The preservation and pass down of canals culture —takeing Tsaotun Longquan canal as an example

• Main Authors: Shui-Shu Wu, 吳水樹
• Other Authors: Ke,Yu Chang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/67038000981846129800

碩士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 公共行政與政策學系 === 100 === Waterways have always been a vital factor for the agricultural development and industrial and economic prosperity of Taiwan. Whether it is accessing surface water, pumping underground water, intercepting underflow water, or drawing water by reservoir or ponds; all these approaches, developed since as early as Ming and Qing Dynasties, has not only successfully driven the agriculture of Taiwan to flourish but also prompted the waterway administrative division, i.e., Irrigation Association, to become a well-developed public corporation. Constructing waterway irrigation system also stimulates the development of surrounding townships and communities, which gradually creates a distinctive waterway life and culture. Asides from using irrigation systems to supply water for agricultural purposes, people can also build roads along the waterways or use clean water from the waterway for their everyday life. Furthermore, those special hydraulic engineering constructions often become attractive local sceneries, not to mention a great diversity of fish species at the canals and ditches connecting to rivers and streams, or the various folk activities given according to the farming season. All these matters related to waterways are investigated in this study. This study is a field study using semi-structured interviews to acquire opinions from relevant personnel. According to information from books, theses, periodicals, newspapers, and websites, the researchers of this study inspected and interpreted waterway cultural resources and observed operations and activities related to Lungchuan Waterway at Caotun Township. The aim is to find out how these operations and activities are connected to the preservation and heritage of cultural resources. The results of this study can be used as a theoretical foundation for Irrigation Association's activity planning in the future. The study has found that besides promoting production-ecology-life oriented agriculture, Irrigation Association has also assisted the government, by either collaborating with other government agencies or with private organizations, in promoting agricultural irrigation, supporting local communities’ activities based on the overall development, developing and recording distinctive local culture in collaboration with the cultural and historical groups, and discovering new directions for waterways, such as integrating waterways with other local sceneries to form a sightseeing route. In this case, it is important to enhance employees’ additional expertise, to update the look of exhibition facilities, to recruit and train volunteers for touring; and if possible, carry out other innovative projects, such as constructing places for environmental education. Most of all, it is important to appreciate and remember all the great matters we have received from waterway culture.