Organized by the Experimental Forest Management Office of National Chung Hsing University, the “2019 Huisun Wood Culture Festival” opened on the 21st at Huisun Forest in Ren'ai Township, Nantou County. Now in its 12th year, this year’s festival features a variety of thoughtfully curated activities across multiple venues, including the Log Life Special Exhibition and tree-climbing experiences at the Research & Learning Center, an agricultural products carnival, forest concerts, and challenge games in the grassland area, as well as sandcastle building and children’s playgrounds in the family activity zone—making it an ideal destination for family outings.
The Huisun Wood Culture Festival runs from the 21st to the 29th at Huisun Forest in Ren'ai Township, Nantou County. The opening ceremony commenced at 10 a.m. on the 21st with a ceremonial drumbeat led by National Chung Hsing University President Shieh Fu-sheng and others. Performances by Pei Kun Elementary School’s U-Theatre Drum Troupe, the Bunun Uncle Choir, and the Seediq Balan Community Youth Dance Group followed, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
The Huisun Wood Culture Festival has carefully curated the Log Life Special Exhibition, showcasing traditional wood utilization by the Bunun, Atayal, and Seediq indigenous tribes in Nantou County. The exhibits cover a wide range of aspects of daily life—food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, entertainment, medicine—as well as cultural etiquette and religious beliefs, reflecting millennia of refined mountain wisdom.
Shieh Fu-sheng emphasized that every year during the Huisun Wood Culture Festival, people gather here, and every time he visits Huisun, he feels a sense of happiness. He noted that not all universities can boast the abundance of natural resources that Chung Hsing University enjoys, thanks to its foundation as an agricultural institution.
Shieh Fu-sheng recalled that in 1919, the Japanese colonial government established the Taiwan Governor-General's College of Agriculture and Forestry—the predecessor of Chung Hsing University. Today, the university oversees four experimental forests: Huisun, Sinhua, Dongshi, and Wenshan, covering a total area of 8,272 hectares, with Huisun Forest alone spanning 7,477 hectares.
This year marks the centennial anniversary of Chung Hsing University, and he expressed great honor in witnessing the legacy of this “century-old institution.” Globally, the University of Cambridge and Oxford have histories spanning 800 to 900 years, Harvard was founded over 300 years ago, while Chung Hsing stands as Taiwan’s oldest research university.
Later, the college of agriculture and forestry was transferred to Taihoku Imperial University in 1928 and renamed the Department of Agriculture and Forestry under Taihoku Imperial University. In 1943, it relocated to Taichung and became independently established as the Taiwan Governor-General's Taichung Higher School of Agriculture and Forestry. Due to this institutional evolution, Chung Hsing University has grown into a comprehensive university, and it now aims to establish a medical school to further enhance its academic breadth.
Shieh Fu-sheng stated that this year, in celebration of Chung Hsing University’s centennial, the event aims to achieve the goal of “edutainment.” During the Wood Culture Festival, entry for junior high school students and below is just NT$10, while other visitors enjoy a discounted rate of NT$100. Additional perks include 20% off on Chung Hsing University coffee beverages and special prices on coffee beans. Participants who meet specific challenges in exploring wood culture can also receive specially prepared Huisun souvenirs from the forest—guaranteeing a rewarding experience.
Attendees at the Huisun Wood Culture Festival opening included Examination Yuan Member Wang Ya-nan, Deputy Director Liu Xing-wang of the National Taiwan University Experimental Forest Management Office, representatives from Chang Lung Corporation, and Keda Pharmaceutical, among nearly 100 other distinguished guests.