Students Express Themselves Creatively in“College Students-in-Residence Rural Village Competition” - Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation, MOA

The Soil and Water Conservation Bureau, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan hosted the result presentation and award ceremony for the “Fourth College Students-in-Residence Rural Village Competition” this weekend.  The competition gave twenty teams the opportunity to experience two months of rural resident life and it was the Department of Visual Communication Design from Asia University (Tai-An Community) that garnered the gold medal and a money reward of 100,000 NT$ in this intense competition.  Two teams, the National United University’s Department of Industrial Design (Liyu  Community) and the Department of Visual Communication Design from Chaoyang University of Technology (Taiping Community) took the silver medal, and three teams, the Graduate Institute of Architecture from Tainan National University of the Arts (Shi-An Community), the Department of Urban Planning from National Cheng Kung University (Fuxing Community) and the Department of Architecture from National Cheng Kung University (Lingbao Community) were awarded the bronze.

In addition, six teams, Asia University’s Department of Visual Communication Design (Jiuzheng Community), the Department of Landscape Architecture from National Chin-Yi University of Technology (Tanqian Community), Donghua University’s  Department of Ethnic Relations and Cultures (Zhiluo Community), Mingdao University’s Department of Design for Sustainable Environment (Longtan Community), Mingdao University’s Department of Design for Sustainable Environment (Daqiao Community), and Department of Urban Planning and Spatial Information from Feng Chia University (Chuxiang Community) were awarded prizes for excellence.

The result presentation and award ceremony for this competition was held at Mingdao University’s Juren Hall.  Teams from universities and colleges throughout Taiwan came together for this rural residency, and the fruits of this residency were both wonderful and touching.  Many of this year’s participating teams were involved in assisting with the improvement of community industries and the creation of brand names, while other teams focused on passing on local culture and education.  Furthermore, many utilized professional design knowledge for the renewal of space.  According to students who participated, this year’s rural residency experience was their most wonderful summer vacation memory, that they had accomplished something in learning and learned by doing. They also expressed that they had received more than they had given, and had truly learned the lesson that giving is better than receiving.

Council of Agriculture Chairman Chen Bao-ji came to encourage the students.  He stated that future agriculture will not simply be agricultural production but, rather, will require a creative “value chain agriculture” integrating different interdisciplinary technology and peripheral industries, as well as casual agriculture value-added services.  Chen noted students participating in the competition had made use of their youthful energy and creativity, adopted their previous learning and expert skills in their residency, and immersed themselves in the agricultural community in getting to know about the local areas and their products.  Chen believed the products students created, and their accomplishments, were astounding.  Agriculture is one of the best vocations in the future, according to Chairman Chen, and that these students had an early opportunity to get to know these agricultural regions, as well as to facilitate changes for the future, represents hope for these agricultural villages.

National Central University Professor Daisy L. Hung made a special trip to the competition site to encourage students.  In greeting the students, Professor Hung stated, “this is the most proper place for government organizations to spend money.”  This statement immediately received a warm round of applause from the citizens and students in attendance.  Residents from other communities, school teachers and parents came from around Taiwan to encourage the teams and express support and feelings of gratitude.  They felt the students had matured considerably in the short two-month period.  While competitors were ranked according to their performance, every team which participated in this rural residency bravely challenged their own abilities to the greatest extent.  They assimilated into local life and brought laughter and joy to these rural areas.  As such, they were all winners.

Mingdao University President Qiuxun Guo stated, from the students’ dark skin, and from their sincere smiles, he could tell the rural residency experience had imperceptibly influenced the students.  He further expressed that students had grown and become more confident from their rural residency, and that their participation had brought overflowing vitality for the community.  Mingdao University strongly supports this type of activity and has created a cooperation mechanism with rural villages; this has become a relationship of learning and internship.  These activities also allow schools to be more socially responsible in addition to providing education.