To pass on Hakka artisan culture and promote traditional industries, the Hakka Affairs Council (HAC) launched the Hakka Crafts Transmission and Regional Revitalization Pilot Project (客家技藝傳習及創生示範計畫), through which eight workshops have been selected as the representative Hakka craftsmanship.

HAC Deputy Minister Fan Tso-ming (范佐銘) visited two of the workshops in Hsinchu and Nantou on Feb. 1, awarding them a plaque to certify them as a Hakka Craft Workshop.

At his first stop in Hsinchu’s Baoshan Township, Fan put up the plaque for Sing-chen Brown Sugar Company (新城風糖有限公司), a local social enterprise producing handmade cane sugar. Through the HAC project, the company restores the traditional method of stirring sugar, optimizes its experience spaces, and creates job opportunities for young people who return to their hometown from big cities, breathing new life into the sugar processing industry.

During his visit to the sugar-making enterprise, Deputy Minister Fan realized the rich flavor of the handmade brown sugar cannot be surpassed by the machine-made sweet substance. He thanked the company’s efforts for preserving the Hakka traditional industry, hoping this unique culture can be passed down. The Council will also help to increase the added values of the sugar products for international marketing to allow more people to experience the beauty of Hakka culture, Fan added.

Later on, the Deputy Minister visited Akun Lemongrass Workshop (阿坤香茅工坊；昌坤企業社) in Nantou’s Guoxing Township to certify it as a Hakka Craft Workshop by giving it the plaque.

The workshop, Akun, preserves not only the traditional tools but also ancient ways to extract citronella essential oil. Additionally, it organizes short trips in collaboration with young operators of a leisure park, guesthouses, and a coffee workshop, hoping to stimulate tourist industries in Guoxing.

Fan said that the production of citronella essential oil involves a tremendous amount of work, from picking the plant, refining the oil to transporting the product. Fan expects that through the Hakka Crafts Transmission and Regional Revitalization Pilot Project, the distinctive Hakka craft can be perpetuated.