Niupuli murals depict early Taiwanese farming culture

Get a glimpse into the traditional rural life of Taiwan through wall murals! The borough warden of Nuipuli in Changhua City has been promoting murals depicting rural scenes from the old days when people would “rise with the lark and go to bed with the lamb.” What's more, the last dozen or so murals have depicted fascinating buffalo scenes.

During the early agricultural age, when water buffalo and rice fields were still the lifeblood of people's daily lives, herds of grazing water buffalo were a common sight in rural Changhua. Today, however, such idyllic scenes have been relegated to the annals of history. To ensure that locals never forget the traditional culture of their hometown, the borough warden of Nuipuli has encouraged the painting of murals throughout the community. It is hoped that these buffalo murals will help convey the hard-working Taiwanese spirit, increase a sense of leisure and artistic beauty in the community, and encourage visitors to “slow down and experience the splendor.” The borough warden lamented that in Taiwan's modern society, tractors have replaced buffaloes and scenes of buffalos working the fields are sadly only a distant memory. Hopefully, Niupuli will become known as a "mural community," helping to depict Taiwan's traditional farming culture and injecting new energy and color into the local area.

以下為中文對照

一面彩繪牆認識早期農村生活！彰化市牛埔里長在社區推動彩繪圍牆，內容絕大部分是農村「日出而作、日落而息」的田間景象，近十幾處的圍牆彩繪就有好幾頭水牛，相當奇特。

早年農業時代，彰化農村常見水牛成群吃草，水牛與稻田還是許多人日常生活賴以生存的命脈，如今已不復見，因此他特地推動在社區圍牆上創作農村藝術，讓大家認識故鄉的美好，同時傳達水牛堅毅刻苦的台灣精神，增添了休閒與藝術美感，希望遊客來參訪時能「放慢腳步、遇見美麗」。里長說，耕耘機取代水牛的現代社會中，水牛耕田景象已不復見，希望把牛埔里打造成重現台灣早期牛耕文化的「彩繪社區」，為社區增添新色彩。

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