A New Paradigm in Community development: The Ecotourism Industry in Meixi Tribe

Cheng Shih-Chun（China Productivity Center Incubation and Entrepreneurship Services Department）

Introduction

Since the 1990s, "community development" has been promoted in many communities in Taiwan, including rural areas, fishing villages, and indigenous tribes, as part of the government's "community empowerment" policy. The goal is to empower residents to address public issues within their communities and promote a series of initiatives to revitalize local communities and industries. However, after more than 20 years, many community development projects have been following templates or just seeking resource allocation. Through imitation and the application of past experiences, numerous similar local industries and products have emerged, leading to a bottleneck in community development. In this article, the author would introduce the concepts of community development by sharing some cases of consultation.

Meixi Tribe, located in Ren-Ai Township, Nantou County, is an important area along Taiwan Provincial Highway 14, which is a pivot for travelers heading for Wushe and Qingjing Farm. The residents are predominantly of the Seediq indigenous tribe working on tea plantations and fruit farms. Meixi Tribe was once renowned as the "Butterfly Kingdom" in central Taiwan. The damage on the natural habitats by human and natural forces caused an ecological catastrophe to the butterflies. The exile of the working-age population has led to the aging society and declining industries. The community also suffers rapid decaying of the traditional culture, which started diminishment even during the era of Japanese colonization.

It has been noted that a group of young people have returned to Meixi Tribe from urban areas to develop ecotourism industry in recent years. They have rebuilt the ecological habitats and revitalized traditional Seediq culture and, at the same time, introduced the environmentally-friendly farming and food & agriculture education systems, reactivated the tribe's cultural dynamics and the natural environment, and established a tribe-centric local industry that caters to the needs of the community.

Getting to Know Their "Roots" and "Rediscovering Traditional Cultural Memories/ Skills"

These young people began returning to the tribe approximately 11 years ago, one after another. Initially, they were at a loss, not only unfamiliar with the tribe's environment and their own culture but also unaware of the needs and challenges of the tribe. They wondered what they could do. Wang Chia-Hsun, a relatively senior one among them, started searching for a breakthrough. He began with "rediscovering the tribe's traditional cultural memories," leading the younger ones to embark on a step-by-step exploration of the history and the life stories of elders in the tribe. They learned various traditional cultural practices, such as weaving, hunting, cooking, and even utilizing traditional construction methods to build traditional houses.

At the beginning, their effort was not recognized by the elders. They were repeatedly questioned about the significance of their pursuits. Some traditional house styles had not been seen by anyone below the age of 80. The first traditional house rebuilt based on the vague memories and scattered documents were criticized as unlike any real thing. However, they didn't lose heart, but made even greater efforts to rectify and delve deeper into their research. As a result, the subsequent construction of three traditional houses gained recognition from the elders and the participation from more members of the tribe.

Harnessing the Seediq's Spirit of Sustainability and Promoting Environmentally Friendly Projects

In terms of natural ecology, Wang embraced the spirit of "Seediq-style Sustainability." He utilized environmentally friendly methods to revitalize the butterfly habitats surrounding the tribe, preserve the rivers, and plant nectar-producing plants. Through educational programs, he helped the tribe members understand the natural ecology and butterfly knowledge of the tribe and cultivated local talent as ecological guides and docents. Additionally, Wang noticed that many idle lands in the tribe were rented to outsiders for cash crop cultivation, resulting in long-term damage to the soil and ecosystem due to the use of pesticide and fertilizer. As a result, he advocated the concept of communal farming on public lands and environmentally friendly farming practices. Experts were invited to teach the tribe members how to make their own materials and reduce production costs, while the young people seek external channels and plan marketing strategies to assist in the marketing of the agricultural products. Thanks to their efforts, the butterfly population and species have significantly increased. Not only have domestic butterfly enthusiasts and researchers returned, but from May to August each year, many photographers from Southeast Asia come here to document the butterfly ecology, creating opportunities for international ecotourism.

Wang has even greater ambitions than this. He spent years persuading several tribal elders to lease him lands for building the ecological conservation pond. He also sought government resources to initiate a series of major projects, including pond excavation, water source development, and planting of nectar-producing plants. These were meant to create a biologically friendly habitat and restore the rich natural ecology that once existed in the Meixi Tribe. Today, the ecological conservation pond is teeming with dragonflies and butterflies, and the flora flourishes and sprouts. Wild animals such as Formosan muntjac and wild boars roam here at night. A pathway for commuting students was built alongside the pond, ensuring the safe traffic for children to and from school by staying away from the busy Taiwan Provincial Highway 14. They can also enjoy the beautiful scenery of the pond along the way.

Incorporation of Innovative Elements for Multisensory Experience Services

In addition to cultural revitalization and ecological restoration, the agricultural industry developed at the Meixi Tribe goes beyond the typical farm tour format and surpasses conventional experiential food and agriculture education. Wang attempted to extend the tribe's agricultural industry to the dining table by incorporating the popular practice of cooking school in Southeast Asia. With friendly agricultural products and ingredients (such as pork, chicken, and eggs) locally produced in the tribe, he designed a series of creative culinary activities based on Seediq culinary culture. Visitors are guided through the process of ingredient preparation and cooking to acquire knowledge about environmentally friendly farming practices and healthy food production and savor the fresh and delicious dishes. The shared cooking and dining is a rich multisensory experience for the visitors.

For Wang and the homecoming youths, they came home not driven by any urgency nor blindly replicating experiences from other places. Their priority upon returning to the tribe was "participation" and "learning." They started by understanding their own tribe and culture, carefully contemplating the tribe's needs, and by rebuilding the social fabric of the entire tribal community. Only then could they rediscover the tribe's unique characteristics and incorporate the ecological industries to the tribe. A more important challenge is to maintain its autonomy and avoid being swept away by the tide of the mainstream tourism market. The experience of Meixi Tribe cannot be referred to as a case of maturity or even success yet. We have witnessed, however, that, by embracing the tribe's distinctive features and using local resources and by "talking about tribal matters and sharing the tribal culture," the tribe's industries have the opportunity to take root and realize sustainable operation.