Woodcarving Dream King and Free Shop Introduction
Shih-liao was originally a piece of land that the father planned to use for a leisurely life after retirement. However, after returning from studying abroad, Hsu Chien-Chih brought in the concept of swap culture from overseas, turning the area into a vibrant community. The majority of the land has now been transformed into the Shih-liao Leisure Agricultural Area and the Tung Flower Valley Camping Area. In the shopping street, he and his sister Hsu Chi-Jung established experimental bases such as the "Free Store" and "Wood Carving Dream King." The "Free Store," which opened in June and July of 2016, has a simple storefront but carries their profound dreams, filled with neatly organized supplies ranging from small toys to thermoses. New and clean second-hand items can be donated here, and visitors can engage in a barter system, perhaps exchanging homegrown eggs for a teddy bear, embodying the spirit of mutual help and trust from the old rural times in a modern way. During the interview, a neighbor brought a bag of freshly picked citrus fruits as an exchanging item! The local community has evidently embraced their idea; moreover, there is a green refrigerator at the entrance with "Shared Food Refrigerator" written on it, encouraging people to take items they need and donate excess food. For hygiene reasons, it only accepts raw ingredients and dry goods, excluding cooked food and meat, and collaborates with brands like Asher's Kitchen to let everyone experience the charming simplicity of Hakka farming life. During this time, such community-building efforts have yielded exciting results: more people have learned about Shih-liao and the communal dining times held every Wednesday and Saturday, fostering a bridge of exchange between residents and visitors, enhancing community cohesion and positive interactions, and significantly increasing the rate of item swapping. Meanwhile, media exposure has attracted university students from various places who have come to this location to serve the elderly, weed the garden, and volunteer to promote through writing reports, engaging in a "work for food" scheme; the local children's ecological camp has also received much praise. On another front, the "Wood Carving Dream King" aims to recollect past plans and develop in-depth travel experiences in collaboration with Shih-liao. The walls of the store are covered with photographs of culture, geography, industry, and scenery, allowing visitors to choose places they would like to explore or activities they want to experience, crafting a personalized travel adventure, which may include farming with local farmers or watching eagles soaring over the lake. The store also offers making frames from leaves, branches, and dried flowers, allowing you to take home environmentally-friendly memories aligned with the concept of sustainable tourism. Their dream is to expand into aspects of food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and entertainment, creating an ideal world where self-sufficiency is possible, and a beautiful life can be pursued without money.
