The "Zuo-Se-Ren" team, mentored by the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base at National Chung Cheng University (CCU), was long dedicated to local revitalization practices in Lucao Township, Chiayi County. Recently, the team passed the review for the "2026 Local Revitalization Project for Promoting Resource Circulation" by the Resource Circulation Administration, Ministry of Environment. Their project, "Lucao Wood Light: Learning Circulation with Hands, Building the Local with Creativity," received a grant of NT$1.3 million. This selection not only recognized the project but also symbolized that the integrated model of local revitalization and the circular economy had gradually taken shape.

In alignment with the National Development Council's "Creating a Sustainable and Mutually Beneficial Local Revitalization Project (2025-2028)," this initiative emphasized local resources as its core to develop a circular industry and innovative business models with local characteristics. By creating job opportunities and connecting industrial chains, the project drove youth participation and population return. With a comprehensive medium-to-long-term plan and practical local experience, Zuo-Se-Ren successfully passed the rigorous review process, demonstrating its maturity and execution capabilities in advancing local revitalization.

"Lucao Wood Light" was not merely a woodworking project, but a revitalization initiative starting from the reuse of local resources. Yi-Hao Wu, a CCU alumnus and the founder and CEO of Zuo-Se-Ren, pointed out that Lucao Township had long accumulated old building materials and idle wood, which were previously treated as waste. However, through design translation and field research into local stories, the team transformed these materials into circular products carrying local memories and cultural significance, making discarded resources vital carriers for extending local value.

Yi-Hao Wu further shared that the "Lucao Wood Light" project was located in the Lucao Holy Family Park, which was formerly a hospital. During the restoration process, the team preserved and reused select old building materials. For instance, the wooden coasters in the studio were crafted from the hospital's vintage window frames. After being redesigned and repurposed, they not only extended the lifespan of the materials but also allowed users to experience the historical traces and warmth of the site in their daily lives.

Yi-Hao Wu stated that the greatest feature of this project was its proposal of a replicable and self-sustaining sustainable development mechanism. The team transformed the Lucao Holy Family Park into a permanent "Woodworking Circulation Action Space," introducing a material library, a woodworking class system, and co-learning workshops to establish a base for returning youth to practice and accumulate skills.

"Local revitalization was not a one-time event, but a long-term endeavor to cultivate talent, build industrial chains, and form an economic micro-cycle," Yi-Hao Wu explained. The project organized a youth action team to foster local circular design and operational capabilities, creating green business opportunities with high market potential for Lucao Township.

Hsin-Yuan Hung, Director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base at CCU, pointed out that Yi-Hao Wu demonstrated entrepreneurial potential during his student years. Growing from a campus-mentored team to an operational company and successfully securing resources from central ministries, Zuo-Se-Ren represented the concrete success of combining university entrepreneurship cultivation with local revitalization. Through the Base's long-term guidance and resource matchmaking, the youth team transformed creativity into executable local plans that aligned with central policies. Finally, Yi-Hao Wu emphasized that receiving this grant was not only an honor but also a responsibility. Moving forward, the team would continue to deepen the integration of resource circulation and local revitalization, enabling Lucao Township to forge its own path in the wave of sustainable development.