Taitung County Da Wang Xiao — "ㄊㄢˊ" Food Between — Abundant Flavors Future
After the 2024 typhoon, much was taken from Taema-ri; it took away the entire year's harvest that many families depended on for their livelihood. But what it didn't take away was the people's affection for the land. The land of Taema-ri fell silent for a time. But the children did not fall silent. The King's Course went into the mountains and forests, into the fields, and into the fishing port. We stood on the stage of the art museum, using a dish, a song, and a play to tell everyone: This land is still here, we are still here, and we are not just bystanders.
The "Food Between 'Eat' - Abundant Future" feature starts with sustainability. "Food Between 'Eat'" isn't just about what to eat, but about the most authentic relationship between us and the land. We discuss how climate change is altering our dining tables; through interviews, we document how farmers and fishermen are finding value again amidst loss; through a charity sale, we talk about how children are using their hands to advocate for sustainability. That relationship becomes clearer in the face of adversity, more real in the aroma of food, and incredibly powerful in the voices of children advocating for it.
"Food is the medium; conversation is action; and abundant food is our deepest commitment to our future home." This course starts from Dawang Village in Taimali, Taitung, and is driven by the real disaster situation of the local home being severely damaged by the 2024 typhoon. It extends the classroom to the land, transforms knowledge into action, and cultivates students to become "Ambassadors of Sustainable Homeland" with awareness, responsibility and advocacy energy.
The course guides students to deeply perceive the tangible impact of climate change on their local communities through their five senses. From the collapse of the Shalun River channel and damage to farms to the landslide-dammed lake less than four kilometers from neighboring communities, students recall real stories of residents being evacuated during each heavy rain, awakening their sense of identity with the land and their responsibility to protect it. We believe that only by letting children "see" the vulnerability of their hometown can we truly inspire their determination to "protect" it.
The learning environment extends further to local agricultural sites and marine fishing grounds, establishing genuine connections with farmers engaged in grass cultivation, forest coffee artisans, winged bean restorers, and eco-friendly fishing professionals through four years of field research and interviews. This allows students to rediscover the role and civic mission of sustainable community ambassadors through philosophical reflections on "Lost is Gain" and "Less is More," enabling them to balance business and ecology. The course deeply integrates the use of digital tools, with students using tablets, 360-degree cameras, and AI editing tools to record their observations and interviews, compiling them into short advocacy videos. This ensures that the learning outcomes are not confined to the classroom but truly integrated into daily life.
Ultimately, the mission of "Ambassadors of Sustainable Homeland" was put into practice in the performance at the Taitung Art Museum: using drama to awaken environmental awareness, using music to evoke memories of the land, using food ingredients to promote sustainable eating, and designing interactive activities to encourage public participation and reflection. This performance was not just the end of learning, but the starting point of civic action. We started from a rural elementary school and hope to use aesthetics to carry out civic action and influence more people to jointly protect this land and let our hometown show true resilience and abundance in the face of climate change.
