The Soil and Water Conservation Bureau (SWCB) under the jurisdiction of the Council of Agriculture (COA), Executive Yuan is organizing the 10 Years of Rural Regeneration Exhibition and Fair at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (SCCP) from Sept. 25 to 27. Joined by SWCB Director General Lee Chen-yang, COA Deputy Minister Chen Tien-shou inaugurated the exhibition and invited the public to share the joy and achievements of a decade of rural regeneration.

The COA celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Rural Regeneration Program as the 60th anniversary of SWCB approaches. Deputy Minister Chen said that after the implementation of the Rural Rejuvenation Act in 2010, the COA has dedicated itself to the development of rural areas, forging energetic, healthy, and happy rural communities. In the past 10 years, the SWCB joined hands with local governments and rural communities in gathering local consensus while working hard to build happy rural villages that share the same dream, pride, and prosperity. In these 10 years, the program has identified unique characteristics for each rural area, created model villages, trained model farmers, counselled locally-based rural community enterprises and excellent agricultural products with distinctive characteristics. Moreover, the program has introduced fresh manpower by training young farmers, and has strived to preserve and pass down the rural traditions and cultural legacies that will yield new values for rural villages.

The 3-day event is comprised of indoor and outdoor showgrounds. The indoor part of the exhibition is where the SWCB, the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute (NTCRDI), and other local governments exhibit their achievements. The event also features a stage area, an interactive area, a seminar / DIY area, and a book house. Visitors can join story-telling sessions at the book house, engage in traditional handicraft activities such as aboriginal fabric weaving and bulrush weaving at the DIY area, take selfies with hand-painted mural installation art by artist Wang Guo-ren at the interactive area, and participate in seminars at the stage area featuring speakers such as Executive Yuan minister without portfolio Audrey Tang, Control Yuan Member Dr. Lin Sheng-fong, Legislative Yuan Member Karen Yu, and other rural experts and academics from various professional fields.

Golden Melody Awards nominated record producer Liao Zhi-wen was invited to create an exclusive theme song for the event, who also performed for the outdoor carnival at the Formosa Stage along with other rural community artists and street performers. Visitors can also shop from more than 20 rural vendors and enterprises at the Cultural and Creative Avenue which offer a great variety of excellent selections in food, handicrafts, toys, among others.

The organizers invite everyone to come and witness the stories of success, the achievements, the beauty, and the transformations of a decade in rural regeneration at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park from Sept. 25 to 27!