| 2019-21 Tainan Shih Tzu Lai Community: Wild Sugar-root Grass
The “Shih Tzu Lai” community is a collective name for the three villages of Shih Cheng, Shih Lin, and Shih Hu in Danei District, Tainan City. It is situated right at the junction of hills and plains. As the Zengwen River flows downstream, it broadens in this area, depositing a riverbed full of gravel stones. Hence it was given the name: "Shih Tzu Lai”, which means “gravel shallows”.
The residents in the community include some Siraya people who have fully assimilated into the local Minnan culture. The residents are hospitable, hardworking and passionate. Most of them earn their living through farming, with Avocado cultivation being the main focus. They support and care for one another, and are often seen gathered together, demonstrating a strong sense of community spirit.
Under the Danei Bridge by the Zengwen River, the ground is covered with wild sugar-root grass, a perennial plant whose stems have segments and grow upright, ranging from 50 cm to 180 cm tall. Its flowering period is from July to November, forming a spectacular "September Snow (九月雪)" landscape—a famous scenic attraction for tourists in Tainan.
From 2019 to 2021, we partnered with the Shih Tzu Lai community residents to implement the "Local Plant Craft Studying" project. We researched and developed paper made from wild sugar-root grass fiber, and dye made with avocados. In 2020 and 2021, we provided guidance to the community team to develop the potential for micro-enterprises focused on the unique, local handicraft skills and techniques. Through this project, we hope to encourage more residents to apply the wild sugar-root grass fibers to a wider variety of use cases and designs, to help bring the possibility of local community-based micro-enterprises one step closer to reality.
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| Harvesting the Sugar-root Grass |
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| Danei District Residents Cutting and Preparing the Grass Fibers for use |
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| Sample of Handmade Sugar-root Grass Fiber Paper |
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Sample of Dyes made with Locally-grown Avocados and Sugar-root grass Fibers
 | | Danei Local Merchandise Design 1 |
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Danei Local Merchandise Design 2
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| 2019-23 Ecology Learning and Crafting at the Duck Field Rice Farm
Yuanli, located in Miaoli County, is a coastal plain formed between the northern Dajia River and the Da'an River in Taiwan. It has long been known as the "rice granary of Miaoli." The Yuanli Alluvial Fan Plain Ecological and Cultural Development Association was founded in 2002 in response to the increased pollution and ecological damage to the agricultural environment in the area.
Headquartered in the Duck Field Rice Farm, the association is committed to developing organic farming methods, such as raising ducks in the rice fields to feed on the bugs and pests, cleansing the soil and the environment without resorting to the use of pesticides that releases harmful pollutants. The association has also been pushing for the transformation of the community into an ecological village that combines leisure and ecological education.
From 2019 to 2023, the association worked with employees of the Duck Field Rice Farm to implement the "Local Plant Craft Studying" project. In 2019, the association developed handmade paper produced using organic rice straw fiber. In 2020, it participated in the local Huoyan Mountain soil dyeing project to create plant-based dyes. Between 2021 and 2023, the project’s scope expanded to include hand-weaving, to craft organic rice straw into cup coasters, bags, and other household object designs. Through the development of new handicraft techniques, the association was able to provide handicraft courses that were more ecological and environmentally friendly, as well as to introduce creative, novel ways to use the fibers for different purposes and designs, in hopes of fostering a community-based micro-industry that highlights in the unique, local craftsmanship and heritage.
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| Huoyan Mountain Frame Weaving |
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| Huoyan Mountain Mud Dye Making Process |
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| Huoyan Mountain Mud Dyed Merchandise Design 1 |
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| Huoyan Mountain Mud Dyed Merchandise Design 2 |
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Organic Rice Fiber Processing and Loom Operation
 | | Huoyan Mountain Loom Creations Design 1 |
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| Huoyan Mountain Loom Creations Design 2 |
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| Four-color Checkered Bag Design |
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| Eight-color Checkered Bag Design |
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| Double-layered Rice Fiber "Harmonious" Design Sample (3 Bags) |
| 2020-22 Tainan Yongle Community Traditional Farmed Crops: Broom Corn
The Yongle Community is located in the southwest of Tainan's Xigang District. Before 1823, residents from mainland China's Zhangzhou (Xi County) began to immigrate across the sea to Taiwan. They negotiated with the indigenous fishermen who lived on the island’s shores to build housing in the area, gradually forming the "Dafenliao" settlement.
In 1823, the Zengwen River changed course for the first time, causing land to emerge from the Taijiang Inner Sea (臺江內海), which attracted more immigrants to come cultivate the land.
During the Japanese colonial period, this land belonged to the Dafenliao region of the Xigang Township. After World War II, the northern and southern lands of Dafenliao along the Zengwen River, and the Xipuliao region, were combined into one village. It was named "Yongle", which means “forever happy”, in hopes that the residents would always be safe and peaceful.
The local crop of the Yongle village, the broom corn, bears resemblance to the corn and sorghum. It was brought to the local area by Japanese merchants for cultivation, and remained one of the most economically important crops in the area until the 1960s and 70s. After the seeds ripen, the farmers will shear off the upper part of the stem, remove the seeds, and dry them under the sun to be used as animal feed. The stems are then used as weaving materials for handmade brooms. In recent years, the population of the Yongle Community has been in decline, with a rise in elderly residents, and dwindling young blood.
The "Local Plant Craft Studying" project was undertaken with the residents of Yongle Community from 2020 to 2022. In 2020, development began for handmade paper produced using broom corn plant fibers. In 2021, the papermaking process expanded to include the fibers of other local plants, as well as colored papers, made using plant-based dyes. In 2022, the project introduced hand-weaving, where the stems of the broom corn were weaved into coasters.
Through this project, we hope to encourage local residents to continue to cultivate the broom corn, and broaden the uses of its fibers for different purposes and designs, and ultimately explore the potential of creating a micro-industry defined by the unique craftsmanship skills and characteristics in the community.
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| Harvesting Broom Corn |
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| Cooking the Broom Corn to Extract the Fibers |
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| Mashing the Broom Corn Fibers into Lumps |
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| Local Residents Learning to Make Paper with the Processed Fibers |
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Learning to Bind the Handmade Paper Sheets into Books
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© 2023 Chia-Hui Lu
