The road to local sustainability ~ Green Danlan

A path which is familiar to general mountain hikers~ ‘Tamlan Ancient Road (or known as the Tamlan Mountain Trails)'' refers to people's understanding of the traffic route between ‘Tamsui prefecture’ (north of present-day Hsinchu) and ‘Kavalan prefecture’ (now Yilan). It connects these two administration divisions from the Qing Dynasty to the Japanese occupation era in North Taiwan. Before the Han Chinese moved in this area, the Atayal, Pingpu and Kavalan people have resided here since thousands of years ago.

The communication and transportation between Tamsui and Kavalan follow the needs of reclamation, military action, administrative and business for example trading or shipping purpose. It roughly starts from the Wanhua Dadaocheng area, passes through Songshan, Nuannuan to Shuangxi, and runs along Xindian Creek, Jingmei Creek, and Shiding Creek, passing overs the Snow Mt. and finally connecting to Kavalan (Yilan), forming a big network of transportation. Settlements, trails and road networks intertwined with mountains and rivers, formed a beautiful landscape. This landscape records the history, culture and wisdom of the ancestors resided in this area. 

These heritages are important natural and cultural assets of northern Taiwan, with multiple potential values such as leisure, health, business, tourism, and ecology, and are important assets which that be able to promote and share Taiwan's ecological and cultural value to the world.

The focus of TNU’s 109-111 USR project is to take the principle of "green tourism" based on the conservation and wise use of natural and cultural heritage, to transform the concept of "Tamlan" from merely "ancient roads" or "mountain trails" to a larger concept of a place where all life forms, industries and the way of interacting with natural and cultural heritages of all ancestors of dwellers once lived in this area, and to promote this sustainable way on tourism growth throughout the country. The active approach of "green tourism" and the area’s leisure service industry has been coached and demonstrated in this project. We are glad that the beauty of the humanities and nature of its region can be comprehensively considered and practiced in the environment, economy, culture, and society to increase the upgrade of green business opportunities as well as move towards local sustainable development.

In order to explore and master ‘Tamlan elements’ and to communicate the concept of green tourism with the dwellers, the team visited local residents, industry, associations and public administration offices in Shenkeng, Shiding, and Pingxi, and used opportunities for joint activities, exchanges and teaching design to establish a Deeper partnership. 

Shenkeng, is the first stop of the contact with nature on the urban-rural junction of in the Taipei metropolitan area if you follow the Jingmei Creek. Letting alone this famous Tofu in the Old Street, we continuously discovered more amazing things. Farmer Mr. Huang's home is located on the path from Wenshan Road to Lin’s Cottage, where the "Holiday Farmers Market" is often held. While watching us operating a drone for filming the beautiful scenery of the Mt. Erge Series, he talked to us about the hardship and honor of farming, the fun of setting up unmanned vegetable stalls, and his expectations for the conservation of cultures such as "Free Tea-Offering". We purchased agricultural products such as pumpkins that are friendly farming, as we could share the blessings of the earth with colleagues and family.

We also visited a farm called ‘Mountains’ Companion’, which is a place full of dreams and great smell of natural bakery, located next to Paozilun Waterfall, to discuss local hiking-path planning. This is a young couple who wants to return to nature and live a natural way of life. With their lovely children, they provide tourists with kiln-baked pizza, vanilla bread and other natural healthy food to share with everyone the feeling of happiness。

We are on Tuku Cross, which is also an important path from Nangang to Shenkeng. We found the stunning ‘Legend Club’. The owner subverts the traditional business dining culture into a top-level Italian style gourmet combining the concept of ‘food, beauty, coffee’ in nature and mountains, expounding the spirit of nature and art. 

In Shiding, the town of mountain, we walked along the clear streams at the foot of the Mt. Snow. The coal mine culture is full of tea fragrance and embellishment, combined with the management of the water source and water quality protection zone, and gave Shiding the best rural environment. Shi Ding didn’t win the name - hometown of leisure and healing for nothing! Here, sitting next to the ancient Tamlan Trail by the Wutu River, just gazing at the gurgling water and fish from the Mt. Snow, or staring at the deep valley terrain of Yongding River, makes people forget to return. Shiding Tourism Development Association often organizes activities on weekends to let visitors learn about the rural landscape and culture, including the history and development of the ancestors of Shiding’s ‘Leg-hanging building’, ‘Skying-covering Street’, and an old blacksmith shop which is still making its effort to support the need of tools of the few existing farmers in this area. They also don’t forget to let everyone taste delicious tofu cakes and the famous ‘grandma rice cake’. 

Pingxi, located in the upper stream area of the Keelung River, featured faults, strange-shaped rocks, waterfalls and potholes in all scales. And ‘Wang Gu Rock Wave’ ~ a kind of perseverance that can only be seen by the hard rock formations of the Mt. Snow under the erosion process in the climate. Jingtong settlement not only has the best coal seam in Taiwan's century-old mining history and culture, but also a snack called "chicken roll" that reflects the good virtue of the ancestors. Of course, talking and taking photos with the oldest postbox in Taiwan, is like communicating with the ancients. It is really romantic. Small train stops along the railway Pingxi line are loved by all photographers due to their charms of their story and beauty. The famous ‘one-eyed monk’ in the Xinpingxi Coal Mine Museum Park attracts visitors from Japan especially railroad fans and lovers from all over the world. We hold green tourism education and training in Jingtong and Xinpingxi Coal Mine Museum Park, explore ancient roads like natural fern classrooms, and discuss with partners and other activities to grow up in nature and history with everyone. And these beautiful natural and humanistic interactions are included in the results of our project. 

The purpose of the "Green Danlan" project is to give Tamlan a completely different and high-quality meaning of life, production, ecology and life. This is the goal of the USR team of our school. We wish our experience on the Green Tamlan project would enrich Taiwan as well as the rest of the world, and bring the concept of sustainability to areas of heritage, helping mankind to preserve their environment and the precious culture. We like to share it with you, and wish all of us build sustainability together!!