Chinese Name: 掀冊工作室/苑裡掀海風
Established: 2013
Founders: Liu Yu-yu (劉育育), Lin Hsiu-peng (林秀芃)
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/taketheseawind/?locale=zh_TW
Did You Know That…?
Yuanli Hi Home was founded by activists Liu Yu-yu and Lin Hsiu-peng, along with local farmers and bulrush weavers, who participated in the Yuanli windmill demonstrations in the 2010s. Based in Yuanli Township (苑裡鎮), Yuanli Hi Home is a social enterprise that aims to contribute to local education through efforts such as local agricultural product promotion, bulrush weaving industry rejuvenation, and cultural visit programs. The organization established an independent bookstore in Yuanli and publishes the “Hi Home (掀海風)” magazine.
Since participating in a demonstration against building a wind farm in Yuanli in 2013, Liu Yu-yu, who was born and raised in Yuanli Township of Miaoli County, formed Yuanli Hi Home with Lin Hsiu-peng to focus on community building. They decided to stay in the township to establish a foundation for cultural transmission, aiming to attract young people from both local communities and across the country. Their efforts include organizing cultural activities such as field trips, art and cultural festivals, and local content creation and publication.
In 2017, they independently organized the first large-scale art festival titled “Hi Home Festival (海風季),” encouraging young people who had left Yuanli to return and contribute to improving their hometown. In 2018, they initiated an independent bookstore to create a space for reading and cultural activities, which later received the Dushu Awards (獨書獎) Specialty Bookstore recognition from the Shu Mei Culture and Art Foundation (樹梅文化基金會). They are also committed to promoting the bulrush weaving industry and Yuanli’s cultural tourism. Their efforts eventually led to Yuanli Township standing out among popular tourist spots, such as Jiufen Old Street and Lukang Township, in an online popularity contest in 2019, transforming the little-known town into an energetic cultural hub.
In October 2022, the organization’s founder Liu Yu-yu, breaking the political convention, entered the township mayoral election as an independent candidate. She eventually won the election, hoping to create positive changes for her hometown by continually driving people’s participation in local issues.
(Image: Yuanli Hi Home)