Novatek Volunteers and Visually Impaired Students Journey Through Changhua’s Tung Woods and Make Their Own Potted Plants
Volunteer Service
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Aside from being a recognized historical monument and religious site in Changhua, the Qingshuiyan Buddhist Monastery in Shetou Township is also an important local ecological preserve. Qingshuiyan Ecological Park is located at the foot of Mt. Bagua, and boasts a diverse agricultural landscape, rich in agricultural products and ecological resources. Novatek volunteers accompanied visually impaired students to this spot to experience the beauty of nature for themselves, leaving behind the limitations set by textbooks and immersing themselves in the rich forest ecology through fun interactions.
Led by a guide and their diligent introduction while walking on a winding path through the forest, the group couldn’t help but collect many new tidbits of knowledge and learn new things about ecology in the process. Students were able to touch swallowtail butterfly larvae and strong, flexible tree vines; sniff for the Chinese medicinal scent of shell ginger fruit; and breathe lots of fresh air. Students were impressed to learn that the lychee giant stink bugs found in the longan trees along the path have a toxic discharge, and were even more surprised that the insect can be fried up and served as food—a delicacy beloved by migrant workers from Southeast Asia!
In addition to the interesting guided ecology tour, the park also arranged for the students to participate in a therapeutic hands-on experience with plants. Students first decorated farm-fresh eggs with hand-picked plants before wrapping them in locally produced silk stockings to be cooked in a broth with onion peel. When volunteers helped the students cut through the stockings and revealed the beautiful onion dyed eggs, they marveled at how the eggs were too beautiful to eat! The group later worked to make small potted plants, using a popular species of fern. Volunteers patiently guided the students in wrapping the plants’ roots in layers of sphagnum moss to form a ball, then tied the ball securely with a piece of string. The process of putting the plant together was very therapeutic for the group, leading volunteers to praise the special power of plants to help people relax.
The practical learning experience on Lishan Ecology Trail proved extremely stimulating for the students’ four senses, and the fun egg-dyeing and potted plant activities encouraged them to tap into their creative sides; together with the guide’s vivid cultural introduction to the Qingshuiyan Buddhist Monastery, the students and volunteers were able to share a lovely day in the woods.
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