What is the first thing that pops into your mind when it comes to “village”? The village is populated by silhouettes of the elders’ younger selves walking along the field with utensils carried on their shoulders. It could also be where the baking pit heats up when the land lies fallow. Some would think of the tracks they’d pass everyday on the way to school, or catching fish or tadpoles in the waterway beside the rice field. Things that were worn or used such as straw cape, conical hat, water wheel, and the irrigation apparatus evoke a tinge of nostalgia.

In the early days Taiwan’s economy was based on agriculture. The people, houses, objects, and settlements associated with agricultural life bring back once again the image of grannies working in the field in their youth. Taiwan’s agrarian backbone yields a cornucopia of fruits, vegetables, and rice. Folk wisdom is preserved in the way the field is worked as well as the way people get on with each other.

As the technology develops with a dizzying speed, agriculture is operating closer and closer with technology. The change is tangible by looking at how different the ways of growing crops are, how the landscape and tools have transformed, and what one’s grandma would not have been able to pick from the shelves while shopping. Though it’d be reductive to view agricultural technology as solely the way of “improving” produce and “inventing” new products, it is part of Taiwan’s power in terms of production and innovation.

Cyber Island hereby invites you to look for pictures that capture the evolving rural world and share with us what you miss about and care about in the villages.

 Get involved

• Please upload your picture and description to Cyber Island. Should you have any inquiry, please check out our FAQ. The currently available interface is in Mandarin.
• There is no maximum limit to the amount of pictures you upload. If your picture has already been published, you are still welcome to share it with us.
• It doesn’t matter how old your photograph is – you may scan or take a picture of previous works.
• Please submit the pictures in JPG format only, with size no smaller than 1080*960  pixel and dpi no less than 72.
• Please fill the description form correctly and thoroughly, including the title, theme/ keywords (up to five), when and where the photo is taken, and what’s in there.
• The official Mandarin title of the picture selection is 農村與我. To make sure that our staff do receive your pictures, please scroll down the caption list and select 農村與我.
• Before May 8, 2019, a number of participants will be awarded with a certificate and a brushed cotton baseball cap (Cyber Island exclusive, cap color randomly selected from black, red, blue, and khaki).
• Plagiarism is prohibited. If a plagiarist is founded, he or she will no longer be eligible for the award and will be liable to legal responsibilities.
• Participants are advised to choose a license type to label the picture(s) they upload as they need to consent to comply with the CC terms and conditions. 

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