Walking on our own Two Feet and Talking to the Land - Ta Ya Electric Wire & Cable joins hands with VERSE and the Taiwan Thousand-Mile Trail Association to organize a Handcrafted Trail Walking Experience

2023/07/31

Walking on our own Two Feet and Talking to the Land——Ta Ya Electric Wire & Cable joins hands with VERSE and the Taiwan Thousand-Mile Trail Association to organize a Handcrafted Trail Walking Experience

       Safeguarding our beautiful homeland has always been the belief of Ta Ya Electric Wire & Cable. Adhering to an environmentally friendly sustainable business model, TAYA Pristine Homeland Foundation has been organizing the Green Inside Project since 2007, dedicated to assisting individuals or groups engaged in long-term or full-time environment-friendly work. In 2020, the Taiwan Thousand-Mile Trail Association was honored with the Green Inside Project Southern Spirit Award, starting its connection with Taya. Together, they have been promoting Taiwan's trail culture. In recent years, in addition to jointly organizing numerous events such as handcrafted trail walks, Chairman Shen Shang-Hung has personally led employees and partners into the mountains to experience handcrafted trails, using their hands to protect nature.

        The event was led by Chairman Shen Shang-Hung. Hsu, Ming-Chien, Deputy Executive Director of Taiwan Thousand-Mile Trail Association was responsible for guiding. Cultural figures such as Wu, Shu-Yuan, Huang Wei-Lun, and Wu Min-Pei were invited to join. They walked through the trails to feel the mountains and understand the environmental sustainability behind handcrafted trails.

Walking on the Ancient Path

       Walking on XiaocuKeng Ancient Trail, there were many large stones along the creek, remnants of an early stone quarry. The red brick ancient houses, stone-built ruins, and abandoned woodlands along the way bear witness to the early development of life in this area. Before National Highway 3, the XiaocuKeng Ancient Trail was an important freight route for transporting products like camphor, tea, rice, and sugar from Taoyuan and Hsinchu to the Longtan Sankeng Ferry Terminal for overseas shipping. The Shi Liao Shan Trail is located at the junction of Longtan District in Taoyuan City and Guanxi Township in Hsinchu County, serving as a major artery for transporting camphor and a main thoroughfare for residents between the two areas.

        Walking these two trails today, surrounded by lush vegetation, it's hard to imagine the bustling scene of transportation from the past. Hsu, Ming-Chien, Deputy Executive Director of the Taiwan Thousand-Mile Trail Association provided a detailed explanation of the concept and implementation of handcrafted trails along the way. Handcrafted trails, as the name suggests, involve trails maintained by hand, advocating for adapting to local conditions, using local materials, and avoiding disturbance to the local environment caused by large machinery and external materials. It aims to integrate the trail into the natural ecology, minimizing human impact on nature and strengthening the connection with the natural environment.

Hsu, Ming-Chien, Deputy Executive Director of the Taiwan Thousand-Mile Trail Association acted as a guide.

       Preparation for handcrafted trails is crucial, as each trail is unique. The association's professional trail experts conduct specialized analyses of handcrafted trail work, including ecological environmental investigations, collection of cultural and historical data, on-site surveys, route planning, and construction method design. Collaboration with cultural and historical workers and ecologists is sometimes required before the final decision on methods of maintenance is made.

Handcrafted trails are sustainable and a way to protect the land

        Walking on the trail, Hsu, Ming-Chien carefully explained the detailed process of handcrafted trail construction. Each step of the wooden stairs is fixed using appropriate wood and stones, and the final step involves compacting the soil to complete the repair. Additionally, as some people like to create shortcuts, which form deep grooves over time. Unnecessary cutting of the ground surface during rain is prevented by closing these shortcuts, aiding habitat conservation and facilitating soil and water conservation. After experiencing a handcrafted trail activity, it becomes evident how challenging and admirable the entire process is.

Designers Wu Min-Pei

Double-grass Curator Huang Wei-Lun

       The philosophy of handcrafted trails aligns with the environmentally friendly and sustainable principles that Taya has been diligently pursuing. This is one of the reasons why Taya continues to support the Taiwan Thousand-Mile Trail Association. Chairman Shen Shang-Hung emphasized that people should not stay away from the mountains just to preserve their natural appearance, but should be sure to minimize the impact humans have on nature as much as possible.

Motif Planning & Design Consultants Director Wu, Shu-Yuan

Tsai, Han-Wei, Executive Director of Lienyun Group, brought his family along to experience the joy of handcrafted trails

Taya, together with VERSE and the Taiwan Thousand-Mile Trail Association, co-organized the handcrafted trail hiking experience, walking the trails to enjoy the beauty of the mountains.

        Over the years, Taya has consistently implemented corporate social responsibility, continuously promoted environmental sustainability, and realized the belief in creating a pristine homeland. In the future, they will continue to work with the Taiwan Thousand-Mile Trail Association to make efforts for Taiwan's mountains, forests, and environment, safeguarding this land and the living environment for future generations.

Video of Handcrafted Trail Hiking Experience:

Article source: https://www.verse.com.tw/article/verse-daya?fbclid=IwAR3SQxrz63cfUIEIaA-jp65ZvdZoN_I2gzK8oBHIIrn-8uK7D5p-3OT0ERg