Youth return home – story of the red brick house with a chimney

The beautiful village of Luzhunan lies next to Miaoli’s Toufen Industrial Zone (頭份工業區). Strict building restrictions around the industrial park have ensured that the village’s old red brick houses have remained intact. Over the years, however, serious air pollution and environmental damage forced residents to gradually move away from the area, leading to the slow demise of the village. 

Thankfully, in recent years Luzhunan Village has witnessed a radical transformation. Descendants of the original villagers formed a community association to preserve many old artifacts and two young people, Fei Xin and Xiao Du, returned home to the village. Creativity and art have been employed to rebrand Luzhunan with a whole new image. Through inviting domestic and foreign artists to the village and hosting parent-child activities, adults and children have been attracted to the community, giving the old houses a whole new lease of life. 

Youth return home – story of the red brick house with a chimney

URL：https://www.peopo.org/news/315565

(以下是中文對照)

青年返鄉:煙囪與紅磚房的故事

在苗栗的頭份工業區旁，有一個美麗的聚落: 蘆竹湳。由於工業區的限建的關係，讓這些老舊紅磚房古厝得以保存。然而空氣的污染與環境破壞，居民紛紛搬離這裡，美麗的聚落漸漸凋零。

最近這幾年蘆竹湳漸漸有了些轉變，社區裡的叔叔阿姨成立了協會，將許多的老舊文物保存下來，返鄉的青年斐馨與小杜， 透過創意與藝術將蘆竹南重新包裝，邀請國內外的藝術家前來駐村，也透過親子活動，將大人與小孩一同帶進社區，讓古厝得以再生。