National Sun Yat-sen University and Cianjhen District Office organized the 2021 CianCao Try Try Festival x Riding Through the Heart of Kaohsiung in the Cianjhen South Palace. The event showcases Cianjhen as a easy-live district full of resilience and vision, where the old meets the new. The Caoya area of Cianjhen district (CianCao), located at the intersection of land, sea and air transportation hubs of Kaohsiung, are seen as the “heart of Kaohsiung”. The beautiful scenery, food, and friendliness of CianCao are presented through cycling tour videos. Two cities in Japan – Nayoro City in Hokkaido and Himi City in Toyama Prefecture also shot cycling tour videos, echoing the trend from overseas and building an international connection between Cianjhen and Japan.
2021 CianCao Try Try Festival x Riding Through the Heart of Kaohsiung was organized in the Cianjhen South Palace.
In the past, CianCao prospered thanks to the export processing zone and ship breaking industry. Later, the development of these districts slowed down due to industrial transformation, however, the industrial landscape and local knowledge were preserved to a great extent. For this reason, NSYSU is implementing the Humanities Innovation and Social Practice (HISP) Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology to revitalize the bay coastline and the University Social Responsibility Practice Project of the Ministry of Education to localize education and globalize practices. It also formed the CianCao Vision Alliance with local cultural, educational and social development organizations to work on regional revitalization and educational innovation, and gradually develop a system for mutual support, sharing, learning, and creativity, and revitalize CianCao. Last year, the CianCao Try Try Festival was co-organized with Cianjhen District Office for the first time. Invited educators and artists organized various events taking from the daily lives and experiences of the people of CianCao together with local students and residents that together remade the collective consciousness and the brand of CianCao, stimulating local cultural movements and creating opportunities for local creativity.
Continuing last year’s concept, 2021 CianCao Try Try Festival will be mainly held online due to the pandemic. In addition to continuing to showcase the creativity of local teachers, students, and community residents, the Festival will also showcase the strength of youth creativity, featuring eight local youth representatives who have made a name for themselves by fusing tradition and innovation in different industries and sharing the passion for social engagement. Riding Through the Heart of Kaohsiung, a special event of Cianjhen district, features videos and activities that show workers commuting to and from work during the industrial period and present the bicycle as a symbol of a city’s friendliness and sustainability. In addition to exploring eateries and fun places in CianCao by bicycle online, the team of the Director of Kaohsiung Chen-Kang-Yuan Community University Chi-Shin Wu led a small offline tour taking the audience on a trip through the alleys and markets in CianCao to learn about the past and present life of the area. Nayoro and Himi submitted their bicycle tour videos to the Festival; both sides are looking forward to establishing closer ties after the epidemic ends.
NSYSU President Ying-Yao Cheng said that Cianjhen was originally a nice place that however did not find a better development direction for the time being and so finding the right solutions for Cianjhen is what NSYSU should strive for. Assistant Professor Yi-Shin Wu of the Institute of Social Innovation who was the convener of NSYSU’s team for Cianjhen Practice Project said that CianCao Try Try Festival is only the beginning, and hopefully an event that will integrate academic and local resources, connect people and organizations in the community, promote different cultures and aesthetics to form a new culture of CianCao and make it an inclusive place, livable and open to diversity. Through this experience, the Cianjhen Practice Project at NSYSU will create a different kind of sustainable relationship between the University and the community.
Ying-Ting Kuo, a student of the Institute of Social Innovation who participated in CianCao Try Try Festival for the first time this year, was happy to have the opportunity to see the local creativity and vitality. She said that in her opinion, the accumulation of energy every year will be a strong incentive to promote local identity and confidence, accompany the exploration of the local potential, and look into the future. Ms. Liu, a local who participated in the bicycle trip, said she was so moved by last year’s edition of the Festival that she participated in both online and offline activities this year, and was “very proud to be a resident of CianCao.”
Festival participants watching the cycling tour videos shot in Nayoro and Himi.
In the grand opening ceremony of the CianCao Try Try Festival and special event of Cianjhen District Office participated: Ying-Hsiu Chen – the Deputy Director-General of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government, Cianjhen District Executive Yeong-Hui Wu, Kaohsiung City Councilor Wan-Rung Lin, Kaohsiung City Government Speaker Li-Yan Tseng, President of JhenYang Community Development Association Pao-Feng Hung, Chairman of Dean Yuan Container Tien-Sung Tsai, Director of Cianjhen South Palace Feng-Shui Chu, and Principal of Kaohsiung Municipal Fuxingguomin Elementary School Chin-Yuan Tsai.
CianCao Try Try Festival Facebook fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/QCtrytryfestival
CianCao Try Try Festival YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVKTnuQslL0Hn-NbJLn6ajg