Hakka Affairs Council Minister Lee Yung-de attended the opening ceremony of the 2019 Meinong Yellow Butterfly Festival on June 8 in Kaohsiung. The ritual of worshipping mountain gods and protecting Hakka culture began in 1995, and Minister Lee hopes that everyone can share the responsibility of promoting sustainable development in this beautiful place.

The ceremony started as traditional Hakka Bayin (八音) music played. Alongside Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時), Minister Lee prayed to Shuang Feng Bagong (雙峰伯公), the embodiment of the god of mountains, and Huang Tieh Bagong (黃蝶伯公), the personification of natural beings.

Lee and company then recited an agreement on protecting the ecological environment of Yellow Butterfly Valley (黃蝶翠谷) to show their determination. Lee noted that the natural beauty of the valley should be guarded from any harm and preserved for future generations.

Because humanity’s selfishness and greed led to the exploitation of natural resources, the valley that had been an important habitat for yellow butterflies was destroyed. Out of guilt, people held the first Yellow Butterfly Festival in 1995 to raise ecological awareness by drawing up an agreement on protecting the environment around the valley.

In 1997, the prospect of a nature park plan was offered for the first time, and a referendum on environmental conservation was held to reach a consensus. Insisting on the plan of building a nature park at Yellow Butterfly Valley, local residents were opposed to a dam proposal in 2000, and they prevented the ecosystem from imminent destruction.
 

Minister Lee stated that the core value of this annual event lies in the harmonious relationship between human beings and nature, adding that the spirit of maintaining the ecological environment should be passed down from generation to generation.

The theme of this year’s festival is “satoyama (里山),” which is a Japanese term and concept defined as the management of forests and other natural resources by local agricultural communities. A satoyama approach fosters biodiversity and sustainability, which are the goals that the people of Meinong want to achieve.

A series of activities are taking place in Kaohsiung from June 8 to July 28, including music concerts, ecological tours of the Yellow Butterfly Valley, and bazaars and picnics. Those who are interested in outdoor activities can look forward to enjoying the pleasure brought by nature at this festival.