Toucheng Art Station: Cultural Hub for Small Town Artisans

The base is located within Jinyu Cubian (Lanchang Alleyway Co., Ltd.), a local revitalization team. For the past decade, this site has been home to the Toucheng Old Street Culture and Art Festival, the National Development Council's Youth Empowerment Workstation, and the Ministry of Education's Learning-Oriented Youth Hub. It has also regularly hosted revitalization sharing sessions, entrepreneurship training, cultural experience workshops, and other activities. 1. Returning Youth Rescue an Old House from Demolition, Establishing a Local Revitalization Hub In 2015, Peng Ren-hong, a young person who had returned to his hometown, learned that the former residence of the late Mayor Qiu Jinyu, an old house over 60 years old, was slated for demolition for other uses. He therefore used his first pot of gold saved from his military service to lease it and established "Jinyu Cubian." This became a venue for old house regeneration and community practice, calling on youth to return home and engage in revitalization, focusing on the development issues of SDGs 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDGs 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Embodying the "Good Neighbor" spirit, it connects local people, places, and industries, unearthing the unique charm and characteristics of the local town brand, and becoming an important intermediary organization in Toucheng. By discovering local features and curating art festivals, it builds local networks and uses creativity to translate the multiple values of the area into co-creation models. 2. Promoting Toucheng Through Art Festival Activities, a Decade of Achievements Over the past decade, nine "Toucheng Old Street Culture and Art Festivals" have been held, dedicated to fostering artistic co-creation and exchange between local artisans and new residents. Step by step, it has friendly linked relatively declining local communities, industries, and attractions, building local community network connections, unearthing local issues, creating more opportunities for local interaction, and gradually enhancing the town's visibility. In 2023, based on years of local engagement, it planned and published the special book "Daily Life of Mountain and Sea Artisans: Toucheng Artisans' Chronicle," presenting the results of years of collaborative work with community artisans. The living room where the former mayor met with townspeople now serves as a gathering place for small town artisans to discuss collaboration, partnership, and the inheritance of co-created skills. Toucheng has thus developed highlights characterized by artisan craftsmanship and folk culture, becoming a station for both domestic and international artists to reside. Therefore, through this cultural base selection process, there is a hope to establish the "Small Town Artisans - Art Hub Toucheng" multifunctional cultural base within Jinyu Cubian, making this place the first stop for visitors to Toucheng. 3. To Understand Toucheng, Start with Artisans from All Walks of Life Toucheng is the northernmost town in Yilan County, serving not only as a gateway but also as the earliest area settled by Han Chinese on the Lanyang Plain. In 1796, Wu Sha successfully advanced and established a Han Chinese settlement, naming it "Toucheng" and initiating land reclamation. The establishment of Wushi Port as an official port brought prosperity. Religious temples flourished; in terms of culture and education, there was an abundance of talented individuals excelling in Chinese studies, poetry, calligraphy, and painting, with local operas competing for attention. All kinds of trades and professions were established, laying a complete foundation for everyday life during the Qing dynasty. Today, Toucheng is gradually experiencing population loss, cultural decline, and the disappearance of traditional crafts. However, it can draw upon the foundation left by its past trades and professions, as well as its rich mountain, sea, and street environment, to use small town artisans to attract more attention. This is because everyday craftsmanship is an important cultural asset of Toucheng, and artisans are key. To deeply explore Toucheng's long-buried cultural heritage, one must delve into the realm of life skills, hoping to investigate folk culture and allow more people to experience "how Toucheng people live," thereby falling in love with Toucheng and choosing to move there.