Chien-Tu Huang

Chien-Tu Huang is the founder of Seabelongings, a Taiwan-based civic organization dedicated to local revitalization, cultural development, artistic and visual practices, and environmental sustainability. Beginning with a focus on Turtle Island off the coast of his hometown in Yilan, Seabelongings has developed diverse collaborations across Taiwan, its offshore islands, and multiple countries and coastal communities, including Japan, Korea, and Malaysia. Through ocean culture as a key driving force, the organization builds collaborative models between communities, public institutions, and private partners. Huang’s cultural initiatives and advocacy work focus on “From Sea Routes to Cultural Sea Routes: Taiwan and the Kuroshio World.” This pathway is also connected to the histories and development of Taiwan and Asian American communities. Taking Taiwan as a central point of inquiry, his work explores how the Kuroshio Current connects Taiwan with surrounding regions through maritime history, cultural exchange, community networks, and contemporary environmental action, thereby building a contemporary understanding of the past and future-oriented networks for collaboration.