Photoelectric advances Jackie Chan Wetland 01 "Photovoltaic panels appear in the habitat of the black-faced spoonbill. After more than ten years of struggle for wetland conservation, the vision of the village has been challenged.

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In a small seaside village, more than 30 years ago, the typhoon was engulfed by sea water, and the only ploughed land was wasted, and the villagers suffered the great pain of losing their land. However, over the years, this field recovered by the sea has gradually become an ecological paradise, with migratory birds and rich shellfish, and NGO has also come to help the community take advantage of the vitality of the wetlands to reinvigorate themselves, forge a consensus among residents, develop a new green economy, and the vision of symbiosis and co-prosperity is just around the corner.

This small village is Chenglong Village, Kouhu Township, Yunlin County, which is famous for its wetland art festival and environmental education in recent years. But Jackie Chan Village has recently encountered a big problem, that is, photoelectric crime sites have been built around the wetlands one after another.

This incident alarmed the cadres of the Jackie Chan village community and worried about the development of the photoelectric case site, which not only threatened the habitat of migratory birds and impaired the conservation function of wetlands, but also affected the development of Jackie Chan village's community over the past decade or so. The young man who returned to his hometown said bluntly, "if the land is full of photovoltaic panels, why do we have to come back?"

However, with the continuous lobbying of photovoltaics and land brokers in the local areas, it is not easy to cultivate residents to recognize the practice of wetland conservation, which is shaken by the high rent of photovoltaics. Nowadays, there is no lack of villagers who openly express their hope for the development of optoelectronics, so that the vision of more than a decade of focusing on wetland conservation and community development is gradually challenged, and the originally cohesive community forces are faced with conflict.

Migratory birds in Caoze area around Jackie Chan wetland and controversial sites in development. (courtesy of Wang Zhaomei)

Jackie Chan Village, the story of reconciliation between man and nature

Jackie Chan Village is located in the southwest corner of Yunlin County. On August 22, 1986, Typhoon Wayne hit the southwest coast, and the sea water poured into the village along the stream. the farmland of Jackie Chan village was soaked in the sea water for a whole month. Due to the subsidence of the strata for many years, the sea water can never go back. The villagers also lost hope of life, and desperate villagers left one after another.

This piece of land soaked in sea water has become an important habitat for transit migratory birds because it has not been cultivated for a long time. In 2005, the Forestry Bureau began to try out ecological compensation in Jackie Chan Village, hoping that the villagers would gradually change their idea of "losing their land and hating waterbirds", and began to invite the Tree viewing Education Foundation to Jacklong Village to offer environmental education in 2007.

In order to let villagers understand that the community can still live and thrive with this soaked land, the Guanshu Foundation offers ecological commentary here, so that visitors can understand the issues of global warming and stratum subsidence. Jackie Chan Wetland International Environmental Art Festival has been held since 2010, so that Jackie Chan Village can take a fresh look at this "land taken back by heaven" from the perspective of artists, hoping to achieve reconciliation between nature and human beings.

However, in recent years, optoelectronic crime stations have sprung up around Jackie Chan Village, which has worried people in the community who have been involved in Jackie Chan wetlands for many years. Tian Rifan, which strongly supports community development and wetland conservation behind the scenes, is even more full of a sense of crisis.

Jackie Chan Wetland works with artists and residents to rewrite the abandoned land in the villagers' impression. (courtesy of Tian Rifan)

Boss Tian said from scratch: the pain of losing arable land, recovery through wetland conservation.

Tian Rifan, who is commonly known as "Boss Tian" in the community, is nominally an adviser to the Community Development Association. In fact, he is the main pillar of Jackie Chan's efforts to promote wetland conservation. His father Tian Sangqing, a traditional Chinese teacher in the village, was highly respected by the villagers. Tian Rifan was influenced by his childhood and became a talkative and resourceful opinion leader in the hearts of the villagers.

He proudly pointed to "Link", the most representative work of landscape art in Jackie Chan Wetland, and said, "this bridge has 22 pillars. The works of other artists are broken, but this is the only bridge that has not been broken." Do you know why? Because the bridge was built by the villagers themselves, how could it be broken? as soon as it was broken, the villagers came to repair it. "

Boss Tian remembers clearly that because there was a gap in community funds, the supervisors and supervisors put together NT $5,000 or NT $10,000 to make up for it. He was always the first to take out the money to make up for it. "it is said that he will not pay it back until the community has money. In fact, everyone knows that the community has no money." He said with a smile.

"the older generation of people in Jackie Chan Village are still unable to accept it. God has taken back their land because of a typhoon. They say there are evil spirits here, so don't come near. " Boss Tian, who witnessed the upheaval, described the most painful history of Jackie Chan Village with sadness, explaining why some villagers were still angry in the face of Jackie Chan wetlands.

Tian Rifan, known as Boss Tian in the community, is full of sorrow in the face of photovoltaics, worried that the villagers will no longer agree with the vision of the wetland and the community. (photography / Lin Jiyang)

The wasteland becomes a treasure land, reconnecting with the villagers

Tian Rifan said that until the Forestry Bureau began to lease land to the villagers, "the government came forward to lease the land as a birdling area and a winter place for migratory birds from the north." It is only then that the villagers know that the land is not abandoned, but in a different form, but continues to breed life. Villagers also realize that land does not need to be developed and that human beings must learn to live with nature. The government's move also allows villagers to be saved from the pain of losing their land.

After that, Jackie Chan Village became famous with the Wetland Art Festival, and many villagers from abroad returned to the village and even donated money to the Community Development Association. For the villagers, whether it is the wetlands or the art season, it is important for the village to re-accept and carry forward this "originally lost land" through more than a decade of efforts.

The villagers named the work produced by the joint force "Link", because this bridge is the former oxcart road, and most of the villagers use this road to work in the "back Wall Garden". Everyone lost the "arable land", and now the land has returned to the village in the form of "wetlands" and reconnected has become a part of everyone's life.

However, now that the optoelectronic crisis is shrouded in dark clouds, Tian Rifan said sadly, "after advocating for so many years, I am deeply afraid that one day the people of the village will no longer believe that wetlands can change the future of the village." He is worried that Jackie Chan Village will deviate from the original development path after optoelectronics enters the market.

The wooden bridge, jointly built by villagers and volunteers, is named Link, symbolizing the countryside invaded by sea water and once again connecting with the village as a wetland. (courtesy of Tian Rifan)

Environmental education worker: the north water of the Photoelectricity Institute is the secret habitat of the black-faced spoonbill.

Filling piles have begun to be built around the wetlands on the north side of the Taiwan 61 line, and ground photovoltaic panels have been built one after another in the rear of Jackie Chan Primary School, and many land contracts are being signed. In the face of the gradual advance of optoelectronics, in the eyes of Wang Zhaomei, who spawned the Wetland Environmental Art Festival and accompanied Jackie Chan for more than a decade, her heart was particularly heavy. Although she has retired from the Guanshu Foundation, she continues to accompany Jackie Chan community as a volunteer.

Over the past decade or so, Wang Zhaomei and her partners have continuously observed and recorded the changes around the Jackie Chan wetland every year. "in a broad sense, the amount of ecological activity on the north side is a part of the Jackie Chan wetland as a whole, but in terms of ecological value, it is actually higher than the south side. Every year, a large number of migratory birds fly here from Siberia to spend the winter, including the international conservation species black-faced spoonbill. However, in order to protect migratory birds from disturbance, we have been careful not to expose the treasures of the northern wetlands for more than a decade. " She said.

Wang Zhaomei, who is engaged in environmental education, believes that the most important thing about Jackie Chan's wetland is not the result of public-private cooperation in wetland conservation, but the most important thing is the thinking of this group of villagers. If it were not for the villagers' heartfelt recognition of wetlands and their hopes for ecological and local development, Jackie Chan Village, which is popular at the Wetland Art Festival, would probably find it difficult to resist the temptation of external resources and still maintain a steady pace.

However, photoelectric brings the temptation of high rents. The market is NT $400000 a year, with an average of NT $40,000 per cent of land, compared with the ecological compensation of NT $5500 per cent provided by the Forestry Bureau, and the price gap is nearly 10 times. After some landowners in the village received rent, they actively advocated the benefits of optoelectronic development. For Jackie Chan Village, wetlands combined with the vision of community development are now facing the competition and cooperation of optoelectronics.

Groups of black-faced spoonbills can be seen living in the waters next to the photoelectric crime site. (photography / Lin Jiyang)

Community association: do not want the village to give up its long-term vision for short-term interests

Guo Mingyuan, 45, chairman of the Jackie Chan Community Development Association, originally worked in the construction industry. Ten years ago, he returned to his hometown to become a farmer, focusing on organic farming. Because of his upright character, he was elected community director six years ago.

He said that Jackie Chan Village promotes wetland education and community construction in the hope of pursuing long-term sustainable planning, so when outsiders want to expand the Jackie Chan Wetland Environmental Art Festival, the community hopes to rethink the sustainable planning of the community. "We walk slowly, but we want to take every step steadily." He hopes that the community will not forget the ecological restoration work he originally wanted to promote for the sake of short-term popularity or for the sake of a temporary influx of tourists.

However, piece after piece of photoelectricity appeared around Jackie Chan Village, which did disturb the hearts of the local people. The operators actively visited the landlords, filled the landlords' mailboxes, or even held a brief briefing, and as soon as they finished, they were in a hurry to sign a contract with the landlords to pay a deposit. All these actions have perplexed and puzzled the residents.

"Why don't you make it when there are so many roofs? But it happens to develop sensitive land around wetlands. " Guo Mingyuan's voice is rarely raised. "now photovoltaics are built everywhere, and it is only a small number of people who benefit, but the consequence is that the whole community's wetland ecology and community development, and the vision of life and production will be lost." He couldn't help sighing.

Guo Mingyuan hopes that Jackie Chan community can be built steadily and slowly, but he never thought that the sudden optoelectronic development would also interfere with the future of the community. (photography / Lin Jiyang)

Since childhood, he has accepted the course of "Wetland Detective" and has planted conservation seeds in the land.

In the eyes of young community workers, optoelectronics has brought the idea of developing "wasteland that is not conducive to farming," and has gone back to the old road, affecting many people's idea of developing and utilizing "wetlands" again.

Lin Jian-Zhen came to Jackie Chan Village from Taichung to become a community project manager because of her opportunity to work as a volunteer for the environmental arts season. What made her unforgettable was that at the presentation on the wetland conservation and utilization plan, the villagers said bitterly that "wetlands are waste land" and thought that every way should be done to develop them. "when I heard this, I felt a pain in my heart."

In the face of the obscure wrestling of the development route, Lin Jian-Zhen believes, "as an outsider, I can only continue to do my original work, and as to how Jackie Chan Village will develop, it can only be left to the villagers to choose. We can only try our best to communicate, but the final decision remains in the hands of the residents. "

Lin Jian-Zhen believes that the next generation must think differently. Young people under the age of 20 in Jackie Chan Village will participate in the course of "Wetland Detective" from elementary school and receive training as tour guides when they grow up. These teenagers believe that the combination of wetland conservation can make Jackie Chan village better.

The Wetland Detective course allows Jackie Chan Primary School children to identify wetland species. (courtesy of the Guanshu Education Foundation)

Young people returning home: if our hometown is full of photovoltaic panels, why do we still come back?

Lin Yunyi, 27, is the current director-general of Jackie Chan Community and one of the young people affected by wetland environmental education to return to their hometown. She believes that the most important thing for the community is to combine the conservation and utilization of wetlands with community development, so that local young people can still return to Jackie Chan Village to continue to serve and connect with community development after going out to study.

To this end, Jackie Chan Community rented Warehouse No. 82 next to Anlong Palace as a way station and coffee shop, and called on students outside Jackie Chan Village to continue to serve in the village during the holidays to introduce their hometown to tourists. These young people have participated in wetland environmental education courses since childhood, as well as complete guided tour training to learn about the industry, culture and wetland ecology of their hometown.

In the face of photovoltaics approaching step by step, Lin Yunyi confessed, "I hope that the scope of the wetland reserve can be expanded, otherwise the land is full of photovoltaic panels, why would we come back?" Clean the photovoltaic panels? The reason why I will come back is that I hope to take good care of the ecological environment so that the village can take a different path. " (the article is not finished to be continued)

The young people who returned home made the final preparations for operational training together. (photography / Lin Jiyang)

Photoelectric advances Jackie Chan Wetland 03 "High rents encourage people. How can villagers believe that one day the wetland can revitalize Jackie Chan Village?"