Beacons of hope

Beacons of hope

Salt was once one of the most important industries in Budai. The workers in salt fields were offering their sweat and hard work to the land and in return, the land would give them shiny snow-white salt. Thus people and the land have developed an intimate symbiotic relationship. But when sun-drying is now no match for modern ways to obtain salt and this method dies out in natural selection, how should the people conduct ‘dialogue’ with the land? Through interviews with an old salt worker Cai Liquan and with a local historian Cai Guiqiao, this article will attempt to put together the history and determine the future of the Budai salt industry.

 

Read more: Budai Salt Industry - Rise, Fall and Revival

Beacons of hope

Here is the video I directed for the band Orbit Folks at the beginning of the year. For more info about the band, please visit their website:

Read more: Enter the Musical Universe of Orbit Folks

Beacons of hope

The director of Taoyuan's Youth Rehabilitation Centre, Lin Qiulan, discusses the life of young offenders in rehabilitation, including recent programs which encourage them to express themselves, like Zen tea rituals, writing projects and art.

Read more: Rehabilitation of Teenagers in Taiwan

Beacons of hope

We previously published an article by Liang Zhun who had volunteered to help the survivors of the Wenchuan Earthquake (aka the Great Sichuan Earthquake) get back on their feet. Here is an interview with her in which she explains her new book and the events that led her to compile it:

Read more: Remembering the Wenchuan Earthquake in Sichuan

Beacons of hope

The five winners of the 2011 3rd Life Sustainability Awards have now been announced. The Life Sustainability Awards aim to encourage and congratulate those who take action to protect and develop cultural diversity, spiritual empowerment and environmental sustainability. By reporting the stories and contributions of those awarded the Sustainable Life Awards, we hope to encourage more people from Taiwan and the wider Pacific region to come together with innovative solutions to global challenges.

The First Life Sustainability Awards in 2008 produced 11 award winners. Then, in 2009 The Second Life Sustainability Awards produced 9 award winners. The award winners are chosen after carefully considering a host of worthy candidates...

Read more: The 2011 3rd Sustainable Life Awards winners

Beacons of hope

Seven years have been and gone since the first paper issue of Renlai was published in January 2004. Founder of Renlai & eRenlai Benoit Vermander looks back at the raison d'etre and history of Renlai's development as well as the decision to go online and go global with eRenlai. Finally he looks forward to the future development of eRenlai and its evolution to an Asia-Pacific magazine.

Read more: Seven years of Renlai

Beacons of hope

Yangjuan is a village of the Yi minority, located in the mountains of southwestern Sichuan. In Fall 2000, the Yangjuan Primary School, built with the support of Chinese and foreign friends and dedicated to comprehensive education for the children of Yangjuan opened its doors. Thus, Yangjuan is the site of an innovative arts education program directed by Benoit Vermander of the Taipei Ricci Institute and Li Jinyuan of Sichuan Normal University and of a multidiciplinary anthropological-ecological research project carried on by the Sichuan Provincial Institute for Minority Studies, Sichuan University, and the University of Washington.

The 10th anniversary of Yangjuan took place in August 2010 and was a real success, with even more people...

Read more: Happy 10th anniversary, Yangjuan!

Beacons of hope

Do the lives of rebellious, angry adolescents always have to degenerate into darkness? Gua Gua's story shows us that with love and guidance, every one can discover their positive force.

In my hands is the case information of a school dropout provided by the Chong Fong Teenager's School. At the top is written: "Gua Gua, 19 years old. Sent to live with her uncle since her father passed away. Gets most of her amusement from participating in temple processions. Wears unisexual attire and is extremely loyal to her friends. She has very poor emotional control, which often leaves people unsure about her, with the impression she could erupt at any moment in time.

A preference for temple processions is certainly a rare hobby for most children of...

Read more: Striding forward through turbulent winds