National Chung Cheng University (CCU) held the final project presentation for the Department of Business Administration's course, "ESG and Corporate Management Practices." The project involved a collaboration with "Chiayi Outsiders" to connect approximately ten local, distinctive micro-enterprises in Chiayi City. These businesses, which had deep roots in the city for many years—including "Meei Street Gallery," "Jing Gong Engraving," "Xin Hua Mei Tailor Shop," and "Yi Yin Grass Jelly"—jointly created exclusive green guided tour routes for Chiayi. This initiative aimed to inject new energy into local sustainability.
The guided tour project saw CCU students divided into two groups, each responsible for planning two different themed routes. Centering on the historical "Meei Street Gallery" and "Jing Gong Engraving," the students were personally responsible for every stage, from conceptualization and field research to business networking, planning, and execution. The route content cleverly utilized symbolic elements—a "picture frame" from the Gallery and a "seal" from the Engraver—as thematic clues. These clues connected surrounding representative micro-businesses and incorporated interactive elements such as puzzles and stamp collection to allow participants to deeply understand Chiayi's rich cultural heritage and sustainable philosophy while exploring the city.
Students participating in the planning came from various fields, including Business Administration, Finance, Social Welfare, and Labor Relations. The core of the course was "ESG and Corporate Management Practices." The motivations for students choosing this elective included a desire to understand how sustainability was implemented in businesses, an expectation to deepen local involvement through cross-disciplinary collaboration, and the application of professional skills such as planning, brand design, and user experience in a real-world setting. Students remarked that the ability to integrate specialties from different departments and execute them on the ground was the course's most compelling feature.
A student surnamed Zhong, a senior of Department of Business Administration, stated, "Through the planning of the sustainable tour routes, we were able to personally visit the shops and understand the value and impact these local businesses brought to the city from the perspective of humanistic care and sustainable inheritance." Hui-Yu Cai, the fourth-generation owner of Meei Street Gallery, commented, "I was delighted to see CCU students willing to engage with the street, explore inherited local craftsmanship, and infuse this culture with creativity and vitality. The fusion of old and new concepts allowed traditional culture to continue in a way that was more relevant to the contemporary world."
Dean Ya-Hui Lian of the CCU College of Management pointed out, "The College of Management has been actively investing in corporate social responsibility and sustainability education in recent years, encouraging students to understand how sustainability can be implemented in business and society through practical participation." Yu-Ching Sun, founder of Chiayi Outsiders, also noted, "As this year marked the 321st anniversary of Chiayi City's founding, this collaboration between the Street Corner Museum Project and CCU not only strengthened the connection between local micro-businesses and academia but also brought new momentum and perspectives to urban regeneration."
CCU and the Street Corner Museum Project team collectively stated that they would continue to deepen university-local collaboration, encouraging more young people to enter communities and participate in local action. They anticipated that the green sustainable tours would help Chiayi become a model demonstration site for a city with a strong sustainability awareness. Students involved in the planning also shared that the opportunity to interact with business owners and solve real problems using their planning skills was a rare and valuable experience in applying professional knowledge to life. They stated that the project not only enhanced their ability for interdisciplinary cooperation but also deepened their understanding of local sustainability's importance.