【Campus News Reporter: Zhou Pei-Yi】

To fulfill its social responsibility, NCCU has partnered with the Fuxing Township Office in Changhua County through the Rural Revitalization Program. This collaboration aims not only to improve the local tourism environment but also to promote exchanges among young farmers and create job opportunities. The project leader, President Kuo Ming-Jeng, believes this is a "happy scientific experiment." He hopes that this initiative will not only help society escape poverty but also make society warmer and more humane. Regarding the recent NT$8 million subsidy awarded by the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, and the collaborative project leader, Professor Xu Shi-Rong, Director of the Third Sector Research Center and Professor of Land Economics, said that the subsidy will be used to improve the tourism environment, with continued efforts to secure additional funding for local development, aiming to make Fuxing Township more visible to both locals and visitors.

Regarding the origin of the cooperation, Professor Xu Shi-Rong first praised President Kuo for his dedication to social practice and his advocacy for the "50+1 Plan" (where 50 alumni and faculty accompany 1 young farmer). He immediately agreed to join the USR (University Social Responsibility) program when invited. The reason for choosing Fuxing Township, Xu explained, is that the National Development Council launched the Rural Revitalization Plan, and last year, the Executive Yuan designated it as the first year of rural revitalization. On the other hand, the Ministry of Education has actively promoted the USR program in recent years, and the two initiatives complement each other. With the support of President Kuo, the team decided to accelerate the process. After reviewing the list of priority regions for rural revitalization on the National Development Council's website, with many in Changhua, and due to his connections with Fuxing Township and Yunlin, Xu reached out to Fuxing Township and Dayeh University to collaborate.

Using the Yanlin Dapai River as a dividing line, Fuxing Township on the eastern side is the focus area for NCCU. The plan is to integrate the "50+1 Plan" with the young farmers' economy, establish a visitor center and civic hall, and build the Changhua Airport Story Museum, linking these sites with the community bike path. A local "Youth Travel" route will be planned. "To do rural revitalization, we need to understand the local DNA," Xu said, adding that the team has made efforts to contact village chiefs, young farmers, and community development associations. By understanding Fuxing Township's cultural history, geographical environment, and industrial conditions, they can develop a suitable construction plan. He continued, "Youth travel is centered around local industries, culture, and history. We hope to highlight the uniqueness of Fuxing Township and, in the future, invite YouTubers and influencers to promote local tourism in an easy-to-understand way, helping people understand the historical and cultural value of Fuxing Township."

Xu Shi-Rong pointed out that the Changhua Airport, which was used as a training ground for pilots during the Japanese colonial era, is not well known and is an unfortunate oversight. Therefore, the team is actively recruiting experts from various fields and has found one of the few surviving Japanese apprentice soldiers, Kubo Hisaya, who was trained there. At 98 years old, Kubo has granted permission to use his diary "Reflections of an Apprentice Soldier" and translations. Scholars are also actively planning a visit to Tokyo, Japan, to document these important historical moments. Additionally, plans are underway to repurpose the abandoned space at the Fuxing Township daycare center into a story museum. The team will also restore surrounding facilities such as anti-aircraft machine gun bunkers and communication command posts. By using an app to simulate the impact of wartime activities on the local community, they aim to reconstruct the historical site and integrate it with Daying Elementary School, which has nearly 100 years of history, to implement local education and raise local residents' awareness of their hometown’s history.

Xu Shi-Rong explained, "Changhua and Yunlin are Taiwan’s important granaries." How to preserve agricultural land, promote organic farming, and advocate for President Kuo's "50+1 Plan" amid issues like low food self-sufficiency, insufficient cultivated land, and soil pollution is a crucial topic from a land administration perspective. He hopes that with the support of the subsidy, the involvement of local residents, and the contributions of many experts, Fuxing Township can become better known to the public.

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Original Source: NCCU Campus News