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Evaluation of the sustainability of Hakka villages in the Lui–Tui area of Taiwan via emergy analysis

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Abstract

The traditional Hakka spirit of Taiwan gives the impression of a frugal people who believe in the virtue of hard work, in their relationship with the land and in environmental stewardship. This study contrasts the ecological economic systems of Hakka and non-Hakka villages in the Lui–Tui area in southern Taiwan, and the features of and changes in the development of diverse Hakka villages in the area from the view of ecological economics through emergy analysis methods. The study found that from the 1920s to the 2010s, there were significant differences in environmental sustainability between Hakka and non-Hakka villages in the Lui–Tui area. Hakkas knew how to make good use of environmental resources and properly allocate external economic resources. There were few differences among the Hakka villages, in particular the right militia, former militia and rear militia. Over half a century, Hakkas in the Lui–Tui area used their resources more efficiently. In terms of energy usage density, there was no significant difference between Hakka and non-Hakka villages in the 1920s; however, in the 1970s non-Hakka villages had greater density than Hakka villages.

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Source: Huang and Odum (1991, p. 193)

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Acknowledgements

This study was sponsored by the Hakka Committee. <The Characteristic and Evolvement of Ecological Economic Systems of Hakka Villages in Lui–Tui Area (I): Development of Hakka Settlements in the 1920s and 1970s> (Project number 103-05-04).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Institute of Hakka Cultural Industry, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Ping-Tung, Taiwan

    Chun-Fa Cheng

  2. Department of Environmental and Cultural Resources, National Tsing Hua University, No. 521, Nan-Da Road, Hsin-Chu City, 300, Taiwan

    Kuo-Tai Cheng

  3. School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Kuo-Tai Cheng

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  1. Chun-Fa Cheng
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Correspondence to Kuo-Tai Cheng.

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Cheng, CF., Cheng, KT. Evaluation of the sustainability of Hakka villages in the Lui–Tui area of Taiwan via emergy analysis. Environ Dev Sustain 20, 2831–2856 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-017-0019-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-017-0019-5

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