The integration of local culture and creativity has made “iron window grilles” a highlight of Kouhu. The local community takes iron window grilles as its theme and, through reproduction and innovative design, has created a series of works that combine aesthetic appeal with cultural significance. These iron window grilles not only evoke shared memories of past life among residents, but have also been transformed into cultural and creative products with local characteristics, attracting visitors to explore and purchase while gaining a deeper understanding of the community’s history and rich cultural heritage.
During the guided tour, participants were also introduced to the rich cultural background and local industrial characteristics of the Kouhu area, such as fisheries and agriculture, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of this coastal township’s diverse features. We then visited the Yiwuhu Detention Basin, which was originally designed for flood control and water storage. It has now been integrated with leisure and tourism functions, providing the public with a space to connect with nature while demonstrating the possibility of coexistence between water infrastructure and environmental sustainability.
During the visit, the founder of “Good Shrimp Jiong Nan Society” also shared his story of returning to his hometown to start a business. This young man, a graduate of the Department of Landscape and Recreation Management, chose to return home and engage in the fishing industry, applying what he had learned to his hometown and achieving impressive results. His experience demonstrates the power of youth contributing to local development and allows us to deeply appreciate the meaning of “traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books.” He further combined the local aquaculture industry with tourism and education, developing experiential activities that are both entertaining and educational, becoming one of the successful examples of local revitalization.
At the end of the activity, students participated in a discussion session, listening to the founder share his journey of returning home to start a business, as well as the challenges and rewards of working locally, gaining valuable insights.
This visit allowed students to rediscover Kouhu—it is not only a small coastal town that relies on the sea, but also a place full of vitality, gradually developing a diverse economy and tourism potential. It is hoped that through such hands-on experiences, more students will be inspired to pay attention to local revitalization and consider various possibilities for future development.
