SDG16
NCKU CHASS × Taiwan Sugar × CGCH Foundation for Education Sign MOU on Tainan Agriculture and Human Rights
The Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS) at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Taiwan Sugar Corporation (TSC), and the CGCH Foundation for Education signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for academic cooperation and exchange today (14th) at NCKU. Through this collaboration, the three parties will integrate academic resources, industrial strengths, and educational outreach experience to jointly research and promote agriculture in Tainan, food and agricultural education, and human rights issues. The initiative also aims to guide the public in understanding historical experiences while exploring the future of agriculture under extreme climate conditions.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by NCKU Vice President Yuh-Neu Chen, with Professor Cheng-Ta Yang, Director of CHASS, Mr. Ming-Chang Wu, Chairman of Taiwan Sugar Corporation, and Mr. Ming-Jen Chien, Chairman of the CGCH Foundation for Education, representing the three institutions. Mr. Chien, son of Mr. Chi Chien, a key figure in Taiwan’s Farmers’ Movement during the Japanese colonial period, also donated the foundation’s long-term research results on Taiwan’s Farmers’ Association to CHASS. This collection will be integrated with CHASS’s AI initiatives to build a Taiwan Farmers’ Movement Database, offering the public diverse channels to learn about Taiwan’s agricultural history.
Vice President Chen highlighted that Taiwan Sugar Corporation not only possesses rich cultural heritage but also outstanding talent, and has maintained long-standing collaboration with NCKU. The CGCH Foundation for Education has long been committed to agricultural development, food and agricultural education, and human rights. Since its establishment, NCKU has emphasized social practice, community service, and integration with the city of Tainan. She expressed delight that the three parties now have the opportunity to work together.
Chairman Wu emphasized NCKU’s pragmatic academic spirit, noting that when TSC relocated its headquarters to Tainan 20 years ago, the university offered great support. He also praised the contributions of Mr. Chi Chien, who dedicated his life to advancing farmers’ rights, and recognized the foundation’s efforts in supporting disadvantaged groups and promoting research and education in Taiwan’s history and arts. He expressed confidence that this collaboration will deepen public understanding of history while positively impacting agriculture and food education.
Chairman Chien expressed joy in collaborating with NCKU and TSC to advance human rights and agricultural history education through social engagement. He noted that transitional justice has become a shared consensus in society, with its foundation rooted in uncovering historical truths. For over 30 years, the foundation has worked to restore historical truth and the reputation of past activists. Given Tainan’s rich cultural and historical legacy, the collaboration with NCKU will help develop field-study sites and learning routes suitable for students.
Dean Wen-Sung Chen of the NCKU College of Liberal Arts remarked that TSC and the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute (TSRI) have played vital roles in the nation’s agricultural development. He praised Mr. Chi Chien’s lifelong dedication to farmers’ rights and expressed his pleasure in witnessing this tripartite cooperation.
Director Cheng-Ta Yang further explained that CHASS has recently undertaken several major projects, including the Ministry of Education’s University Social Responsibility (USR) Project, the Transitional Justice and Human Rights Education in Southern Taiwan Project, the National Science and Technology Council’s Humanities Innovation and Social Practice Program, the University-Local Government Collaborative Cultural Development Program, and the Taiwan Sports Culture Project. These initiatives stress the importance of social practice and collaboration between universities and civil society. By leveraging TSC’s and the foundation’s expertise and resources in agriculture and human rights, CHASS aims to extend the depth and impact of these projects into local communities.
After the signing ceremony, CHASS demonstrated its newly developed AI Platform for the History of Taiwan’s Farmers’ Movement, built using archival resources donated by the foundation. The platform adopts a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) approach, allowing precise knowledge extraction and generation even with relatively small datasets. The system will eventually be open to the public.
The ceremony was attended by many distinguished guests, including NCKU College of Liberal Arts Dean Wen-Sung Chen, CHASS Deputy Director En-Yu Huang, Professor Jia-Iuan Chin, and Professor Jyh-Chang Chen. TSRI was represented by Dr. Yi-Jen Huang, Director of the TSRI, along with staff members Dr. Yi-Tung Lin, Dr. Chih-Chin Sun, and Dr. Hsin-Hui Lu, secretary to the Chairman. Representatives of the CGCH Foundation for Education included Professor Yen-Hui Chen, Principal Rong-Chieh Tsai, General Manager Hsien-Kuang Yeh, Director Shun-Yi Wu, Consultant Shao-Wei Lin, and Mr. Yi-De Wu, all of whom jointly witnessed this milestone.
CHASS concluded by stating that through this collaboration with TSC and the foundation, its social practice initiatives will be more effectively advanced. In particular, the partnership will enable deeper engagement with local industries, primary and secondary education, and community development, ensuring that the university’s commitment to social practice is meaningfully realized in local contexts.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by NCKU Vice President Yuh-Neu Chen, with Professor Cheng-Ta Yang, Director of CHASS, Mr. Ming-Chang Wu, Chairman of Taiwan Sugar Corporation, and Mr. Ming-Jen Chien, Chairman of the CGCH Foundation for Education, representing the three institutions. Mr. Chien, son of Mr. Chi Chien, a key figure in Taiwan’s Farmers’ Movement during the Japanese colonial period, also donated the foundation’s long-term research results on Taiwan’s Farmers’ Association to CHASS. This collection will be integrated with CHASS’s AI initiatives to build a Taiwan Farmers’ Movement Database, offering the public diverse channels to learn about Taiwan’s agricultural history.
Vice President Chen highlighted that Taiwan Sugar Corporation not only possesses rich cultural heritage but also outstanding talent, and has maintained long-standing collaboration with NCKU. The CGCH Foundation for Education has long been committed to agricultural development, food and agricultural education, and human rights. Since its establishment, NCKU has emphasized social practice, community service, and integration with the city of Tainan. She expressed delight that the three parties now have the opportunity to work together.
Chairman Wu emphasized NCKU’s pragmatic academic spirit, noting that when TSC relocated its headquarters to Tainan 20 years ago, the university offered great support. He also praised the contributions of Mr. Chi Chien, who dedicated his life to advancing farmers’ rights, and recognized the foundation’s efforts in supporting disadvantaged groups and promoting research and education in Taiwan’s history and arts. He expressed confidence that this collaboration will deepen public understanding of history while positively impacting agriculture and food education.
Chairman Chien expressed joy in collaborating with NCKU and TSC to advance human rights and agricultural history education through social engagement. He noted that transitional justice has become a shared consensus in society, with its foundation rooted in uncovering historical truths. For over 30 years, the foundation has worked to restore historical truth and the reputation of past activists. Given Tainan’s rich cultural and historical legacy, the collaboration with NCKU will help develop field-study sites and learning routes suitable for students.
Dean Wen-Sung Chen of the NCKU College of Liberal Arts remarked that TSC and the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute (TSRI) have played vital roles in the nation’s agricultural development. He praised Mr. Chi Chien’s lifelong dedication to farmers’ rights and expressed his pleasure in witnessing this tripartite cooperation.
Director Cheng-Ta Yang further explained that CHASS has recently undertaken several major projects, including the Ministry of Education’s University Social Responsibility (USR) Project, the Transitional Justice and Human Rights Education in Southern Taiwan Project, the National Science and Technology Council’s Humanities Innovation and Social Practice Program, the University-Local Government Collaborative Cultural Development Program, and the Taiwan Sports Culture Project. These initiatives stress the importance of social practice and collaboration between universities and civil society. By leveraging TSC’s and the foundation’s expertise and resources in agriculture and human rights, CHASS aims to extend the depth and impact of these projects into local communities.
After the signing ceremony, CHASS demonstrated its newly developed AI Platform for the History of Taiwan’s Farmers’ Movement, built using archival resources donated by the foundation. The platform adopts a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) approach, allowing precise knowledge extraction and generation even with relatively small datasets. The system will eventually be open to the public.
The ceremony was attended by many distinguished guests, including NCKU College of Liberal Arts Dean Wen-Sung Chen, CHASS Deputy Director En-Yu Huang, Professor Jia-Iuan Chin, and Professor Jyh-Chang Chen. TSRI was represented by Dr. Yi-Jen Huang, Director of the TSRI, along with staff members Dr. Yi-Tung Lin, Dr. Chih-Chin Sun, and Dr. Hsin-Hui Lu, secretary to the Chairman. Representatives of the CGCH Foundation for Education included Professor Yen-Hui Chen, Principal Rong-Chieh Tsai, General Manager Hsien-Kuang Yeh, Director Shun-Yi Wu, Consultant Shao-Wei Lin, and Mr. Yi-De Wu, all of whom jointly witnessed this milestone.
CHASS concluded by stating that through this collaboration with TSC and the foundation, its social practice initiatives will be more effectively advanced. In particular, the partnership will enable deeper engagement with local industries, primary and secondary education, and community development, ensuring that the university’s commitment to social practice is meaningfully realized in local contexts.
Vice President Yuh-Neu Chen (second from left) witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between NCKU Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences Director Cheng-Ta Yang (first from left), Chairman Ming-Jen Chien of the CGCH Foundation for Education (second from right), and Chairman Ming-Chang Wu of Taiwan Sugar Corporation (first from right).
From left: Professor Cheng-Ta Yang, Director of the Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences; Chairman Ming-Jen Chien of the CGCH Foundation for Education; and Chairman Ming-Chang Wu of Taiwan Sugar Corporation, showcasing the signed memorandum of understanding.
“Taiwan’s Farmers’ Movement” donated by the CGCH Foundation for Education.
Group photo of the participants after the signing ceremony.
