SYU,HAN-ZONG   Qiaotou Village Office, Fuxing Township - Served as village chief for 2 years

Qiaotou Village in Fuxing Township, Changhua County is adjacent to Lukang Town. Qiaotou Village is the abbreviation of Xucuopu Qiaotou, which is the origin of the village name. The village chief has previously actively promoted community building and created a livable and enjoyable environment.

The village chief also guides the upgrading of local agricultural, fishery and animal husbandry industries and strives to establish a professional furniture production area. We will promote rural regeneration plans, market specialty agricultural products, support young farmers to return to their hometowns to start businesses, and inject new life into rural areas.

Q1:How do you promote Cypress Straw Hat?
A:If we export it to other countries and promote it, we can achieve the promotion effect. Haha, there is no cypress wood now, and no one digs cypress straw; so a good cook cannot cook without rice.

Q2:May I ask how the village chief came up with the name "the Sian zai cai jhih dao"?
A:When I was serving as a director of the Community Development Association, I wanted to apply for the Community Rural Regeneration Project. So we put our heads together, and the elders in the community recalled their experience of helping to make the Lukang Cypress Straw Hat when they were young. So we combined the rice farming in our Fuxing Township with the Cypress Straw Hat that the elders have an emotional connection with, and tried to find a way to recreate the glory of the Lukang Cypress Straw Hat at that time.

Q3:Why did the village chief keep the equipment for making the Cypress Straw Hat?
A:At that time,Huang,Jin-Jhao teacher and several other masters who lived in Caiyuan were about to retire, so we bought a wood planing frame and a yarn twisting machine, and invited professional teachers to teach us. But after all, we are not professionals, so the products we produced at that time could only be kept as souvenirs and were embarrassed to sell them. In fact, it cannot be sold, mainly because the work cannot be mass-produced. Therefore, the "the Sian zai cai jhih dao" event, on the one hand, combines resources from all parties, and on the other hand, revitalizes the historical and cultural assets of the countryside, hoping to successfully reproduce the glory of the Cypress Straw Hat in Lukang.

Q4:Are these machines usually placed in the village office?
A:No, we have another storage room, and we brought it here today. Although these things are old, it is not because of their age, but because of their historical significance and value.  We hope that the public can participate in preserving the memories of life through the preservation of the Cypress Straw Hat artifact, which tells the history of Taiwan at that time. In fact, these daily necessities are the common life memories of the older generation.
Traditional handicrafts such as the Lukang Cypress Straw Hat preserve the accumulated wisdom and experience of the people of Lukang. It was a commodity with practical value at the time, and now it is a product of cultural, historical and emotional value. It is worth our joint efforts to preserve it.

Q5:Is there anything memorable that happened during the promotion process?
A:During the promotion process, we had an exhibition in Taipei. Ms. Tsai Ing-wen, who was the president at the time, wanted to order 800 Cypress Straw Hats to give to foreign guests. Unfortunately, we did not have the manpower to weave Cypress Straw Hats at the time. But I was very proud that the president recognized our traditional craftsmanship.