On this International Museum Day, local associations taught participants indigo dyeing, cabbage pickling, pineapple soy sauce brewing, Hakka openwork window carving, and rice milling, among a total of 40 activities. These hands-on courses enabled people to better understand large and small customs, history, and traditional trades of Hakka villages. The picnic day enabled young and old alike to enjoy meals made from locally grown ingredients at the Park. Ming Hong Candied Sweet Potatoes was also invited to join the event and teach picnickers what makes local dishes unique.
Attendants also had the opportunity to learn how to prepare dried cabbage. Freshly picked cabbage is sundried, torn into wedges, pickled for softening, kneaded, placed inside a glass container, and finally, sealed for fermentation. Dried cabbage is commonly used in Hakka villages to accompany stir-fried shredded meat, fried eggs, stew meat, pork ribs soup, and so forth. People were able to learn the everyday wisdom of villagers and experience local warmth with their own two hands. The Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL) and Taiwan Banana Research Institute were also invited to participate. To commemorate its 100th anniversary, TTL's Pingtung Distillery collaborated with Liugdui Hakka Cultural Park to teach visitors how to make sake kasu soap.
Chin-Liang Ho, Director-General of the Taiwan Hakka Culture Development Center, expressed that each of the Hakka villages in Liugdui have distinctive industries, ethnic groups, and customs. Friendly villagers of this fascinating settlement cluster organize association activities to convey their culture and personal memories to the wider public through creative ideas and takes on tradition. It is hoped that any visitors who journey to the Liugdui Hakka Cultural Park to learn more about Hakka villages get to experience Hakka handicrafts in a lighthearted atmosphere. They'll be able to bring treasured objects of Liugdui villagers back home as souvenirs.
