Nanpu's Rebirth: A Centennial Vision

In 2009, a nearly impossible thing happened. The residents of -Nanpu Village, located in -Beipu Township, Hsin-chu County, decided as a group to let their fields lie fallow for a year in order to bring the village's century-old canal, the pride of their forefathers and the object of memories over the generations, back from the brink of death, making use of the time to fully regenerate it so they can prove to all that "-Nanpu will rise again."

Listening to the past

But such regeneration is easier said than done.

For a traditional farming village, declaring a year of fallow is an expression of resolve, that "failure is not an option." It's also a collective dream built of profound affection for the village and the land. Once the basic budget problems were solved, they were faced with the fact that in the upstream section of -Nanpu's canal, which stretched for three kilometers through precipitous topography, were 21 tunnels, which their forebears had hewn into the mountainsides by hand. But now, 100 years later, who would take charge of fixing them?

Four elderly farmers from the village who grew up plying the canal, helping their parents and grandparents plant crops and irrigate the fields, declared, "We'll do it! Nobody knows these tunnels better than we do."

The four old-timers-Xiao Yan-fang, Li Mu-hua, Zhou Yuan-rui and -Zhuang Qian-da, whose ages total nearly 300 years-spent the entire year clearing away the silt, shovelful by shovelful, from each narrow tunnel in places inaccessible by machinery. The process was as grueling as that of the construction of the canal way back then. They were in a race against time, for their lives as well as that of their farming community.

When this farming village's countdown to twilight started, the villagers marshaled all their willpower and energy to turn back the clock of -Nanpu's fate. Over the year they passed through a tunnel of time, restoring -Nanpu's canal to the glory of a century past. It was, after all, the dream of their ancestors that by working hard to develop this area, they would ensure their descendants a stable and prosperous future.

In front of a traditional sanheyuan courtyard house, a grandmother tending to her vegetable garden, devoted to growing her family's food organically, makes for an idyllic scene.

A year later, on May 1, 2010, a ceremony was held in -Nanpu marking the reopening of the canal. When high volumes of water started running once again into the canal, amid the celebratory din of the residents' cheers and traditional firecrackers, what the villagers saw was not merely water; it was the wellspring of -Nanpu's lifeblood, something worthy of pride.

The figure behind the scenes pushing for -Nanpu's collective fallow per-iod to give the canal a new lease on life was -Zhuang Ming-zeng, the youngest village head ever in -Nanpu's history.

Born in 1973, -Zhuang grew up in -Nanpu hearing many stories about the village from the old-timers. -Nanpu is where the forebears of the -Zhuang clan settled and made their living, and is where -Zhuang himself started his family and career. He has always believed that -Nanpu has the right conditions for revitalization. The fallow year gave -Nanpu the chance to save up energy so that the villagers could stop, take stock of the past and consider the future, and it re-concentrated their sentiments and unity toward their hometown.

Zhuang Ming-zeng's sincere and patient visits, petitions and explanations at last won the villagers' and elders' support. They began tallying -Nanpu's assets, calling for experts in different areas to lead the residents in the canal renovation efforts, while also restoring the characteristic beauty of -Nanpu's landscape and culture.

Village life is slow and leisurely. In front of the orchard-dotted fields, an old farmer sets radishes out to dry as distinctively salty Hakka aromas waft through the air.

In addition to the four seasoned canal diggers, there's the "waterwheel wizard," old Mr. Chen Huang-xiang, under whose guidance Nanpu's cen-tury-old bamboo-tube waterwheel, built when the canal was first dug, began turning once again, its elegant antique appearance restored.

"Woodworking whiz" Xiao Zhen-fang, who had learned his carpentry skills elsewhere before retiring back in -Nanpu, took part in the construction and repair of all the village's wooden facilities and viewing platforms, passing his skills on to the youth of the village. After some communal discussions about how the women of the village gather by the canal's bank to wash clothes and vegetables each day, they built two wood-framed laundry pavilions using old-fashioned methods, naming them Unity Pavilion and Teamwork Pavilion, fine new places for the women to do their work.

"Gorgon fruit guru" Guo -Guangwu who is working to revitalize the epony-mous native aquatic plant; "pickling pro" Mai Can-guang, an expert at growing and pickling cabbage using natural methods; and "agriculture ace" -Zhuang Qian-jin, also known as Sweet Potato Uncle, who is skilled at the craft of bamboo weaving, embraced their honorary titles at the appeal of the village head and began pitching in to serve -Nanpu.

Supported by the younger generations, one Nanpu centenarian showed up at every event with a wide smile on her face.

The village of Nanpu is nestled beside mountains and canals. The lush green fields highlight the tranquil and joyful rural lifestyle.

Respect for elders is a virtue passed on through the generations in this -Hakka village; this being so, including the older folks in -Nanpu's revival efforts is of great significance.

Says -Zhuang Ming-zeng, "With the wisdom and participation of the elders, the young people will carry out their duties more dependably, and what started out as a modest dream is now growing and becoming more real."

So that more people could learn about the villagers' efforts and the splendor of -Nanpu, once the canal clearing project was completed, the town held a series of activities aimed at outsiders, such as a coming-of-age ceremony, a -Shiye festival, and a harvest celebration.

Someone was needed to lead and direct each activity, and there also needed to be performance programs for entertainment. Some of the villagers formed an impromptu jug band, fashioning plastic water barrels into percussion instruments, and when they began to practice, many of the -Nanpu youngsters who were -Zhuang Ming-zeng's age stopped clinging to the "I'm too busy" excuse and joined in. Mai Xin-lan is a typical example.

An employee at Hsin-chu Science Park, Mai is the daughter of "pickling pro" Mai Can-guang. "I'm proud to be from -Nanpu, and seeing the older folk working with such dedication makes me feel my future is in my hometown," says Mai.

Now Mai volunteers as a -Nanpu tour guide during her days off. She says that the older folk immersed in their labors are not very good at public speaking, marketing or using the Internet. This work is the province of the young, because the more young people there are who know, identify with and like -Nanpu, the more hope there is for the future of the village.

She also believes -Nanpu's village god -Shiye will ensure that the youth of the village will achieve their dreams, because according to tradition, -Shiye is the guardian of -Nanpu's children. Such faith, deeply entrenched in life, still holds the power to warm and soothe the human heart even in modern society.

Perched atop Nanpu's irrigation canal, the century-old bamboo-tube waterwheel turns as in times past, supplying the source of their vitality.

In 2011, the centennial year of the Republic of China's founding, it seems as if Nanpu is also entering its second century. The completion of the canal-dredging project was a "mission impossible" that everyone helped accomplish, thus bringing -Nanpu's villagers closer together. The follow-up effect is that when -Nanpu has a problem to work on, everyone will gladly pitch in and do their part, seeking the blessings of -Shiye as they remind each other, "Don't cut short -Nanpu's journey toward rebirth!"

After -Nanpu's rebirth, the first impression one gets upon entering the village is seeing the magnificent red -Nanpu Bridge. The bridge, also known as the "Hundred Points Bridge," was refurbished in 2000 to celebrate -Beipu Elementary School's 100th an-ni-vers-ary, and its steel structure was speci-ally designed to look like a streamlined "100." One of -Nanpu's most famous landmarks, the bridge draws students from miles around to pray for full marks on their exams and for things to go well in their lives.

In this centennial age, the Hundred Points Bridge is a symbol for the long-term harmonious union of the townsfolk of -Nanpu. They have set their agricultural vision on sustainable cultivation of their native soil into the next century and even the century after that: one of natural farming free of harmful chemicals.

Zhuang Ming-zeng says that -Nanpu has always been a farming village (it has been called the "granary of -Beipu"), and the primary purpose of renovating the century-old canal is to breathe new life into -Nanpu's farmland. They expect all fallow farmland to be returned to cultivation; moreover, there will be classes offered through which ideas can be shared and expressed, so that more residents can take part in farming that's free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, thereby further revitalizing -Nanpu's land and produce.

Shiye worship is a belief system prevalent in Nanpu; the deity is known to the Hakka as Bak Gung. This local god ensures safety in the villagers' daily activities.

At the start of the year, they opened a community "university" with great fanfare, under the direction of former -Beipu Elementary School principal -Zhuang -Xinqi. The community elders were called together to learn practical healthcare skills, and to share personal and family traditional cultural knowledge and skills through an "industry and culture survey."

Zhuang -Xinqi gives the example of the traditional Hakka dish ban, for which each family has its own secret recipe. If now isn't the right time to record the information for posterity, then when will be?

Thanks to their common vision and effort, -Nanpu became the first village approved by the Council of Agriculture as a rural regeneration community after the 2010 passage of the Rural Regeneration Act. It was like a 100-year birthday present that the -Nanpu villagers gave themselves. A "bridge-crossing into the new century" ceremony was organized to secure -Shiye's blessings, filling the villagers with confidence for the future. They believe that the rejuvenation of -Nanpu will indeed provide a healthy, toxin-free environment for future generations to grow up in. Achieving this, the villagers will be of clear conscience.

(facing page) In the olden days, rural canals nourished the crops of entire villages. They were also important water sources for washing and cooking.The rebirth of the 100-year-old canal running through Nanpu in Beipu Township has given the long-dormant village a new lease on life.