Exploring Sustainable Development of Cultural Living Circles Through Action Research: The Case of Sanyi Township, Miaoli, Taiwan

A cultural living circle comprises a “living cultural space” with local characteristics established via interactions between resident daily behaviors and the surrounding environment. In studying the long-term promotion of a cultural living circle in Sanyi Woodcarving Village, Miaoli, Taiwan to explore the sustainable development of cultural living circle, the authors engaged in local community building to identify its dynamic composition through Action Research, and conducted a field study examining cultural living circles and main interaction networks through literature review and in-depth interviews. This study obtains three findings. First, cultural living circles are created through interactions among four main systems, educational, community, professional and administrative. Second, in the interaction network, a core “leading system” guides other “subservient systems” to establish a “core-satellite” model. Third, the role changing that occurs during cultural living circle development constructs a solid and flexible link that can realize sustainable development of cultural living circles.