Sketch of Archilife Study Tour, September 2023
2023年9月份見識之旅縮影 ![]() For the study tour of September 10, 2023, Ms. Lu Ming-yun led 12 Archilife Research Foundation interns and their parents on a trip to Miaoli to learn about silkworm and honeybee, and history of oil exploration in Taiwan. ![]() The tour began with a visit to Taiwan Silkworm and Honeybee Insect Education Park in the Miaoli District Agricultural Research and Extension Station. Formerly a silkworm rearing unit of the Taiwan Viceroy Office, it relocated from Taipei to Miaoli to continue its research on silkworm and honeybee. Its “agriculture museum” uses geographical models to introduce demographic, agricultural characteristics and agricultural improvement services, e.g. farmers can send in soil samples for testing so as to identify deficiency and obtain eco-friendly fertilizers for crops. In the honeybee exhibition area, everyone learned about honeybee species, physiological characteristics and cultivation techniques, and saw displays of live bees, bee products and honey extractors. Everyone also learned how to identify genuine honey by rubbing in one's hand and by mixing honey with water and shaking it. In the "Taiwan sericulture museum", old filature used in a silk inspection factory and creative silkworm mascots are displayed. The interns learned about the diversity and lifecycle of Taiwan silkworms, and the processing and care of silk fabrics. Prize-winning works from "cocoon design contests" are also showcased, impressing everyone with their lifelike designs and craftsmanship. ![]() Everyone went to Chinese Petroleum Corporation Exploration and Production Business Division's Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall in the afternoon. The tour guide said Chuhuangkeng, where the exhibition hall is located, is not only the first oil mine found in Taiwan (1861), it is also the world's oldest producing oil field. Next, the interns learned about the rise and decline of Chuhuangkeng's settlement through exhibition descriptions and VR experience in its "old time ground cable car". Exhibition halls featuring oil and gas production, exploration, extraction and processing provide crude oil samples, exquisite models and interactive games, allowing visitors to better understand the hardship of oil mining. In the outdoor exhibition area, there are historical Japanese-style dormitory buildings, and a cable car track used to transport machines, supplies and residents in the past. Furthermore, there is a memorial commemorating Chuhuangkeng's first old oil well, and beside it a decommissioned lever-type oil extractor. The tour guide also pointed everyone's attention to a layer of iridescent oil floating on the drain surface. It was in fact an "oil seep", which indicates the source of the ancient oil well. The last stop of the tour brought everyone to Chee Yen Camphor Essential Oil Factory in Tongluo Township where everyone learned about camphor production and camphor trees. It also caused everyone to reflect on common changes in local industries, such as silkworm cultivation and oil exploration. As the day's tour came to an end, everyone took a group photo before heading back home and looked forward to the next study tour. |