Page 40 - Hualien Sustainable Living Bilingual Magazine

Lin Dong-Liang, CEO of Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation The sea surrounding Taiwan is mesmerizing, especially the waters off the coast of Hualien, because the Kuroshio Current passes through and nurtures an ecosystem that is richer than other marine regions. Liao Hung-Chi, founder and chairman of the Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation, said,“There are inherent limitations to living on an island. Hualien has limited land resources, but the heavens made up for that by blessing us with vast seas.” Mr. Liao established his foundation after raising NT$2 million from the private sector.“There is a dearth of marine education as well as adventurous pioneering spirit in Taiwan. We hope to attract more young people to learn about the sea and cultivate their pioneering spirit.”He has carried out marine ecological surveys of cetaceans and dolphins, planned and promoted whale watching trips, and established the promotional “tour around the island”. During this process, he came to believe that the most charming thing about the marine ecosystem is how much wider and deeper it is compared to that on land. There is nothing in any land- based ecosystem that can compare to the sight of a thousand dolphins leaping from the surface of the ocean.“When I was a teenager, whenever I encountered difficulties in life, I would go for a long walk alone by the sea, like a wild man. I often talked to the ocean, which would respond to me by splashing over the shore and making waves.”Once, after wandering for d a y s , t h e o c e a n s e n t w a v e s t o l a p a t h i s f e e t “. I h e a r d t h e w a v e s s a y ‘, C o m e home! Become a fish and return to my embrace, so you no longer suffer from being stranded on land.’In that moment, I knew that the ocean would become my second home, my second life.” 35