Welcoming visitors
Reforestation is another pride of Dabeikeng.
“When I was a child, most of Dabeikeng was covered in tea plants, but now much of the area has become dense bush,” says Jiang. For more than a decade, a number of formerly fallow plantations have been used to grow high-economic-value trees, the area of which has reached 30-plus hectares with more than 100,000 trees planted. This change has not only increased the value of the land, promoted a greener environment, improved air quality, and improved water conservation, but has also created a new habitat for native fauna. Increasing numbers of birds have come to nest in Dabeikeng, and around the end of April and early May is Dabeikeng’s firefly season. Rhinoceros beetles appear on Griffith’s ash trees from mid-June to mid-July. So in addition to becoming an “outdoor classroom” for soil and water conservation, Dabeikeng has also created a rich ecological “classroom.”
But unfortunately, Dabeikeng has one drawback. The area appears quite lifeless in winter as most living things either wither or hibernate. To compensate for this minor shortcoming, in the last seven or eight years Jiang and other residents have planted some 5–6000 camellias. Hopefully now, from November to early April, Dabeikeng will gain yet another attraction—the blossoming of thousands of camellias.
After more than a decade of remediation and revitalization, Dabeikeng has gradually regained its vigor, and in recent years a number of people have moved back to their old homes.
Luo Guo’en, aged 63, has recently moved back to the community to restore his old house after living in the Yangmei District of Taoyuan. With support from the village revitalization program, the spread of green remediation has reached Luo’s front door, so now he takes responsibility for maintaining the trees and flowers around his home.
“Not too much has changed,” says Luo, who is excited about plans to renovate his old home. Just like Dabeikeng itself, Luo has found a “second spring.”
In May, the tung trees blossom and the aroma of tea floats through Dabeikeng. The community welcomes its many visitors with great warmth.
The tea green leafhopper insect has become a community hero in the production of Oriental Beauty tea, enjoying a status equal to Bo Gong. The photo shows a Bo Gong leafhopper sculpture designed by local residents.
In Dabeikeng, soil and water conservation is a major issue as well as a source of community pride. The picture at right shows one of the hydraulic drops which help reduce erosion caused by water coursing down steep slopes.
In Dabeikeng, soil and water conservation is a major issue as well as a source of community pride. The picture at right shows one of the hydraulic drops which help reduce erosion caused by water coursing down steep slopes.
In Dabeikeng, soil and water conservation is a major issue as well as a source of community pride. The picture at right shows one of the hydraulic drops which help reduce erosion caused by water coursing down steep slopes.
Jiang Zengping, director of the Dabeikeng Village Development Association, is a major advocate of reforestation. He is very proud of his community’s achievements.
Oriental Beauty tea is made from leaves infested with an insect pest, the tea green leafhopper. As a result, the tea develops a unique aroma not unlike slightly overripe fruit.