Reed Culture Museum Introduction
In the early days, Yuanli was honored with the title of "Home of Reed Grass." As soon as you enter Yuanli, you can see many fields planted with reed grass. The stems of reed grass are soft yet strong, and they have the ability to remove moisture and odor, making them very suitable for weaving. As early as the Qing Dynasty, local women were already weaving straw mats using reed grass. Through development and improvement, beautiful reed grass hats were developed during the Japanese occupation era. Due to their lightweight and natural grassy fragrance, they became a specialty marketed worldwide. In the 25th year of the Republic of China, the export of straw hats peaked, with annual sales exceeding ten million hats. At that time, having just one woman in the household who could weave reed grass was enough to sustain the family, which meant that the traditional notion of male superiority in society did not apply in Yuanli Township. There was even a popular saying, "Value the birth of girls over boys," illustrating the prosperous scene of that time. With the evolution of the times, traditional hand-weaving gradually began to be replaced by machines. The rise in wages also led women to prefer factory work over weaving reed grass at home, resulting in fewer reed grass fields and the entire industry fading into history. To preserve this memory, the Yuanli Township Farmers' Association established the "Reed Grass Cultural Museum," hoping to showcase the local characteristics of Yuanli and ensure the sustainable inheritance of this traditional cultural skill. The Reed Grass Cultural Museum covers an area of about 330 square meters and is located next to the Yuanli Township Farmers' Association's foot office. It was renovated and re-planned from an idle farmers' association warehouse, with a red brick exterior. The internal space is divided into different themed areas, including hat and mat culture area, exhibition and sales area, rural ancient artifacts display area, rice culture area, and folk culture area, telling the history of reed grass weaving to the public. Additionally, there is a special area for hat and mat weaving demonstrations and a DIY classroom, allowing visitors to get closer to this industry through hands-on activities. The exterior of the museum is planted with many reed grasses and Taiwanese red pines from Fire Mountain, creating a beautiful landscape alongside the nearby rice fields. Since the scenery changes with the seasons, it is the best way for the public to truly understand reed grass.
