Event Recap
Written by 謝啟彬 (Director of the society · teacher at Miaoli Agricultural and Industrial Vocational High School)
On Saturday afternoon, as sunlight streamed through the library windows, a student from the tea-making department whispered to a classmate: "We only saw half the film in class last time — today we finally got to watch it all the way through, and the director is here in person."
In that moment I felt the day was already half a success. 🌱
The screening was full of faces from every generation.
Students from the tea-making and mechatronics departments sat beside aunties and uncles from the community; President 黃能富 of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology and our principal, 張世波, sat shoulder to shoulder with everyone; and members of the Slow Living Education Society of Taiwan prepared coffee, organic rose tea and even delicious rice balls — thoughtful company for all.
Director 顏蘭權 spent eight years simply to record the truest relationship between people and the land.
To young people, eight years is a very long time. But after the film they understood: some understanding really cannot be rushed.
In the discussion afterwards I saw something precious: everyone began learning to say how they really felt, instead of just "it was OK"; they began truly listening to others' ideas instead of rushing to give answers.
Post-screening discussion: director 顏蘭權 (right) and host 陳鵬文 (left)
Isn't this exactly what education most wants to teach young people?
To be aware of our own emotions, to understand others' situations, to learn to listen and to work together.
And the land in the film quietly reminds us —
soil needs time to rest, and so do relationships between people; resources must be cherished, and so must feelings.
As the students heard farmers describe the hard work of turning the soil, picking out rubbish and tending organic jujubes, they began to truly understand how much patience and respect for nature lies behind a bowl of rice or a cup of tea.
What moved me most came at the end of the discussion, when an organic farmer said she had once grown, on her own land, what felt to her like the most beautiful taste in the world.
The students nodded, their eyes serious.
In that instant I saw values being passed on.
Sincere thanks to President 黃能富 and Principal 張世波 for coming in person and showing the students through their actions that this matters; to all the students from the tea-making and mechatronics departments for opening their ears and their hearts; and to our friends in the Miaoli community for sharing such genuine everyday wisdom;
and to the Slow Living Education Society of Taiwan, organiser of this public-benefit event, for making this meeting across generations possible.
Some things are worth eight years of slowly coming to see;
and today, together, we planted a seed worth waiting for. 🌾
This piece first appeared on the Facebook page of the Slow Living Education Society of Taiwan (2026-09-14).
