| dc.description.abstract | Looking at the development of festivals, there has been limited discussion in the research field regarding how local communities transform traditional festivals into emerging ones and imbue them with new values and meanings. The exploration of the transformation of events in terms of their forms and functions often remains static, focusing solely on the specific types resulting from the transition of a single local event, while neglecting the dynamic outcomes generated by the complex interactions among various types of festival activities. Throughout the evolution of festival activities, various types coexist and intertwine on different levels, influenced by factors such as time, space, and locality, resulting in intricate patterns.
In order to gain a deeper understanding of how local communities dynamically evolve through festival activities and overcome the limitations of previous static studies, this research will draw upon Getz′s ＂Event Studies＂ framework proposed in 2012, and incorporate perspectives from disciplines such as anthropology and sociology to reveal the distinct essence of festivals that often appears abstract and ambiguous. Daxi, having a long history of development as a cultural, economic, and political center since the era of river transportation, possesses the largest Guan Sheng Di Jun (God of War) procession in northern Taiwan, representing its traditional festivals. Additionally, it exhibits the phenomenon of ＂Hakka-ization＂ concerning ethnic issues. The profound implications and values generated by these multiple transformations will be presented in this study through various festival types, shedding light on the interactive evolution and transformation aspects that were previously absent in festival discussions. Therefore, it is hoped that this research perspective will open up a comprehensive and dynamic exploration of the relationship between festival activities and local communities, serving as a blueprint for future studies.
This research employs qualitative content analysis and discourse analysis as research approaches to investigate the complex relationships involved in the evolution and transformation processes of local festival activities. Through this study, it will uncover how local communities utilize different types of festival activities to promote local values and identity, create economic development, and transform the local landscape. ＂Festival activities＂ are not limited to their static meanings derived from participation but are dynamically interconnected with local development.
Furthermore, this research reveals the following findings:
1. Local tourism and leisure demands have generated a new important function - the gaze and experience function.
2. For the Daxi area, the presence of the Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo holds an irreplaceable advantage over other places, playing a crucial and key role for a period of seventy years.
3. The case of the Shimen Reservoir in the Daxi area provides us with favorable evidence that demonstrates the early origins of tourism development in Taiwan, which occurred well before the national tourism policy was implemented after the year 2000.
4. The individualistic romantic gaze, as proposed by Urry (2016), is not prominently manifested in Taiwan.
5. The organization of Hakka activities in Taiwan is predominantly carried out through tourism and leisure experiences or food-tasting activities, falling under the category of tourism and leisure experiences or food experiences under the name ＂Hakka.＂
6. Event planners often combine traditional festivals to create new effects, attracting crowds to satisfy people′s gaze and experience.
7. Many activities in Taiwan actually originated from local folk groups or commercial organizations and gradually transitioned to government-led initiatives in their development process. | en_US |