The Hsinchu Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, a part of the Ministry of Agriculture, has partnered with Lunghwa University of Science and Technology's Department of Cultural Creativity and Digital Media Design for an industry-academia cooperation project. This collaborative effort involved a team of faculty and students working with the Saisiyat Tribe in Nanchuang, Miaoli, to enhance the brand image of “PakaSan” and promote the tribe’s active engagement in the new economy of rural mountains, ecological restoration, and forest conservation. A recent presentation showcased the tribe’s concrete actions and achievements in various green industries.

Under the leadership of Mr. Wenxiang Su, a teacher from the Department of Cultural Creativity and Media Design at Lunghwa University of Science and Technology, the teacher-student team collaborated with the Saisiyat tribe to establish an identity system and design a series of product packaging. Using golden, red, and black colors representing the earth, dawn, and reverence for the mountains, along with Saisiyat patterns and product graphics, they created an identity system. One of the successfully commercialized products is “WawaLe” Forest Honey, translating to “sweet and pure” in the Saisiyat language, bringing tangible benefits to the tribe.

Mr. Su emphasized that the “PakaSan” identity system focuses on past under-forest economic products, making it easier for consumers to identify and establishing a local product model for rural mountain villages. The design concept aligns with the spirit of “harmony between humans and nature” in rural mountains. The product line includes two major series: “Forest Machinery” and “Gift from the Earth,” based on product attributes. The “Forest Machinery” series integrates forest under-forest economic products such as forest honey, forest pollen, shiitake mushrooms grown on alder wood, and premium tea oil, symbolizing product diversity and the vitality of the forest. The “Gift from the Earth” series includes tribal plant hydrosols and essential oil products, symbolizing the natural elements bestowed by the earth.

The Saisiyat tribes in Nanchuang uphold the spirit of “harmony between humans and nature” and actively engage in forest patrols, ecological restoration, cultural revival, and a green rural economy. They sustainably use natural resources, expand their product range, and transform forest honey, pollen, shiitake mushrooms made from segmented wood, and camellia oil into visually appealing products.

Mr. Su underscores that in the collaborative design process with the Saisiyat people, the teacher-student team not only solves problems through design but also aims to discover and promote the diverse wisdom of the indigenous tribes in their application of mountain and forest knowledge. Simultaneously, they seek to pass on these values and traditions to universities from an educational perspective. Assisting the tribe in maintaining ecological sustainability and enabling the PakaSan brand design to transition from local to international is an exemplary demonstration of fulfilling the university’s social responsibility.

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