Indigenous businesses that emphasize living quality, production and ecology will revitalize the local community and bring back young people, Premier Mao Chi-kuo said today during a visit to the Dauqpusan indigenous village in Hualien County.
At the village's soy sauce urn opening ceremony, the premier thanked community members for their hard work, which he credited for the success of the community's businesses. He hopes such organic agriculture can spread from the village and be duplicated in other parts of the island.
Dauqpusan's handmade soy sauce and other industries in the region have interesting stories behind them that testify to the efforts of central and local administrations in developing indigenous communities. The soy sauce factory, for instance, was redeveloped from a disused dormitory of a local police station. Mao commended the Ministry of the Interior for making use of its resources and working with the Council of Indigenous Peoples and Council of Agriculture to make this project a success.
The premier noted several aspects of indigenous business development worth mentioning. First, community elders have striven in various ways to draw young people back to the village, and judging from today's event, as many as five young Taiwanese have returned to work in these industries so far. Second, with so many farms in Hualien and Taitung emphasizing organic agriculture, Dauqpusan's efforts should be commended and held up as an example for other regions to follow.
Earlier in the day, Premier Mao also visited Lintian Mountain Forestry Center in Hualien. Lintian Mountain has a long history that has witnessed shifting trends in the lumbering industry, the premier said. In the past, lumbering flourished because people generally regarded the forest as a resource for development. After the 1970s, people have replaced forest development with conservation concepts.
Consequently, the lumbering industry has waned and local communities are making efforts to preserve as well as regenerate their cultural value. For instance, Mao said, the central and local governments would do well to promote Liantian Mountain and its nearby scenic spots, which taken together have great potential for tourism development.
The premier also pointed out that the government launched a major promotion this February to incorporate a healthy balance of indigenous lifestyles, production and ecology into tourism experiences. To date, the number of visitors to these villages has grown to more than 7,000 from some 1,000 at the start of the promotion. Mao expressed satisfaction with the results but also reminded agencies to be careful about traveler volume and to develop local tourism without upsetting that delicate balance.