Taipei (11 April 14 April 2014)

Form Five Grand Tour Report Taipei (11 April 14 April 2014) Group 1

CONTENTS Introduction... 2 Day 1... 3 Chung Yuan Christian University... 3 The Eslite Flagship Bookstore and Taipei 101 Mall... 4 Day 2... 5 Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall... 5 National Taiwan Museum... 6 Day 3... 7 Shifen Old Street... 7 Martyrs' Shine... 8 National Palace Museum... 9 Day 4... 10 Shih Chien University... 10 Shilin Official Residence... 11 Conclusion... 12 1

INTRODUCTION In order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of KLC, the school organized a grand tour for form five students. Our class chose to visit Taiwan for 4 days, from 11th to 14th April. Apart from sightseeing, we visited two universities as we wanted to experience university life. Moreover, we hoped that we could learn to be independent by solving different problems and taking care ourselves. 2

DAY 1 CHUNG YUAN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY Before we left, we had joined a forum. We visited Chung Yuan University after having lunch. Guided by the student helpers, we walked around the main campus. We started from visiting the student hall, then the library where C.Y. Chang Memorial Hall was located in and different faculties. Different from Hong Kong s universities, Chung Yuan University put strong emphasis on how to educate the students in order to make them be an all-rounded person in the future. Although Mr. Chang, the first schoolmaster of Chung Yuan Christian University, was a soldier joining the army in his entire life, he had a great achievement in literature and a clear handwriting. Not only did he spend plenty of time on study, but he also contributed a lot to the university, in a bid to create a first-rate study environment for students. It showed us that things are possible only if we were hard-working. Without dedication, we would not have any accomplishments. We should pretend that we are a fool, Mr. Chang s words always reminded us that we should be humble and modest, but not arrogant and pretentious. Otherwise, people might alienate from us because of our repugnant personality. Needless to say, we had to build up a good interpersonal relationship so that we could tackle problems more easily and efficiently with others help. We really hoped that more opportunities would be given to us to visit other Taiwan universities so as to get more information if we would like to further our study in Taiwan. 3

THE ESLITE FLAGSHIP BOOKSTORE AND TAIPEI 101 MALL After visiting the Chung Yuan Christian University, we went to Eslite flagship store ( 誠品旗艦店 ) in Sinyi. In this store, there are 6 floor and about 8000 square meters. Not only did the flagship store sell books, but it also sold music CDs, boutiques and furniture. Out of our imagination, there were many books which included various fields; no bookstore in Hong Kong could surpass this store in the number of books. We started to know that why Hong Kong was labelled as culture desert. Most of us found lots of useful books and hoped them could benefit our study in future. Then, we visited the Taipei 101. The Taipei 101 tower has 101 floors above ground and five underground with 508m height, it is the third highest building in the world. The reason of building Taipei 101 was to show the power of Taiwan as there are no high buildings in Taiwan because Taiwan is in the seismic zone. The majestic of the building shocked us when we were watching the building from the ground. Unfortunately, although we had no time to visit the viewing platform in Taipei 101, it was a memorable experience for us because we can t find a building as tall as it in Hong Kong. 4

Day 2 CHIANG KAI-SHEK MEMORIAL HALL It was our pleasure to pay a visit to National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall in the afternoon. At first glance, the main building was extremely majestic and great. Inside the Hall, lots of historic pictures were exhibited on the wall. Detailed information was also illustrated so that the tourists could be more familiar with Taiwan history. National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall was one of the most impressive spots in the grand tour. It really broadened our horizons. In comparison to Hong Kong city, Taiwan was a unique place where Taiwanese were more focused on their own culture. From Chiang s family life to political career; we could understand how he protected citizens who supported nationalist Party under persecution from Communist Party in the past. He had put so much effort that no one could deny. Nevertheless, how many people were willing to sacrifice themselves in a bid to help the needy? We, indeed, needed to pursue his personality. Subsequently, we would not haggle over every ounce. On balance, although Chiang was described in a different manner anywhere, his mental spirit possessed paramount importance. We hoped to visit National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall once again in the future. 5

NATIONAL TAIWAN MUSEUM We visited National Taiwan Museum after going to National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. The museum was established in 1908. There were different exhibitions such as Black Jade Exhibition, Zoology Department and Botany Department. Those exhibitions gave some historical information. It was a diverse museum where the tourists could understand more knowledge in different fields. Through the Black Jade and The Crabs exhibitions, tourists could broaden their horizon. In the exhibitions, tourists could draw the characteristics of crabs and rub the black jade from Taiwan on a piece of paper. The DIY activities attracted a lot of tourists and made them interested in the exhibition. In the future, we may have chances to do product promotion. The purpose of the DIY activities is to attract tourists to involve in the exhibitions. It is a great reference for owners to sell their products in a creative and innovative way. 6

Day 3 SHIFEN OLD STREET The first tourist spot we visited on the third day is Shifen Old Street. There were different small stores beside the railway. There were no regular opening or closing hours for the small stores. They would be closed when there are no more visitors. The flexible opening and closing hours made me feel relaxed. Sky lantern is the highlight of this tourist spot. Four of us formed a group to decorate our own lantern. We wrote wishes and prayers on the lanterns as we wanted them to come true. Shifen Old Street reflected the traditional culture of Taiwan. The relaxing atmosphere attracted tourists from all around the world. In fact, we had difficulties in writing the wishes on the lantern as we had too many wishes. But finally we realized that most of the wishes are based on our desire. So we chose the one which was most important and urgent, which was entering the university. After this trip, we gained much more knowledge on different universities in Taiwan. We hoped all of the wishes we wrote on the lantern would come true. 7

MARTYRS' SHINE On the third day of the Taiwan trip, our class went to Martyrs' Shine. There were some differences between the tourist spots. We did not appreciate any architectural culture or style. Instead, we gathered outside in groups to watch the guard mounting. There were two men standing straight in the doorway. Neither of them was allowed to smile or give response to tourists. The Martyrs' Shrine was more outstanding than other tourist spots because the soldiers marched consistently. During the guard mounting, there would be five soldiers marching through the entrance and the Hall of Supreme Harmony. It was not easy for them to coordinate with other soldiers well. However, they could still perform well with steady paces. Good teamwork was an important element to make the performance perfect. Their performance made us reflect on my daily life. We had to complete a lot of group projects during at school. Unfortunately, we could not maintain good teamwork most of the time. After watching this guard mounting, weunderstood the importance of team spirit as it was fundamental for a group. It is hoped that we can change our attitude to any project in the future. 8

NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM We visited the National Palace Museum on 13 April. There were exhibitions presenting a large number of treasures from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Both the jade ornaments and bronze artifacts attracted us a lot. When one mentioned visiting museums, we all had the same mind- Chinese History lesson again and what was following? We sighed. However, we could not stop praising how intelligent our forebears were during and after the visit. Immersing ourselves into a treasure hub, our eyes were filled with glimmers. We wondered how those delicate artifacts could be made with the insufficient possession of technology at that time. Such as the Ivory ball, consisting lots of fine linings, was complicated. After admiring the collections, we started to be curious about the history of Chinese art. Besides, we could also gain a deeper recognition on the Chinese history through the exhibitions. As one would expect, the Ancient Chinese created art works in order to record their lives. We could realize how they reflected on the history and the custom with arts and crafts. For example, only the nobles could use the bronze artifacts, which were rarely manufactured in the past, while the commoners couldn t use that. It showed us the social status and the power the royal hosted. We had enriched our knowledge about Chinese history through appreciating the exhibition. Hong Kong students were instilled with numerous historical values by the school textbooks. However, we could only get a superficial understanding between words and words. Instead of reading and learning from books, visiting different museums actually was a good way to learn. Not only could it broaden our horizons, but also acted as an interesting way for learning. 9

Day 4 SHIH CHIEN UNIVERSITY We visited the Shih Chien University on the 4th day of the tour. We visited the campus with ingenious designs and watched video about the university to know more about the environment and life of the university. As design was said to be a top subject in the Shih Chien University, the school s appearance proved that was true; with the irregular shape of different buildings, it gave a strong impression to all of us. Buildings designed in those shape actually had a reason that they provided a comfortable and relaxing learning environment for students which made them be more passionate and energetic during study. After visiting the university, we found that studying at the university in Taiwan a good choice for us. As the Taiwanese are empathetic and willing to take care of students from other countries, they play a pivotal role to get those foreign students to be familiar with changes in lifestyle and be integrated into an unknown place sooner. Moreover, we think that universities in Taiwan are less competitive than universities in Hong Kong. If one could not enter the university in Hong Kong, one had better try to further their study in Taiwan. 10

SHILIN OFFICIAL RESIDENCE One cannot imagine that such a splendid masterpiece to be one s home. Accompanying with the blend of Western and Chinese architectural style and the invaluable historical value, Shilin Official Residence has gained its popularity among the famous various spots. Once it was opened to public, it became the first ecology park in Taipei City. Time and again, locals and visitors take a walk there for escaping the hustles and bustles. Filled with greenery, Chiang Kai-shek and Song Mei-ling Shilin Official Residence became a great place to relax. As one would expect, Taiwanese take the sense of environment conservation seriously, they employed a large amount of workers to take a good care so as to preserve the greenery. However, some of the tourists overlooked the value; they stepped on the grasses and carved characters on the tree trunks even though they knew that was forbidden. It was totally unacceptable that not only they broke the rule, but they also demolished all the efforts workers have made. Rules are set for reasons; they exist so as to monitor people s behavior. How we act is what directly reflects the civic awareness of our city, which can ruin the city s reputation. Therefore, we should be conscientious and obedient to the rules. 11

CONCLUSION In this 4-day-taipei trip, we have paid a visit to two universities and numerous tourist spots. Time flies but memories were still being vivid in our mind. In the Chung Yuan Christian University and the Shih Chien University, we have a taste of the university life and a whole new perception on environmental issues. As we are going to take the HKDSE, these exchange activities are meaningful. Moreover, we have experienced a lecture about language in the university. It has inspired us and motivated us to get an earlier and more all-rounded preparation in order to enter our ideal university. In the universities, we have made some new friends who came from Hong Kong and Macau. Apart from the university visit, we have travelled to various tourist spots. We have gained a lot of historical knowledge of Taipei introduced by the tour guide. Besides, we have watched the soldiers marching in Martyrs. That was a solemn event so all the audiences were asked to be in silence. Soldiers were well trained so that marching paces could be in consistency during the entire performance. Even under the great heat, they still performed flawlessly which brought them audiences admiration. We not only have visited universities and gone sightseeing; we have also travelled to the third highest building in the world, the Taipei 101 mall. Also, we have gone to the Eslite Bookstore in Chiayi. Among all the places we have been to, we found Shifen the most remarkable. We have released sky lanterns. Most of us hoped that we can get a good result in HKDSE after one year and enter universities together. In the Ximending and Shilin Night Market, we have tasted a lot of the local famous snacks. After traveling Taipei, we think that Taiwan is going to become a metropolitan, which is similar to Hong Kong. There is an increasing number of mainlanders travelling to Taiwan which can boost Taiwan s economy. However, they are actually crashing the core value of Taiwan. A few years ago, the local snacks are the main selling point. Even so, people in Taiwan are more likely to discriminate mainlanders. This trip gave us unforgettable memories so that we should treasure this valuable experience. Taiwan is definitely a must for travelling. 12

Group instructor: Mr. Kwan Chi Kuen Group leader: Chow Chi Ying Group member: Cheng Hiu Tung Rachel Man Tsz Sum Tong Shuk Man Chan Lap Kiu Shum Cheuk Him Chan Tsz Fung Wong Yim Wai Tsang Yuk Ling Yim Ka Ki 13