Cianjhen was once a critical industrial zone that fueled the economic prosperity of Taiwan, attracting workers from all over Taiwan. Since the transformation of global industries, Cianjhen suffered with environmental pollution, aging population, and identity crisis. In 2018, the NSYSU assembled a team in Caoya, Cianjhen, to undertake the Humanity Innovation and Social Practice Project hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Along with the local residents, this team aims to redefining “labor value” and rediscovering “local identity” through education, documentation, and performance.
Cianjhen represents Taiwan’s labor force and the micro-industrial networks extending from labor. These networks create a foundation to ensure the survival and development of various labor classes. The Ciancao Team hopes to prompt people to redefine the meaning of “labor” by reviewing the industrial development of the history of labor in Cianjhen and elaborate the concept of “a foothold city full of entrepreneurial spirit.”
The project is divided into two facets – academic and practical. Both will be carried out concurrently to discover and preserve local history, survey the life stories of the residents, and develop academic discourse concerning the value of labor. The team also promotes various community events, such as exhibitions, documentaries, image sets, urban games, and theatrical performances, to promote local identity.
By merging theory into practice, the team engaged in re-discussion and community cultivation, enhancing local identity in transitioning areas in Cianjhen. During the process, people were brought together, and relationships were formed through exchanges among them. The team also redirected the local wisdom of communities into co-learning, co-innovation, and fueling systematic change in communities. Residents are able to see tangible changes in their communities, prompting them to become involved in the “reimagination and reconstruction” of their own communities.
Co-principal investigator Professor Yi-Shin WU
Sub-principal investigator Professor Hsin-ya HUANG、Associate Professor Shih-Chian HUNG、Associate Professor Jeng-Kuan JIANG、Assistant Professor Shi-Chi YANG
Postdoctoral Research Fellow Ju-non CHIN
Research Assistant Jia-Jiun CHEN