Tien, who has regular contact with farmers, relates that the vast majority of farmers in Chungliao are over 50. The money that they made in the golden years was either spent on quick-fix repairs of their old houses or purchasing of new homes for their children who moved elsewhere to work. The farmers mainly stayed at home and got by with the ever-declining income from agriculture.
經常與農民接觸的田水金補充說，中寮的農民大多是年紀上了五十歲的中老年人，過去黃金歲月的收入不是用來建築房舍，就是交給了出外打拚的孩子們購屋，自己就是守著老屋，靠著越來越差的水果栽種度日。