with the changes in the social environment as well as the invention of lightweight raincoats, the Shihguei village could no longer rely on the sales of the obsolete straw cape.
The image of the elderly sitting under the shade of banyan trees replaced the former larger gatherings of people on Shihguei Street. Mr. Li-Shiung Deng, a retired teacher from the Shihguei Elementary School, who has been in retirement after more than 42 years of teaching, has witnessed the vast changes that took place in the Shihguei settlement. Although the elementary school recently celebrated its 101st anniversary, Mr. Deng noted that there is only one class left for each grade when previously the total number of students reached over 1,000.
After slowly digging into the hidden stories of Shihguei, I discovered that the culture that I thought had disappeared is actually present in the old streets and alleyways of the village.
The faculty and students of the NFU College of Applied Arts and Sciences, along with the guidance from the Shihguei elders, conducted on-site inspections and realized that Shihguei, a village that has seemingly lost its vitality, still retains countless cultural assets and traditions. For instance, the Xindafeng rice factory owner, Mr. Chen, always kindly retells the story of the rice factory that still has cypress rice milling machines in operation for over 70 years to visitors. It was especially heartwarming and touching when we discovered that the "Haruka Rice" from the rice factory was named after the owner's wife. Moreover, the "Sinhong Soy Sauce," which is passed down to the third generation and counting, still strictly follows traditional hand-brewing which significantly differs from the mass-produced chemical soy sauce. It's no wonder that this traditional soy sauce that doesn't contain additives has such a rich flavor and aromatic fragrance to it.
It is in this regard that the students used first-hand observations and interviews to gain a deeper understanding of the community as well as the rich history that is passed down across generations. The realization that the culture of Shihguei can be found amongst its old lanes and alleyways inspired students to try and display and promote the local culture and to allow others to acknowledge the value of this community. Numerous workshops, community empowerment, and cultural activities allowed for cultural exchanges and the mutual understanding between the team of students and the Shihguei locals.
Instead of selling products, the shop serves as a starting point for the resurgence of Shihguei's culture and history.
However, the team faces an important challenge of maintaining public dialogue and interaction after the events. During the team's visits to the different places in Shihguei, they observed many unique houses in the community, and among these, many unoccupied timeworn houses that were on the verge of collapse. Therefore, the team set their sights on revitalizing the old houses and believed that the renovating of these houses allowed for a practical way to leave behind something meaningful for the Shihguei community.
After several months of searching and deliberating, the team found an idle old house on Siwei road to help tackle this challenge and to better understand the Shihguei culture. With the approval and support of homeowner Mr. Chibin Shen, the team renovated the defective old house filled with wastes into an exhibition space named, "Shihguei Shop." In addition to the renovation of the house, the team, along with the assistance of locals, designed and completed a public art exhibition on the walls close to the shop which features the namesake of Shihguei — clay plates resembling the appearance of turtles.
The Shihguei Shop not only serves as an exhibition of the six months of combined efforts of both the team and the Shihguei residents, but it also serves as a platform to display and promote the local culture and enables the outside world to learn about its rich history. The Shihguei Shop, a place overflowing with culture and creativity, also aspires to become a beacon of sustainable development and a center for both community gathering and outsider visitations. The team hopes for Shihguei Shop, a house that was on the verge of collapse, transformed into an exhibition center, to become the turning point for the now quiet Shihguei settlement to once again create ripples in the world.
Although the Shihguei settlement is quite a way to go from the railway station, this is Dounan Township's earliest developed settlement which spanned the modern day Jingxin, Shigui, and Shixi villages. Shihguei's reclamation history can be traced back to the Ming Zheng Dynasty three to four hundred years ago. In addition to its old history, the Shihguei settlement boasted a large population, geographical advantages, developed water conservancy facilities and infrastructures, its location on the land route connecting the north to the south, and the success of its agricultural industry.
In the heyday of Shihguei street, there were not only theaters, taverns, traditional Chinese pharmacies, hotels, but also popsicle vendors, pork butcher stands, and other businesses. Perhaps the most well-known product of Shihguei was the straw cape which was in high demand during the Japanese colonial period. Seizing the opportunity, the entire village mobilized and invested in the production of these capes, ultimately becoming responsible for producing more than half of the straw capes in Taiwan. As the production process of these capes typically involves women rubbing straw on their legs, there exists an old proverb that says,“The women of Shihguei, although beautiful, have bruised legs.”However, with the changes in the social environment as well as the invention of lightweight raincoats, the Shihguei village could no longer rely on the sales of the obsolete straw cape.
The image of the elderly sitting under the shade of banyan trees replaced the former larger gatherings of people on Shihguei Street. Mr. Li-Shiung Deng, a retired teacher from the Shihguei Elementary School, who has been in retirement after more than 42 years of teaching, has witnessed the vast changes that took place in the Shihguei settlement. Although the elementary school recently celebrated its 101st anniversary, Mr. Deng noted that there is only one class left for each grade when previously the total number of students reached over 1,000.
After slowly digging into the hidden stories of Shihguei, I discovered that the culture that I thought had disappeared is actually present in the old streets and alleyways of the village.
The faculty and students of the NFU College of Applied Arts and Sciences, along with the guidance from the Shihguei elders, conducted on-site inspections and realized that Shihguei, a village that has seemingly lost its vitality, still retains countless cultural assets and traditions. For instance, the Xindafeng rice factory owner, Mr. Chen, always kindly retells the story of the rice factory that still has cypress rice milling machines in operation for over 70 years to visitors. It was especially heartwarming and touching when we discovered that the "Haruka Rice" from the rice factory was named after the owner's wife. Moreover, the "Sinhong Soy Sauce," which is passed down to the third generation and counting, still strictly follows traditional hand-brewing which significantly differs from the mass-produced chemical soy sauce. It's no wonder that this traditional soy sauce that doesn't contain additives has such a rich flavor and aromatic fragrance to it.
It is in this regard that the students used first-hand observations and interviews to gain a deeper understanding of the community as well as the rich history that is passed down across generations. The realization that the culture of Shihguei can be found amongst its old lanes and alleyways inspired students to try and display and promote the local culture and to allow others to acknowledge the value of this community. Numerous workshops, community empowerment, and cultural activities allowed for cultural exchanges and the mutual understanding between the team of students and the Shihguei locals.
Instead of selling products, the shop serves as a starting point for the resurgence of Shihguei's culture and history.
However, the team faces an important challenge of maintaining public dialogue and interaction after the events. During the team's visits to the different places in Shihguei, they observed many unique houses in the community, and among these, many unoccupied timeworn houses that were on the verge of collapse. Therefore, the team set their sights on revitalizing the old houses and believed that the renovating of these houses allowed for a practical way to leave behind something meaningful for the Shihguei community.
After several months of searching and deliberating, the team found an idle old house on Siwei road to help tackle this challenge and to better understand the Shihguei culture. With the approval and support of homeowner Mr. Chibin Shen, the team renovated the defective old house filled with wastes into an exhibition space named, "Shihguei Shop." In addition to the renovation of the house, the team, along with the assistance of locals, designed and completed a public art exhibition on the walls close to the shop which features the namesake of Shihguei — clay plates resembling the appearance of turtles.
The Shihguei Shop not only serves as an exhibition of the six months of combined efforts of both the team and the Shihguei residents, but it also serves as a platform to display and promote the local culture and enables the outside world to learn about its rich history. The Shihguei Shop, a place overflowing with culture and creativity, also aspires to become a beacon of sustainable development and a center for both community gathering and outsider visitations. The team hopes for Shihguei Shop, a house that was on the verge of collapse, transformed into an exhibition center, to become the turning point for the now quiet Shihguei settlement to once again create ripples in the world.
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University characteristic Startup Stage Project
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Yunlin County
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National Formosa University
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