Erlun Village in Pingtung County used to be the local township administration center during the Japanese colonial era, but that role was later replaced by Jhutian Village, ending Erlun’s days of glory. Erlun villagers became more and more closed-minded. For years, weeds grew along the walls and corners of the village. People stopped caring about one another and allowed even the most inconsequential things to cause disputes.
Village Warden Li I-jen says that “Erlun,” when pronounced in Hakka, sounds like “argument.” It is quite common for Erlun villagers to have arguments or quarrels with one another over things like the neighbor’s dog barking too loudly, somebody’s car not being parked properly or someone’s weeds not being tidied up regularly. These disputes could even end up in a mediation committee. In his nearly 10 years as village warden, Li’s highest record is settling four disputes in one day.
Since the community development association obtained funds and invited artists to work in the village, 10 walls of various sizes have been redesigned, and the originally bleak corners have also been brightened up with lively colorful paintings.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者邱芷柔
The murals in Erlun Village mostly depict bustling scenes from the village’s past and life in the countryside. Li said that not only has the village recently seen more tourists visiting, but the villagers also have started helping each other. Mediation cases have been greatly reduced, as if the murals had brought out shared memories that join people together, he says.
(Liberty Times, translated by Ethan Zhan)
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者邱芷柔
屏東縣二崙村在日治時代前是當地的行政中心,後來行政中心轉往現在的竹田村,二崙村繁榮景象不再,村民越來越封閉,多年來社區牆面、角落都雜草叢生,大家自掃門前雪,連芝麻小事都要計較。
二崙村村長李毅仁說,「二崙」的客家話與「議論」發音相同,而住在二崙村的村民常有議論、紛爭情形,隔壁的狗太吵、車子沒停好、雜草沒整理都能鬧上調解會,他當村長近十年期間,最高紀錄一天就要處理四件調解案。
經過社區發展協會爭取經費,邀請藝術家下鄉後,目前社區有十面大小不一的牆面被換上新裝,原本黯淡的角落也因為生動活潑的彩繪變得明亮。
二崙村內的壁畫,多以描繪二崙村過去繁榮景象與農村生活為主。李毅仁說,最近不僅觀光客變多了,村民也開始互相幫忙,調解案件量大大減少,就像是壁畫牽起大家共同記憶一樣。
(自由時報記者邱芷柔)
Although shaved ice can be found even in fall and winter, douhua is a dessert that can be enjoyed year round in both hot and cold weather. Douhua is made from soy milk which is set by using coagulants such as gypsum or bittern. The resulting texture of douhua is soft and silky. It is often served with a sweet syrup and various toppings. Each shop selling douhua has many toppings for customers to choose from, such as peanuts, mesona jelly, tapioca balls, mung beans, adzuki beans and taro paste. 刨冰雖然秋冬也吃得到,但有什麼甜品冷暖皆宜,豆花是好選擇。豆花是在豆漿中拌入石膏、鹵水等促凝劑製成,白嫩絲滑,舀入糖水享用。每間豆花店還有許多種配料任君選擇,如花生、仙草凍、粉圓、綠豆、紅豆和芋泥等。 coagulant (n.) 促凝劑 gypsum (n.)
A: This year’s Special Contribution Awards go to singer Cheng Hua-jiuan and composer Liu Ching-chi. B: Cheng was not only a singer, but also wrote hundreds of hits in both the Chinese and Taiwanese languages. I listened to her music show on the radio when I was young. A: It was so sad to hear of her death in March. B: But why doesn’t the organizer present a Special Contribution Award to the late singer CoCo Lee? A: CoCo was not a Republic of China national, so she’s not eligible for this category. A: 今年金曲獎特別貢獻獎頒給歌手鄭華娟、編曲劉清池! B:
A: The 35th Golden Melody Awards ceremony will take place at the Taipei Arena on Saturday. B: Who are this year’s nominees for Best Male Singer? A: The nominees are Xu Jun, JJ Lin, Marz23, MC HotDog and Jude Chiu. B: How about the nominees for Best Female Singer? A: The nominees are Faith Yang, Shi Shi, 9m88, Su Yunying and Tia Ray. A: 第35屆金曲獎本週六即將在台北小巨蛋登場! B: 今年入圍最佳男歌手的有誰啊? A: 入圍的有:許鈞、林俊傑、Marz23、熱狗、裘德。 B: 最佳女歌手呢? A: 入圍的有:楊乃文、孫盛希、9m88、蘇運瑩、袁婭維。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Art can be found almost everywhere on Earth. There are statues on mountaintops, sculptures beneath the sea and art exhibits held in the middle of deserts. A group of over 30,000 artists has recently come together to place their works in an entirely new location — the Moon. The project, named the Lunar Codex, is dividing pieces they’ve gathered into five collections. The first one, the Orion Collection, was already launched into space to orbit around the Moon in 2022 on NASA’s Orion spacecraft. The other four will be flown to different destinations on the Moon in future