- Home
- Programs
- International CyberFair
- Participants
- Display Project Details
Fangyuan Junior High School in Changhua county (2014 CyberFair Project ID 7702)
Taiwan,
Changhua county
Official Status:
Final Project: Ready for Judging
Teacher:
Category: 2. Community Groups and Special Populations
We estimate 10 student(s) from 13 to 15 will work on this entry.
Description of Our Community: Situated along the southwestern coast of Changhua, Fangyuan Township was nicknamed as the pearl of the western coastline, with a prosperous aqua-cultivation. It was the second outer port for Lukang in earlier times. Over the last decades, such prosperity could only be known from old-time anecdotes since some geographical changes and moving out of local population. Entering Fangyuan Township via Provincial Line 17, one may immediately feel the slowness of the time. In the nearly deserted village, a visitor may see several old women sitting around to cut oysters into half, with the ousters piled under sunshine. One may also see puppies frolicking and cattle grazing the grass amid the weather-stricken old tile-roof houses. You barely hear bustling noise of big cities; all you can see is manatee pulling carts at its own slow pace. As the sandy land of Fangyuan Township proved a disadvantage to grow crops, the people here used to make oyster growing and fishing their major line of work, and a fishing village thus developed over time. The intertidal zones of Fangyuan Township are not only good for oyster cultivation, but has boasted a wide variety of marine resources. The scene of manatee-carts moving toward sea is a very special activity that can only be viewed in Fangyuan Township.
Project Description: “Go out for work at dawn, seeing the sky turn white, and who knows I’ve done a laborious work? Sailing the boat to the shore, to the shore, to do my work and support my family. Never afraid of the icy cold seawater.” “Scorching sun burn my skin, and I feel the heat barely bearable. Sometimes I have to split the oyster, and sometimes I have to wash clean the oysters, just to earn a living and make the future brighter. I work and work on, sweating all over from daybreak to twilight.” “Seeing the sun setting over the horizon, we have finally finished our work of today. Sunshine or rain, hot or cold, all the family depends on the oysters. The bigger the oysters grow, the better our lives become.” Situated at the western coast of Taiwan, Fangyuan Township is known for its intertidal zone which is exceptionally good to grow oysters. Most of the locals grew oysters for a living at earlier times. Over the years, however, the younger generation moved to urban areas while those remain in the town for oyster farming have dwindled. Young kids here know nearly nothing about the oyster work that their grandparents and parents did. We hope to make younger people realize how hard the oyster work should be and alert them to the spirit of the township through this Cyberfair project. By so doing, we help to strengthen the community, facilitate the transformation of the oyster industry, and let many more people know about Fangyuan, a township where marine resources abound.