Reading Lecture: 'My Research on Local Knowledge and Nature Writing on Niaoyu Island'

Speaker Dr. Chang Chao-sheng (張朝勝) has been involved in research on Penghu's Bazhao Island (Wang'an Island) for nearly two decades. He has published articles on the Bazhao archipelago in academic journals such as <i>Journal of Geographical Science</i>, <i>Journal of Outdoor Recreation Study</i>, and <i>Journal of National Parks</i>. He also published the book <i>Island Carved in the Heart: A Record of the Relocation (Village Move) of the Residents of Xiji Island</i> through the Penghu County Cultural Affairs Bureau. Dr. Chang Chao-sheng is not only rigorous in his scholarship but also writes in a warm and engaging style. His essays '<i>Sea, Island, Casual, Run</i>' and '<i>Dredging Up the Past</i>' won the Excellence Award in the prose category at the 25th and 28th Chrysanthemum Island Literature Awards, respectively. In recent years, Dr. Chang has expanded his focus to the island-reef system of the Penghu archipelago, particularly delving into Niaoyu Island in the East Sea. This island, covering about 0.35 square kilometers, was once famous for its clove fishing, stone weirs, seine nets, and seaweed (laver). The shallow flats around Niaoyu are highly developed and once supported a population of nearly 1,400. This tiny island centers its faith around the Fude Temple (福德宮). Its island-reef system, natural resource management, and religious beliefs (worldview) form a complete and intricate system of local knowledge, interacting competitively and cooperatively with neighboring villages—a rare case in Taiwan. Dr. Chang's research experience was transformed last year into the nature writing piece '<i>Dredging Up the Past</i>'. We welcome friends interested in Niaoyu's island-reef system, history and culture, religious beliefs, natural resources, legends, and anecdotes to join us for this event.