On September 7, 2024, the special exhibition of "Entering Bisanglapan – Bunan* Satoyama" brought the vegetable gardens of Bunan women from Zhuoxi township in Hualien to Taipei for two weeks. In the Bunan language, "Bisanglapan" means "vegetable garden." So, what makes a small vegetable garden worth seeing?

The Zhuoxi settlement lies at the foot of the Yushan (Jade Mountain); the farmlands are immediately adjacent to lush forests, with clear streams running through the forests, forming a "Satoyama"—a harmonious landscape where humans, nature, and wildlife interact closely. (Satoyama is a Japanese term referring to semi-mountainous rural areas.). The vegetable gardens are embedded like emeralds within the farmland. As time changes, traditional wisdom is gradually fading. Fortunately, a group of hardworking Bunun women continue to preserve the knowledge of living in harmony with nature in their farmlands. They skillfully use local stones for stacking, cut and weave bamboos to build trellises for climbing crops like beans, gourds, etc. To cultivate microhabitats that support biodiversity in their vegetable gardens, they practice crop rotation and intercropping respecting seasonal changes and soil conditions. Moreover, these women continue to plant and preserve the traditional Bunan beans passed down by their elders, making their gardens the invaluable sanctuaries of seed preservation and biodiversity.

Ten years ago (in 2014), the Tse-Xin Foundation, commissioned by the Yushan National Park Administration Office, arrived at Nan’an Village to promote the transition to organic farming. During the transition, traditional agricultural wisdom was integrated into the process. As a result, natural ecosystems were restored to the rice paddies, bringing back the endemic species Tanakia kuichii (Kikuchi's minnow). The vegetable gardens scattered along the rice paddies were also benefited, remaining free from chemical contamination. The transition also draws renewed attention to traditional Bunun Beans, which had been passed down through generations. In 2018, the Tse-Xin Foundation helped the Bunun community to organize the "Bunun Beans Class", dedicated to conserving more than 30 varieties of beans and grains. This initiative aims to preserve and integrate Bunun culture and traditional ecological knowledge into daily life, ensuring its continued relevance and sustainability for future generations.

Subsequently, a traditional cultural workshop and seed conservation fields were established, along with youth apprenticeship programs to pass down cultural wisdom. Through co-farming, shared meals, and collective labor between village elders and young people, traditional knowledge continues to be preserved and passed on.
Going further, young people have been encouraged to develop their talent and expertise to shape the unique identity of their community. They have designed cultural tours, educational programs, and local specialty cuisine, strengthening community bonds while also expanding collaborations beyond their village. The Tzu Xin Foundation has actively promoted Bunun wisdom internationally. Notably, the Deputy Secretary-General of Japan’s IPSI (International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative) and Satoyama experts have visited the community, offering great recognition and encouragement to the Bunun people.
There is hope that the Bunun Satoyama ecological wisdom will be widely understood and supported, ensuring that future generations continue to inherit and apply traditional Bunun knowledge. This will allow the story of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature to be passed down and celebrated for generations to come.

*Note:
(1) "Bunan" is one of the subgroups of the indigenous people of Taiwan.
(2) "Dina" means ladies in the Bunan language
(3) "Satoyama" is a Japanese term for a traditional landscape that combines woodlands, grasslands, and agricultural areas. The word comes from sato (village) and yama (mountain).