On December 11, 2025, the Center for Intelligent Regional Design Services, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (YunTech), collaborated with Zhenxi Elementary School, Douliu City, Yunlin County, to hold the storytelling event “Sacred Red Altar: The Majestic Treasures of Wugu Kaitai Zunwang” Picture Book Storytelling II. This initiative promotes the intangible cultural heritage of Wugu Kaitai Zunwang and brings the rich traditions of the ritual parade to elementary school students across Yunlin County.
Traditionally, YunTech’s Intelligent Regional Design Center has conducted picture book storytelling activities within the Wugu Thirteen Villages. This time, the center extended the program beyond its usual scope to Zhenxi Elementary School, a century-old institution, along with the century-old incense trail of Wugu Kaitai Zunwang. The activity provided Douliu City students with a vivid introduction to this locally designated folk tradition, fostering cross-domain cultural exchange.
Associate Professor Jing-Yi Wang of the Department of Cultural Heritage Conservation, led the YunTech team, including Assistant Chen Ying-Rong, Assistant He Xuan-Yi, and Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Zhuo Jia-Xian. Chen and He engaged students with dynamic storytelling, while the children listened attentively, as if walking along the historic incense trail themselves. The event also featured interactive quizzes, eliciting enthusiastic participation from the students.
Associate Professor Wang Jing-Yi remarked:
“The story of Wugu Kaitai Zunwang is more than history; it is a vital starting point for children to understand their hometown. Cultural heritage persists not solely through festivals, but when it becomes a story children read for the first time. Through picture book storytelling, we hope culture can enter classrooms in the most accessible way. When children open a picture book, the cultural heritage becomes an emotional landscape in their hearts. Folk traditions endure because the next generation is willing to tell these stories again. Letting children hear their own culture allows the future of their hometown to shine.”
The picture book “Sacred Red Altar: The Majestic Treasures of Wugu Kaitai Zunwang” was authored by Associate Professor Wang Jing-Yi, with illustrations by Assistants Chen Ying-Rong and He Xuan-Yi, and published in December 2025 by the Intelligent Regional Design Center. Featuring phonetic annotations alongside Chinese characters, and rich illustrations, the book is suitable for elementary students from lower to upper grades. It also encourages intergenerational reading, allowing grandparents and parents to pass on oral traditions, thereby ensuring the sustainable transmission of cultural heritage.
The YunTech Intelligent Regional Design Center has partnered with three elementary schools for this storytelling initiative: Shigui Elementary School (November 7, 2025), Zhenxi Elementary School (December 11, 2025), and Gouba Elementary School (January 16, 2026). This program not only exemplifies university-local school collaboration but also symbolizes the joint efforts of YunTech, the participating schools, and the Chinese Wugu Kaitai Zunwang Association in promoting local cultural and historical education, providing students with enriched learning experiences.
Third-grade music class students listening attentively to the storytellers
Assistant Chen Ying-Rong narrating the story
Assistant He Xuan-Yi narrating the story
Students actively answering questions posed by the storytellers
Group photo after the event (from right: Zhenxi Elementary School Director Wu Xiu-Ling, Douliu High School Principal Cheng Jun-Jian, Zhenxi Elementary School Principal Chen Jia-Ming, YunTech Assistants Chen Ying-Rong, He Xuan-Yi, and Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Zhuo Jia-Xian)
Organizer: Center for Intelligent Regional Design Services
Unit Supervisor: Shi-Hui Huang
Contact Person: Jia-Xian Zhuo
Phone: +886-5-534-2601 ext. 2870
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