I. The competition category we participated in:local business and organization
II. Local community description:Datong District, Taipei City
It was the first district around Taipei to be developed. Other than the religious aspect, the traditional industries are still thriving like old times: the oldest grocery and herbal medicine market on Dihua Street, the cloth market on Yanping North Road, the generators and hardware stores around Chengde Road and Taiyuan Road and the prospering apparel industry at the back of Taipei Train Station. To sustain the cultural and distinguishing features in this community, the government has made great effort in improving the environment and the balancing of new buildings and traditional industries.
The current Datong District has become the main administration item of the government because the update and re-development of the old community. There are quite a few constructions unfolded one after another in recent years in order to promote the development of local feature industry as well as the improvement of the space structure.
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▲ Ta Tung Administrative Region Map Resource: Taiwan Local Culture Book Databases |
III. Summary of project research plan:
Ri Xing Type Foundry is the only remaining type foundry with movable-type printing in Taiwan. Ri Xing Type Foundry is a place that represents profound culture value. Even though the movable-type printing is dying and replaced by computerized printing, the owner of Ri Xing Type Foundry works hard to keep the shop running in order to pass on the techniques of movable-type printing. The reasons we decided to do research on this topic are as follows. First, we really eager to get more people know about the Ri Xing Type Foundry shop. Also we want people to be able to appreciate the wisdom conveyed by this dying profession namely the movable-type printing. Finally, we want people to know and remember the beauty and value of the art of lead printed Chinese characters.
IV. School Internet service:
School applied HiNet from Chunghwa Telecom with internet bandwidth 100M so that we can learn and use it in computer classroom. We now have two computer classroom with 100 computers in total that can be linked to internet anytime. Besides, there are one computer and one mono projector in every classroom. Furthermore, we have individual internet hard disk space for each student to save personal artwork and files. We have computers at home; therefore, we can carry on collecting and sorting out the information when we are home other than the time of working together at school. Moreover, we can use email and cloud space to share the individual information.
V. Difficulties:
1. Schedule conflict
In order to introduce Ri Xing Type Foundry completely for its preservation of typecasting traditional technique and culture of movable type, we chose master Chien-Kuan Chang to interview and report as well as actual visiting to Ri Xing Type Foundry. We learnt more about the history of Ri Xing Type Foundry, the challenge it faces, and its future development from the interview with master Chien-Kuan Chang. During the visit at site, we learnt the relevant knowledge of movable type, typecasting machine, printing machine, and type copper mold through Chien-Kuan Chang’s explanation. Due to master Chien-Kuan Chang’s busy schedule, it was very difficult to arrange the interview and the visit; we would like to send our special appreciation to master Chien-Kuan Chang for the precious information he provided, and it helped us gain a lot from the project research this time.
2. Guided skills
We have never done any professional presentation in public before, and we practiced it again and again with some correction needed when each class came in turn to multi-functional classroom to listen to us under the strict requirement and encouragement of our supervisors in order to conduct guided tour in front of all the students in the school at internal exhibition. Gradually, we presented our confidence and courage in front of everyone and got rid of the lack of fluency and didn’t know what to do.
3. Interview skills
For us, interview was a kind of special skill that is very unfamiliar and even scary. After the instruction from teachers and parents as well as the continuous simulation exercise, we finally were better and better; in the end, we can pay attention to all of the manners needed during the process.
4. Complicated tasks
The whole process from the initial discussion, information arrangement and editing, interview, and even the guided tour in multi-functional classroom were very difficult to us. There were lots of the first-time experiences that we have never experienced before on top of the expectation of attending International Cyberfair from the teacher; therefore, English writing was added. There were many things to do and they were complicated. We often had the situation that everyone’s opinion was different during the process, but we learnt to achieve good result for each detail needed in website production through rational discussion and analysis, plan schedule planning, and working together according to division of work.
5. Achievement
Finally, it was about the time to present our effort on the website but it was getting more and more difficulty in integrating the information and controlling the date. We could only communicate through internet, email, and telephone because our parents arranged some activities for winter vocation. After fully communication, we could consolidate our opinions under the assistance of the teacher even there was something very difficult to deal with. The website and the project research were big challenges that we have never experienced but it was an experience that with the greatest learning outcome for us.
VI. Reviews:
Ri Xing Type Foundry is the only remaining movable type casting foundry in Taiwan, and it is a place full of deep cultural meaning. The owner, Mr. Chien-Kuan Chang, still insists in keeping Ri Xing Type Foundry at the current situation of movable printing industry has been replaced by computer planography and continuing the history of printing technique in order to pass on the technique culture of typecasting industry and movable type!We hope more people will be able to know “Ri Xing Type Foundry” through our project research to feel the subtle of movable type, the beauty of traditional technique of type, and the charm and value of standard Chinese characters.
We had no idea for what we needed to do in the beginning of the activity. After the formal operation of the group, we suddenly realized there were actual so much preparation to do because these were almost things that we have never touched. Everything was new for us from collecting data, setting up the topic, writing the work diary, producing report articles, interviewing in person, visiting, and plus the English writing added!
We learned a lot from the whole process, not only the ability of arranging and collecting information but also the courage and confidence of guided tour as well as knowing those who work very hard quietly for preserving traditional technique of typecasting and the culture of movable type. We could further feel the passion and contribution they had for maintaining traditional technique and culture, and we really appreciate the learning opportunity that teachers gave us!
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