China News Service, Putian, Fujian, November 10th. Title: "Mazu's Hometown" Comes to Taiwan's "New Villagers": From Township Construction to Ecological Agriculture
Author Ye Qiuyun
Recently, Lin Wenhao, a "new farmer" from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, stood on the edge of a field in Wujiang Village, Putian, Fujian, looking at the 100-acre field that had just been sown with rapeseed seeds. From the establishment of the township a year ago to the exploration of ecological agriculture today, he said, "My relationship with Putian has become deeper and deeper."
Lin Wenhao grew up in a military village in Kaohsiung. He first went to Kinmen to attend university, and then entered the East Asian Institute of National Chengchi University to study cross-strait relations, such as how to create a "Xiamen-Kimmon city living circle." In March 2024, Lin Wenhao "landed" to start a business, starting in Xiang'an, Xiamen. In October last year, he shifted his focus to the creation of "accompaniment-style" service projects in Fujian and Tai Township in Wujiang Village, Putian.
Lin Wenhao called Mazu "the aunt of the Lin family". When he first arrived in Putian, the "hometown of Mazu", although he couldn't understand the Putian dialect, he felt a warm sense of familiarity. Since November last year, he has been stationed in the village regularly and regards himself as a "new villager". "The closer I get to Mazu, the smoother my career becomes."
On November 2, in Wujiang Village, Putian, Fujian, Taiwanese youth Lin Wenhao (right) and Putian youth Yang Xiong inspected the growth of rapeseed flowers in the fields. Photo by Ye Qiuyun
The Fujian-Taiwan Township construction work in Wujiang Village is getting better and better, and old houses have been “renovated” into Zen tea spaces, cultural and creative spaces, B&Bs, etc. Lin Wenhao originally planned to build Wujiang Village into a village with the temperament of "poetry, literature and wine". However, affected by the residual circulation of the typhoon in September this year and the continuous heavy rainfall, many places in Putian suffered from waterlogging, some old buildings collapsed, and the plan was stalled.
When the waterlogging occurred, Lin Wenhao was living with the family of Yang Xiong, a young man from Putian. "The sudden flooding made me realize that when water, power and traffic are cut off, the helping hands of people around us are more important than anything else," he said.
Now, Lin Wenhao has regrouped and attracted five shareholders from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, including Taiwanese compatriots and local large growers, to jointly establish Putian Xinmen Town Ecological Agriculture Professional Cooperative in October this year. Lin Wenhao said that reconstruction is not just a physical building, but also allows everyone to refocus on the next step of industrial development in rural areas. “When we first visited Putian, what the villagers really cared about was that their fields should not be abandoned and that farming could be profitable, so the team turned its focus to ecological agriculture.”
Looking at the field of rapeseed flowers that have not yet emerged, Lin Wenhao said that currently, the team of Professor Lin Wenxiong of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University is providing full technical guidance. The cooperative will adopt the "rice-re-oil" model of "first-crop rice-regenerated rice-winter rapeseed" to achieve three harvests in one field, a green cycle, and explore the "Essence of Getting Rich" for rural revitalization.
Lin Wenhao hopes to rely on the "Technology Courtyard" model of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University to connect technologies such as regenerated rice and soil improvement to resources in Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Based on regenerated rice, he hopes to gradually extend to livestock, aquatic products and other fields to create a Fujian-Taiwan agricultural cooperation brand.
Lin Wenhao's experience of establishing a hometown in Fujian Province made him realize that cross-strait youth exchanges should not only stop at knowing that each other has a common history, but also focus on living and doing things together.
