"Re…back a little and louder…" Before 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday night, the sound of violins and cellos rose in Heping base where the Heping Community Development Association is located. The instructor, Mr. Huang Sheng-zhe, led nearly 20 young and old members of the Dapu Philharmoniker in a rehearsal session. They were winding up for the final preparations for tomorrow's joint performance with the One Song Orchestra. Every Wednesday and Thursday are the days for making and practicing violins for the Association. The instructor is from Taipei to the south, and the members are community residents, local university students, and even a foreigner from Ireland with an age range of 8 to 80. They meet regularly to learn how to make and practice violins, and this place has become a sense of home for them.

Dapu is the second-largest township in Chiayi County but has the smallest population, which is best described by the saying "vast and sparsely populated area." The reason that it has vast land but few people live there is because it has the largest water reservoir, Tsengwen Reservoir. The whole area has 90% of the lands that belong to the country or are protected forests, which limited the industry's development. As well, since the township is escaping, it must drive for more than an hour to arrive, whether people drive from Tainan or Chiayi, which has limited the development of the area.

Following the example of Cremona in Italy, Creating A Violin-making Town in Taiwan
Although the Heping Community Development Association in Heping village of Dapu Township, Chiayi County, was established in 2003, it had been developing driftwood violin until 2018, which gradually shows the Township's energy and fame. The chairman of the Association, Mr. Wu Yi-hao, used to work in Hsinchu Science Industrial Park. By his brother's hope and persuasion, "I don't want there's no one in Dapu Township in the whole day when I become an old man and ride an electronic bike on the street." Mr. Wu decided to give up a higher salary and steps to a long way of returning his hometown.

However, after decades of stagnation in the community, how could he bring back energy to the town when others couldn't? There are less than 800 residents in Heping village, no matter if the sources or workforces are smaller than others. The largest sources the town has are the driftwoods, which have flowed from the mountains to Tsengwen Reservoir. In the past, the villagers used driftwood to make coasters or decorated art. Mr. Wu accidentally met a violin teacher. Mr. Huang Sheng-zhe, who was studying in Japan, knew that Cremona, a small town in the north of Italy, is famous for making violins. Therefore, the town has gathered many excellent violin makers and produces the world's finest violins, violas, and cellos, creating more spending money and increasing job opportunities.

"Dapu township is suitable for the same way; why not just use the driftwoods to make violins?" Therefore, the Association rented the travel information center next to the reservoir as a base. In the base, they not only teach the residents how to make violins but also launch the Dapu Philharmoniker. It has invited instructors to teach the residents how to play violins and cellos. Over the past 4 years, the string orchestra has not only exchanged with domestic and foreign orchestras but also accepted lots of performance invitations. The violin has become a business industry in which the residents of the community participate.

Music Unites the Community Regardless of Age
In Taiwan, learning music is like an unattainable dream because of the high cost of tuition, which makes it a high-threshold talent for children in remote areas. The Association uses the free driftwood to make violins. The violin-making class has not only helped the elderly develop their interests and find self-worth, but the children have also treasured the rare resources and been more serious about their learning. In the process of communicating with other orchestras, it helped them to build up their self-confidence.

Mrs. Chen Rui-yun is 75 years old now. In 2021, she joined the violin-making class to make the instrument as a souvenir for her grandchildren, and she has already completed 12 violins. Not only this, she is also a member of the string orchestra and is learning to play the violin with other members as her grandchild. Since then, the villagers have developed a strong sense of community and emotions.

A Violin Town Is Formed and Attracts Youth Return Home to Work
In addition, Dapu town's violin industry also encourages the youth to work back home. So far, the Association has hired 8 staff, 4 of whom are covered by the Multi-Employment Promotion Program (MEPP). The project manager, Ms. Jian Ting-yu, has worked for the Association since it was just launched. In addition to the administrative work, she is also a tutoring teacher and is happy to retrieve the violin that she learned in her childhood. "The Ministry of Labor gave us the greatest support when the community was just starting." Ms. Wu Bo-yi, the secretary of the Association, has grown up locally. She expressed that the Association can only operate by hiring multiple talents, such as graphic design, tour interpretation, violin teaching, etc. Ms. Wang Chen-wen, who originally worked in Taichung, is a prolonged employee of the Multi-employment Promotion Program (MEPP) and is mainly responsible for tour guiding, agri-products selling, etc. With an outgoing characteristic, she has the blood of the Kanakanavu race and has grown up in Dapu township, so she naturally has more concerns for the community residents.

Heping Community Development Association-Official Website 
 

(Multi-Employment Faces) Elders and Youth Co-creation and Exchange to Deepen Community Relationships In the Achievement Exhibition of Chai-yi Community Care Station at the end of 2022, the Association performed dancing for innovation. The two secretaries of the Association, Ms. Wu Bo-yi (the left one) and Ms. Wang Chen-wen (the right one), led the singing and dancing by dressing as two old people in front of the stage to accompany the old ladies to dance "Granny Yang's Electro Dance." Ms. Wu Bo-yi Ms. Wang Chen-wen

 

▲Regardless of genders and ages, people, even foreigners, come to the Association to learn the instruments. Each member of the Dapu Philharmoniker owns at least one self-made violin. (Photo by Lin Ying-cheng)

▲The students automatically go to the community office to make their own violins and share their skills with each other on Wednesday afternoons. (Photo by Lin Ying-cheng)

▲The key person of the string orchestra, Mr. Huang Sheng-zhe, is practicing and making violins with the members every Wednesday and Thursday. (Photo by Lin Ying-cheng)

▲The concentrated looks of the members (Photo by Lin Ying-cheng)

▲One Song Orchestra promotes the music culture of Taiwan and communicates with Dapu Philharmoniker at the end of April 2023. (Photo provided by the Association)

Case Story: Multi-Employment Promotion Program
Interviewee: Heping Community Development Association of Chiayi County Dapu Township

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Please attribute this article to “Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor.”