|
1. Description of Our Community
Jioufen, a mountain town which used to be called “ little Hong Kong” or “little Shanghai.” It’s destiny has been one of ups and downs. From the era under Japanese colonization to the golden age, to the decline of gold mining activities at the Taiwan restoration period, it has been an interesting place. The population decreased and Jioufen quickly went into decline. For a while the town was mostly forgotten. 1987, the “Jioufen art village” idea was brought up and it charmed the minds of many artists after its promotion in the press. Even though this idea didn’t reach complete fruition, it added an aspect of artistic mystery to Jioufen. Later on, “A City of Sadness”, Mr. Brown and Blue Mountain coffee had their movie and commercial shooting there, respectively. The movie became a big hit in the theatres. The nostalgic scenery of Jioufen as seen in the filam, as well as appearances in other media, charmed many people into visiting Jioufen. Jioufen experienced a tourist boom that has shaped the town as a tourist attraction. Our school- Ruei Fang Junior High School is located at the bottom of the hill of Jioufen, it has witnessed all of the history that Jioufen has been through. We are going to release a series of the interviews with the local artists in Jioufen, to see the original and natural atmosphere under the prosperous and commercial rebirth of Jioufen. And this time, we have interviewed the president of Jioufen Kite Museum- Mr. Wen-Hsiang Lai.
2. Summary of Our Project
Master of Kite- Mr. Wen-Hsiang, Lai founded the only Kite Museum in Taiwan. We had the opportunity to interview Mr. Lai and had a chance to increase our understanding of the origin and culture of kites. We were also instructed how to make a kite ourselves, it’s an unbelievable feeling to see your own kite on the sky. Mr. Lai, a local artist in Jioufen, is not only hoping the art of kites can be passed to the next generation but also to promote the activity as a local pastime.
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:more than 6
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dial-up modem
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
Problems we had to overcome:
(1)Inconvenient traffic transportation:
There is quite a distance between the target area and our school. It requires transportation, such as the local bus. So the teachers needed to help the students to get the destination.
(2)Insufficient experiences:
During the interview, the outlines of it from different students would overlap. So it needed explanation and demonstrations from teachers, Because of the lack of experience, we asked the questions following a script and it became a bit formalized and unnatural.
(3)Unstable weather
The weather in winter in Ruei Fang is always rainy. It was raining when we were done of making our kites so we couldn’t fly them until two days later when the weather was fine.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
Master Lai spent much time studying on kites, and they have become a major part of his life. In other regions, many other people are also working as hard as Master Lai to make their dreams become reality. For these people, I believe the day will come when they can also share their hard work and passion, and find a way, like Master Lai, to leave their mark on the world.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
In Taiwan, the nine-year-consistency curriculum focuses on training students in life skills and respecting the individual development of students. This is done cultivate the students’ capabilities to adapt to society. This time, we not only had the chance to discover the traditional art, but also realized how urgent it is that Mr. Lai passes this skill on and adds glory to it. To facilitate training students with humanistic feelings, integration capability, native and international consciousness and life-long learning standards.
| 
