New cultural experience in Zhongli Old Street

Zhongli District, Taoyuan City, was a Hakka-based settlement in the early days. The Hakka language called the valley formed by the stream “Li”, so it was named “Jianzai” because of its geographical location surrounded by Laojie River and Xinjie River. During the Japanese colonial period, Zhongli District was named “Zhongli Street” , which was the main road between the north and the south.

The settlements close to the Laojie River are called ” Laojie District”. There are Japanese-style buildings, centuries-old shops, Hakka culture and Laojie River which influenced the life of the Laojie District. However, under the torrent of the times, Local youths or immigrants no longer understand these historical contexts. In order to preserve these unique cultural, we hope that more people will understand and interested in the history of Zhongli Laojie District. and achieve the goal of cultural preservation.

Organizer introduction

Chung Yuan Christian University is founded on the spirit of Christian love for the world. With faith, hope, and love, we endeavor to promote higher education. In order to encourage teachers and students to care about society with “Love and Professionalism” and enable students to demonstrate “Knowledge-action Integration” in the process of “Learning by Doing”, the University set up the “Office of Service Learning Project” in March 2007, which was renamed the “Service Learning Center” in March 2008, dedicated to promoting “service learning” courses and projects systematically and continuously, and also recommending that the University’s students participate in social services, fulfill civic responsibility, and train their core competency for employment.

As of 2019, we also took over the “Taolien Youth Volunteer Service Station” of the Youth Development Administration, Ministry of Education, aiming to build a youth-friendly volunteer service resources platform in Taoyuan and working with schools, associations, and organizations in Taoyuan to encourage the youth to participate in volunteer services and upgrade the youth volunteer service energy in Taoyuan.

Cooperation unit introduction

The Li Xiao story forest is planned “education”, “picture book carnival” and “story creation” to continue historical memory and create an innovative parent-child reading space.

To cultivate cultural and creative talents, and revitalize the local art and culture space and continue the stories of old houses. it establishes a platform for cultural education and art and culture creation by strengthening the integration of resources and through community participation.

Aims

• To promote exchanges between local and international youth, and to understand the history and culture of Zhongli Laojie District.
• To share international cultural and enhance the international perspective of children.
• To assist in the conservation of the habitat of the Laojie River to raise awareness of environmental sustainability.

Achievements over the past year

• Since 2017, Chung Yuan University Service-Learning Center has been organizing a number of one-day local cultural experience workshops for young volunteers to learn more about the local culture.
• In 2022, to focus on Zhongli Laojie District, we organize three-day, two-night Local International Work Camp around three themes: ” Laojie River “, ” Historical Shops” and ” Historical Buildings” . To Let foreign students communicate with local youths, so as to understand the history and characteristics of Zhongli. The reference link is as follows
• In 2023, a variety of initiatives were organized, including old house restoration, cultural exchange programs, and environmental conservation efforts. These were complemented by engaging activities such as guided neighborhood tours, night market cultural experiences, and international cuisine sharing events. The goal was to foster a deeper appreciation of local culture and sustainability among international youth and university students. The program welcomed 11 participants, featuring 2 from Hong Kong, 2 from Mexico, 1 from Spain, 1 from Japan, and 1 from South Korea.
• In 2024, services such as old house restoration, cultural exchange, and environmental protection, combined with activities like neighborhood tours, night market cultural experiences, and international cuisine exchanges. These initiatives aim to help international youth and students from our university gain a deeper understanding of local culture and the importance of sustainability. A total of 12 participants took part in the program, including 2 from Japan, 1 from Vietnam, 1 from Australia, and 1 from Poland.