In 2017, the Miaoli County Nature Ecology Society sent a delegation to Veun Sai Village in Cambodia through the Hakka Affairs Council’s southbound collaboration program and used "green" as a medium for exchanges, exploring the diverse ethnic cultures of the two places, and gaining an understanding of their shared historical origins. It is hoped that in the future, Veun Sai Village and the Miaoli Hakka community will form a natural health-preserving lifestyle that promotes "slow life, slow travel, and slow food".
Veun Sai Village, surrounded by verdant forests, has a healing "green nature". The Nature Ecology Society team found that ethnic plants are widely used here. The so-called ethnic plants refer to wild or cultivated plants that are closely related to the daily life of a particular ethnic group. The use of ethnic plants often reflects the living environment and special lifestyle of each ethnic group. Ethnic plants often vary due to the location where the ethnic group lives. Hakka people tend to settle in remote mountainous areas, so their ethnic plants tend to be flora grown in the mountains.
The ethnic plants seen by the Taiwanese delegation in Vuen Sai Village include lemongrass, fish mint, silvery wormwood, and Gotu Kola. These plants can also be seen in the Hakka region of Taiwan. Lemongrass, also known as cymbopogon, is a commonly used spice in Southeast Asian countries. It is generally used in cooking. Some villagers in Vuen Sai also use lemongrass to relieve skin diseases. In addition, it is said that lemongrass tea can relieve cold symptoms, enhance immunity, and soothe upset stomach.
Lemongrass
Fish mint is a common plant in Vuen Sai Village and an essential herb. It has a fishy smell and must be dried and boiled to bring out its special sweet taste. The Hakka ancestors were able to discover its magical effects, showing their wisdom. Silvery wormwood is used for cooking in Taiwanese Hakka households and is made into steamed rice dumplings, while in Vuen Sai Village, the older generation believes that silvery wormwood has the effect of driving away evil spirits. Gotu Kola is a green medicinal herb used by local residents to treat diseases. The juice from mashed Gotu Kola can be used to relieve heatstroke, headache and diarrhea.
Fish mint
Gotu Kola
During this exchange visit, the members of the Nature Ecology Society deeply understood that to preserve the culture of an ethnic group, it is necessary to pass on some old traditional knowledge so that this know-how can be understood or applied by future generations. The application of plants is actually a very important part of this process. However, the local young generation is not very clear about how plants should be used, and this precious cultural resource is gradually disappearing. Therefore, through this exchange, the team members cooperated with local residents to teach the children this information, hoping to make them interested in understanding the Hakka people’s concept of the use of natural resources, and to be able to sustainably use the plant resources around them, while also preserving traditional Hakka culture.