Sketch of Archilife Study Tour, March 2018
2018年3月份見識之旅縮影 ![]() For the study tour of March 17, 2018, Ms. Lu Ming-yun led 26 ARF interns and their parents on a tour to Dadaocheng to witness its century-old historical charm and tea culture. At the start of the day's activities, team leader Ms. Lu Ming-yun reminded everyone about things to note and what to observe, and provided the interns some general background knowledge. ![]() Focusing on the Dadaocheng area, the tour was guided by Mr. Gao Chuan-chi. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Dadaocheng was the busiest distribution center in Taipei, where tea leaves, textiles and dried goods were being traded. With the destruction of the Tamsui Port during the war, a sharp fall in export of tea leaves, and the relocation of the city center to the east side, Dadaocheng began to see a decline. At the start of the tour, Mr. Gao led everyone to Xiahai City God Temple where he explained the origin of the temple and deities that are being worshipped there. In particular, he pointed out the statues of "Brave Guards" that are worshipped in a side hall. The Brave Guards represent 38 brave people who sacrificed themselves to protect the City God statue during the armed conflict between Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. Leaving the temple, the group moved on to the southern section of Dihua Street. Mr. Gao explained that shophouses built in the early days were deep and narrow with the shop in the front and living quarters in the back, allowing for both business dealing and everyday life functions. These shophouses also have arcade designed for the rainy weather. Everyone went in to observe the interior architecture of these shophouses before walking over to Sin Hong Choon. Mr. Gao began by introducing the history of Sin Hong Choon and how space is being utilized. He also described the development of the tea industry in Dadaocheng and the steps involved in roasting tea leaves. Finally, the interns experienced folding paper packaging for tea leaves, and learned the differences between packaging of the past and present. ![]() Lunch was eaten at Rice & Shine URS329. Located within a century-old brick building, the restaurant was formerly a rice wholesale shop. In recent years, through the government's "Urban Regeneration Station" initiative, it has transformed into a restaurant specializing in promotion of rice culture in Taiwan. After lunch, everyone went on a tour of the old house and learned about its stories. What followed was a guided tour of dried goods. Mr. Gao explained the reason why Dihua Street has become a distribution hub for dried goods, and led everyone to various shops, including one that sold wholesale garlic and one that sold kitchen utensils. The tour ended with a visit to Museum 207, which was formerly a traditional Chinese medicine shop and is now an exhibition space that mainly showcases Taiwan's culture and history. Due to its corner location, the building has a circular arc structure and features unique terrazzo craftsmanship. After Mr. Gao's explanation, the interns formed an initial impression of terrazzo techniques and learned to appreciate the beauty of early architecture. At this point, the day's itinerary came to an end. Everyone returned to home after taking a group photo and looked forward to the next study tour. |