Guibigang Community, Penghu

Naliao Village, located in Huxi Township, Penghu County, covers an area of 1.79 square kilometers. Its registered population is over 700, but the actual number of long-term residents is around 150. Ancestors gradually migrated from Quanzhou, Southern Fujian, to Penghu around 1630 AD, engaging in a semi-fishing, semi-farming livelihood. It was formerly known as "Guibigang She" (Guibigang Community). Baoning Temple serves as the central spiritual hub of the settlement, primarily dedicated to Baosheng Dadi, and has a history of over 390 years. The early settlers mainly relied on coastal fishing and farming. Some residents worked as cement masons, carpenters, or general construction workers. With the changing times, the agricultural and fishing village society gradually transformed, and the traditional self-sufficient lifestyle could no longer meet residents' demands for material well-being. Consequently, most Naliao residents moved to urban areas for better job opportunities or relocated to places like Kaohsiung on Taiwan's main island. From ancient times to the present, the community has preserved many traditional Penghu agricultural and daily life features. These include century-old wells, Yingtou Shigandang, pulley water retrieval systems, coral stone vegetable gardens (Cai Zhai), traditional reed fences (Lüe Guanmang Pi), fish stoves, arrangements of small coral stones, stacked firewood bundles, ox manure pits, ox-plowed fields and carts, clusters of ancient coral stone houses, as well as the craftsmen who build the Cai Zhai and centenarian master elders. Another important intangible cultural asset of Penghu is the "masked ladies." Since Minguo 100 (2011), the community has actively promoted comprehensive community development, preservation of cultural assets, and improvement of living environments. It has participated in various initiatives, including the county government's planner space creation competition, the "New Homeland Community Development Project," the Council of Agriculture's Soil and Water Conservation Bureau's "Dilapidated Space Improvement Project," completed the "Rural Regeneration Seed Project" courses, and implemented the EPA's "Environmental Little School Promotion Project." In recent years, the community has further built upon its traditional culture, integrating new concepts into traditional wisdom and environmental friendliness. The community retains these cultural characteristics, actively promotes community development work, transforming the village into a low-carbon, environmentally friendly, and environmental education site. It also engages in cultural revitalization, hoping to awaken shared memories and emotions of Naliao among travelers and expatriates, and to allow people across Penghu and Taiwan to rediscover Naliao, witnessing this simple yet beautiful village, and encouraging more people to experience its rustic charm. Throughout its community development journey, it has received numerous awards, mainly as follows: 2015: Awarded "Excellent" in the Community Group of the 3rd National Environmental Education Award by the Environmental Protection Administration, Executive Yuan. 2016: Designated as a national outstanding unit after evaluation for implementing the EPA's "Environmental Little School Promotion Project." 2017 & 2018: Continuously awarded "Top 100 Green Destinations in the World" by the Green Destinations Foundation and joined the international media sustainable travel platform. 2018: Certified by the EPA as a "Penghu Naliao Environmental Education Park" facility. 2018: Selected as a "Town Roaming Attraction" by the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, representing Huxi Township. 2018: Achieved the "Silver Award for Low-Carbon Sustainable Home" from the EPA after assessment. 2020: Passed the "Leisurely Rural Village" evaluation by the Council of Agriculture's Soil and Water Conservation Bureau. 2023: Certified by the UN IPSI as an international Satoyama Initiative case study. 2023: Participated in the 2023 The Ninth IPSI Global Conference and became an annual featured case study for IPSI. 2024: Awarded the "National Sustainable Development Award - Non-Governmental Organization Category" by the Executive Yuan.