One University, One River: FCU Partners with Shangshi Village to Present “River Melody”

Organized by Feng Chia University’s One University, One River Program, with support from the Shangshi Village Office and students from the FCU Water Stewardship Club, River Melody was held on June 14 at the Shangshi Village Riverside Viewing Platform in Taichung. Combining stream cleanup, environmental education, live music, and community participation, the event brought together ecological awareness and cultural engagement along the banks of Chaoyang Creek.

Chih-Chao Wu, Chief Sustainability Officer of Feng Chia University, noted that music serves as a powerful medium for connecting people with the environment. By integrating environmental conservation, renewable energy awareness, and river protection into a community concert, the event helped sustainability concepts naturally take root within the local community and encouraged collective action to protect the environment.

Participants included Hui-Chen Lin, Vice President for Research and Development of Tunghai University, as well as FCU faculty members Chen-Chia Huang, Yu-Ta Chung, and Ping-Hsien Lin from the Department of Water Resources Engineering and Conservation.

Feng Chia University hosted River Melody on June 14 at the Shangshi Village Riverside Viewing Platform in Taichung.

Feng Chia University has long adopted and cared for the nearby Huilai Creek and Chaoyang Creek. Through the One University, One River Program, faculty members from multiple disciplines collaborate with community partners and apply AIoT technologies to establish an integrated sustainability learning system that combines environmental monitoring, education outreach, and ecological restoration. The initiative aims to restore watershed ecosystems while enhancing public environmental awareness.

According to Ping-Hsien Lin, who has long been involved in river and environmental education, the team has been implementing a University Social Responsibility (USR) project since 2023. Activities have included environmental surveys, tree inventories, and the installation of ecological signage along the two rivers. These results are incorporated into coursework, creating a positive cycle between teaching, learning, and community engagement while enabling students to participate directly in local environmental governance.

The project has transformed student learning in several ways:

• From Education to Empowerment: Students have moved beyond passive learning and become builders of AIoT monitoring systems. Water-level monitoring stations installed at key locations provide real-time public data and promote digital citizen science.
• From Static Observation to Smart Monitoring: Technology has been used to enable real-time, data-driven water quality monitoring. During the event, water quality analysis conducted through Professor Chi-Hou Lai’s environmental courses was also shared with local residents.
• From Student Club to Community Partnership: Through technology systems established by the FCU Water Stewardship Club, together with micro-hydropower demonstrations, tree carbon labels, and QR code-based educational materials, the project has created new opportunities for interaction between students and community volunteers.

Through its long-term stewardship of Huilai Creek and Chaoyang Creek, Feng Chia University engaged 17 students in the One University, One River Program, translating environmental awareness into concrete action.

The morning stream-cleanup activity brought together 17 students—primarily from the Department of Water Resources Engineering and Conservation—as well as members of the FCU Water Stewardship Club, community volunteers from Shangshi Village, and corporate volunteers from COTA Commercial Bank. Participants worked along both sides of Chaoyang Creek before gathering at the riverside platform for guided tours on watershed ecology and local vegetation, gaining a renewed appreciation of the relationship between rivers and everyday life.

The event also featured a performance by Ko-Hsuan Chung, Artistic Director of Lequ Music Arts Organization, who played beloved works including Spirited Away and Castle in the Sky. Through music and audience interaction, the performance conveyed messages of environmental stewardship and harmonious coexistence between people and nature.

Coinciding with the Dragon Boat Festival season, local businesses provided rice dumplings for community residents to enjoy, while many senior citizens came to attend the event. Originating from a USR initiative, Feng Chia University successfully connected community organizations, businesses, and arts groups through River Melody. Amid music, local traditions, and environmental action, the University demonstrated its commitment to social responsibility by transforming academic resources into tangible efforts to protect local ecosystems and strengthen community ties.