Community Project Reinvigorates Traditional Southern Taiwan Crafts

TaiwanPlus News

A community project in the southern Taiwanese village of Luman is helping to restore some of the area's traditions, including tobacco growing and instrument making.

Transcript

00:00Rows of pea-green tobacco plants, bringing back a splash of colour to this southern Taiwanese

00:08village. Luman was once a key area for tobacco farming in Taiwan, but the industry saw a

00:15decline as the local population aged. Now, renewed efforts from the community are helping

00:21revive traditional agricultural practices.

00:24Through these tobacco farms, people know that Luman's history and past industrial development

00:30have to do with tobacco farming. I think it's a recognition for the older tobacco farmers.

00:37It's part of a wider push in the village to restore local traditions almost lost to time.

00:43In addition to growing tobacco, the area also has a musical history. Local instrument makers

00:48are invited to host workshops and to show off skills they've learned over the decades

00:54and more sustainable approaches they've embraced in their age-old crafts.

01:17For many elderly members of the community, the Luman Cultural Restoration Project has

01:21provided a new sense of purpose and vitality, while also helping preserve once endangered

01:28local traditions. Andy Hsu and Rhys Ayres for Taiwan Plus.

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