Paper Dome New Homeland Learning Park

I. A Landmark of Regeneration After a Major Earthquake The 921 Earthquake in 1999 severely impacted Puli Township. Taomi Village, where the Paper Dome is located, saw over 60% of its houses damaged. After the earthquake, the New Homeland Foundation assisted with community rebuilding. Surveys revealed that Taomi is home to 70% of Taiwan's native frog species. This led to the question: 'Can ecology be transformed into an ecological industry?' For 25 years, Taomi has adopted 'ecology as the foundation, industry as the application, culture as the root, and local autonomy' as its core development philosophy. Through education and learning, the cornerstone for community transformation was laid. Native seedlings cultivated by the nursery class became a unique landscape feature of the community; eco-ponds built with ecological engineering methods protect biodiversity; and interpretation, homestay, and catering classes built an ecotourism service system. From 1999 to 2013, Taomi's average household income increased from NT$560,000 to NT$980,000, transforming it from Puli Township's most impoverished community into the area with the highest household income growth rate among reconstructed communities. It serves as an important model for local revitalization and offers valuable lessons to other countries. II. The Paper Dome of Love and Mutual Aid The Paper Dome embodies the friendship between Taiwan and Japan in post-earthquake reconstruction. After the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, architect Shigeru Ban built a paper church for the destroyed Takatori Church, serving as a bridge for community reconstruction. In 2005, the Paper Dome was relocated to Taiwan for regeneration, opening on the 9th anniversary of the 921 Earthquake and marking the New Homeland Foundation's entry into social enterprise. The Paper Dome is tasked with promoting post-earthquake regeneration and community building, fostering regional revitalization through the operation of social enterprises. Since its opening, it has welcomed over 4.27 million domestic and international visitors, generating an output value of NT$420 million. Its profits further support the 'New Homeland' public welfare initiatives. Because of the Paper Dome, the network of Taiwan-Japan community reconstruction has expanded, facilitating exchanges in reconstruction, fundraising, music, art, and culture from Kobe and Niigata to the 311 (Tohoku) and Kumamoto earthquakes, continuously extending the spirit of international love and mutual aid. III. Satoyama Landscape and Thriving Ecology The park showcases works by three architects: Shigeru Ban, Chiu Wen-chieh, and Gan Ming-yuan, highlighting the unique aesthetics of paper's resilience, steel's flexibility, and bamboo's elasticity. There are 18 artistic landscapes within the area, telling stories of people and land after the earthquake. The learning park integrates the concept of Satoyama sustainable management, becoming a model for socio-ecological production landscapes. It continuously promotes eco-towns and talent cultivation, maintains diverse biological habitats, and develops eco-friendly agriculture, serving as an important base for environmental education and green tourism. IV. The Reappearance of the Butterfly Kingdom Between 1960 and 1975, over 20 million butterflies were sent from various parts of Taiwan to Puli for processing each year, with as many as 47 butterfly processing businesses. Due to factors such as market shifts and habitat destruction, butterfly processing became a sunset industry. Starting in 2011, New Homeland launched the 'Reappearing Puli Butterfly Kingdom' project, encompassing everything from historical surveys of the butterfly industry to training eco-interpreters; from creating butterfly habitats to establishing a butterfly database; from promoting environmental education trains to founding the Puli Butterfly Orchestra; and from developing butterfly lacquerware to pioneering 'dining with butterflies'. It aims to integrate ecology + culture + industry + community across various fields, translating and utilizing local value through the element of butterflies, thereby fostering a new sense of community and social identity with the land.