By Wei Ruyu, compiled and reported
As the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake approaches, the well-known Japanese NGO Earth, in gratitude for the immediate and heartfelt assistance and care extended by our Taiwanese friends after the disaster, has decided to turn that gratitude into action by launching a “Purified Land” event in Taiwan. The “Indigenous Land Purification and Seed Sowing Ceremony” is scheduled to take place on March 10 in Nanao Township, Yilan County.
The leader of NGO Earth’s “Purified Land Squadron” stated that they hope to leverage this event to call on Japanese people living in Taiwan to set aside 1–2 days during the “Indigenous Land Purification and Seed Sowing Ceremony” from March 10 to March 31 to come to Nanao and engage in hands-on fieldwork such as sowing and transplanting rice seedlings. This is a practical way to give back to Taiwan for its support and aid to Japan’s recovery efforts over the past year. They also hope this action will inspire and encourage more people to join the movement toward natural farming, clean food, and purified land in Taiwan. International visitors can participate through work-exchange holidays or farm-stay programs, working as farming interns in the fields while enjoying an in-depth, place-based travel experience. Taiwanese residents interested in joining are also welcome to sign up.
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On the day of the event, participants can choose to experience two different types of sowing activities: millet fields (located in Jin Yue tribal village) and rice paddies (located in Nanao Natural Fields), to feel the rewards of sowing and transplanting by hand. (Photo provided by the International Section, Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications)
On the day of the event, movie star and pastor Lin Ching-tai, who played the leading role in “Seediq Bale,” will lead children from Jin Yue Elementary School who previously performed at the Green Expo, using traditional Atayal songs and dances to offer blessings for participants of the “Indigenous Land Purification and Seed Sowing Ceremony” and for the land cultivated through natural farming methods. A traditional “Indigenous Farmer’s Lunch Box” will also be served at noon, giving everyone a taste of how farmers enjoy their lunch after a day’s work in the fields. Chen Chang-jiang, head of Nanao Natural Fields, said that the one-day rice planting activity at the “Indigenous Land Purification and Seed Sowing Ceremony” involves six hours of fieldwork, with free lunch and dinner provided, as well as bicycle rentals.
For registration, please contact the organizer: Super Energy Information, Ms. Chen Tzu-ying. Phone: 02-27775707, E-Mail: jp21doris47@gmail.com.
● Related reading: Recreating the Chelungpu Fault, the 921 Earthquake Education Park
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