Sketch of Archilife Study Tour, March 2016
2016年3月份見識之旅縮影 ![]() For the tour of March 12, 2016, Ms. Lu Ming-yun led 12 ARF interns and their parents on a trip to a chocolate factory and Wugoushui Settlement in Wanluan. The sky was clear and the weather was sunny on the day of departure. The interns and their parents assembled punctually to embark on the tour. ![]() The morning's itinerary brought everyone to Wugoushui Settlement in Pingtung. The Settlement is located at the spring belt of the groundwater alluvial fan in the Pingtung plain, providing clear source of groundwater all year round and making it home to teeming aquatic life that thrives only in exceptionally clean water. The abundance of water has also cultivated the rich and profound culture, and century-old Hakka village. It is Taiwan's only cultural ecological park that combines historical settlement with natural spring, waterway and wetland. The tour guide for the day was a local resident who was very familiar with the local environment. He first led everyone to the Lius' ancestral hall, and explained the physical and cultural differences between a traditional Hakka ancestral hall and Minnan ancestral hall. Then he led everyone on a tour of the community, explaining in details its rebuilding and restructuring. For lunch, everyone enjoyed the local Hakka dishes. The official tour of the Wugoushui ecological environment began after lunch. Besides an introduction to the impact of foreign plant and animal species on indigenous ecosystem, the tour guide also provided interns with small fishing nets to catch marine life in the river for observation. The interns were taught how to differentiate unique types of fish, shrimps and aquatic plants, and release them back into the river when they were done. At the end of the activity, the tour guide tested the water quality with the interns, and explained the impact of readings, such as dissolved oxygen and PH value, on the river ecology. Everyone had a great time as the tour was interesting and fun; and the interns were given the opportunity to learn through hands-on activities. ![]() The final leg of the itinerary was Cocosun Chocolate Factory, an organic cocoa farm. Pingtung's climate and geographical environment are conducive for growing cocoa trees. Many farmers have gradually abandoned betel nut planting, which is now a sunset industry, to grow cocoa trees. The tour began with the tour guide introducing the cultivation environment for cocoa trees and things to look out for when growing them. The tour guide also introduced the process of cocoa harvesting, fermentation and roasting, and caution about cocoa purity and age limits for consumption. People rarely see what cocoa trees and cocoa beans look like in everyday life. Everyone achieved a deeper understanding of the cocoa foods they enjoyed through the quick explanation and guided tour. 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. |