*Due to the time constraint, this English translation from my original article in Chinese is done by ChatGPT with slight modifications done by myself. More modifications to reflect my original writing style will follow.
Taitung Dawu Digital Nomad Village is Taiwan’s first digital nomad village. After my personal visit in August this year, I believe that Dawu, Taitung has the potential to be an excellent example of combining “digital nomadism” with local revitalization (dì fāng chuàng shēng, 地方創生), a project to revitalize disappearing small villages in Taiwan started in 2019 by Taiwanese government.
What surprised me greatly was that since the official launch of the Dawu Digital Nomad Village at the end of 2022, there has been very little discussion about it among the digital nomads around me. There are very few details available online about the operation of the Dawu Digital Nomad Village, and even in the past six months, the housing in the digital nomad village has remained empty!
If you’ve heard about the “Digital Nomad Oasis Project” promoted by the Taitung government, you might remember that it was initially open only to foreigners, not Taiwanese citizens. However, I have some exciting news for you: Starting from August 2023, both Taiwanese citizens and foreigners can apply to stay at the Taitung Dawu Digital Nomad Village!
After meeting the teams who are working so hard to bring positive changes to Dawu, I want to share what the teams in Dawu Digital Nomad Village shared with me with you.
Table of Contents
A Brief History of Digital Nomad Lifestlye
I started my digital nomad journey in 2018. At that time, digital nomad lifestyle combining travel and work, was not widely known in Taiwan. There were very few Chinese articles about digital nomad lifestyle online. However, the term “digital nomad” had already appeared in the book Digital Nomad written by Tsugio Makimoto and David Manners in 1997, which was 26 years ago. After the outbreak of the pandemic in 2022, many people were forced to work from home, which also provided an opportunity for the digital nomad community to bring this lifestyle into the mainstream.
Five years later, in 2023, if you search for the keywords like “digital nomad” and “working while traveling” in Chinese, you’ll find that many bloggers, instagrammers, youtubers are discussing this topic. They share how to start a digital nomad lifestyle from zero and often provide tips for balancing work and travel. Many groups that have seen the business potential in this trend have started offering services that digital nomads might need. For instance, many countries have started to introduce digital nomad visas since the beginning of the pandemic. These visas are different from regular tourist visas, as they allow remote workers to stay in the country for at least a year. Co-working and co-living spaces suitable for digital nomads have also sprung up in cities popular among digital nomads around the world. Cafes suitable for work are always full of digital nomads who want to change their work environment every day.
When I heard about the establishment of Taiwan’s first digital nomad village in Dawu in late 2022, I was genuinely excited. I had interviewed the founder of the world’s first digital nomad village in Ponta Do Sol, Portugal, Gonçalo Hall, back in March, 2021. At that time, I never expected that Taiwan would follow suit so quickly. The original intention of the digital nomad village in Ponta Do Sol, Portugal, was to revive the local tourism economy. Gonçalo Hall, who led this project and had years of experience as a digital nomad, saw the potential of reviving abandoned spaces in the village for digital nomads to build their community. Thus, the digital nomad village in Ponta Do Sol was established.
Combining Digital Nomadism with Local Revitalization in Dawu, Taitung
A few days before my visit to Dawu, I happened to attend a local revitalization event in Magang, New Taipei City. After the event, everyone left on the same day. Since I can work anyway with Wifi, I stayed for a few nights in a nearby youth hostel and worked from there.
I suddenly realized that because of my ability to earn income online while traveling, I was able to extend my time spent in Magang. In other words, I spent more time spending money in Magang. Of course, I’m genuinely curios about the local history, geography, and culture as well. The type of digital nomads like me are the type of “long stay” people the local revitalization projects are looking for.
After learning about the Dawu Digital Nomad Village project, I discovered that its “Why” closely resembles Ponta Do Sol’s. It is a perfect combined effort of local revitalization and digital nomadism, both led by the people of Dawu. The digital nomad village project is spearheaded by Dawu Township Office selected by Taitung County Government. Dawu Township Office has been working closely together with Liqing Aixiang Association (lì qīng ài xiāng Association, 勵青愛鄉促進會), part of the Dawu Startup Hub, to bring the idea of the digital nomad village to life.
Qualifications and Application Process for Staying at Dawu Digital Nomad Village
Starting from this August, Taitung Dawu Digital Nomad Village is open for applications from Taiwanese citizens, not only limited to foreigners anymore! The application period goes until October 31st in 2024.
Qualifications:
- Taiwanese citizens and foreigners
- Remote workers and digital nomads (such as online freelancing, remote jobs, etc.).
- Upon the submission of the application, the applicants should submit a proposal stating their plan to give back to the local Dawu community
On the official website of Dawu Township Office, there is no clear indication of how to prove oneself as a digital nomad. However, for those of you who have been digital nomads for a while, I believe you know how this kind of proof works.
Regarding the plan for giving back to Dawu, the official website of Dawu Township Office states: “Applicants need to submit a proposal plan and related documents for our review. Only after the review is passed can you move in. The content of the application (feedback) plan should mainly involve participation or planning of arts and culture promotion projects and public activities, such as community organization events, exploring cultural resources, teaching, and sharing experiences.” When I visited Dawu, the township office and the teams that are responsible for executing this project told me that plans such as tutoring the children in the local community, hosting an exhibition of photography of Dawu, hosting a workshop teaching the local community your expertise can be some of the easy ways to give back to DAWU.
Housing Conditions
Rental Houses
There are a total of six refurbished old houses ready for rent in Dawu Digital Nomad Village. The six houses are located in different areas of Dawu County, including Dawu Village and Shangwu Village. Dawu Village is closer to Dawu TRA Station, while Shangwu Village is closer to the Startup Hub and the township office.
The addresses of the six rental houses in Taitung DAWU Digital Nomad Village are as follows:
- No. 46-1, Kezhuang Road, Shangwu Village, DAWU Township, Taitung County (near the Startup Hub and the township office).
- No. 6, Lane 7, Zhengtong 3rd Street, Shangwu Village, DAWU Township, Taitung County (near the Startup Hub and the township office).
- No. 26-1, Jialuo Ban, Dawu Village, Dawu Township, Taitung County (located in the mountains, further away from villages).
- No. 92, DAWU Street, Dawu Village, Dawu Township, Taitung County (2-story house, already rented to someone for several months).
- No. 47, Minzu Street, Dawu Village, Dawu Township, Taitung County (2-story house, near Dawu Railway Station).
- No. 65, Minzu Street, Dawu Village, Dawu Township, Taitung County (2-story house, near Dawu Railway Station).
Rental Costs
The monthly rent is only NT$3,000, about 100USD.
Yes, you heard it right. It’s really only about 100USD per month for rent! And some of the houses even have two stories!
However, after my visit, there are a few important reminders for fellow digital nomads who might want to apply.
- Non of the houses have internet access. You heard it right. That means if you decide to live here, you’ll need to use your phone’s hotspot to work on your laptop. During my visit to Dawu, my experience is that the cellphone signals was pretty stable, although the locals did warm me that the signals might be spotty during rainy days.
- No gas or air conditioning is in any of the houses. You might be able to use a camping stove to cook since there’s no has provided in the houses. As for air conditioning, it’s going to be more complicated. If you plan to install your own air conditioning, you might need to purchase it from a larger city (Kaohsiung or Taitung). The price in Taitung might be much higher than in bigger cities. You would also need to hire a local technician to install it.
- You have to pay your own water and electricity bills.
- All the houses are furnished. Basic furniture is provided, although it might not be as fancy as you imagine. You can refer to the official website of Dawu Township Office for actual photos.
For all other application details and current house conditions, the official website of Dawu Township Office provides all the information.
Interview with the First Resident of Dawu Digital Nomad Village
After visiting Dawu, I had the opportunity to have an in-depth conversation with the first tenant of Dawu Digital Nomad Village. This first tenant is a seasoned broadcasting media professional who returned from Taipei to Dawu. Before moving into Dawu Digital Nomad Village, she had been frequently going between Dawu and Taipei for many years, renovating her family’s long-abandoned old hotel in Dawu. She is currently planning to start a business in Dawu, creating a Minsu (similar to a bed and breakfast) with a bookstore and a café. She is currently very busy preparing for the grand opening in September. You can find all her updates on the Facebook fan page.
Can You Stay in Dawu Digital Nomad Village After the Project Ends?
This project of Dawu Digital Nomad Village organized by Taitung County Government is set to conclude on October 31st, 2024. After the project ends, the houses will be returned to their respective owners. While this means that you won’t be able to rent these houses at the low price of NT$3,000 any more, there might be more local people willing to refurbish and provide vacant spaces for digital nomads to stay long-term, if they see the benefits of this kind of project for the local community.
Disclaimer: This article is based on my personal visit and observations in August 2023. Please refer to official sources for the most accurate and up-to-date information about the Taitung Dawu Digital Nomad Village.