School: Victoria Academy Junior High School
    Douliu, Yunlin, Taiwan

10 students, ages 13-14 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on January 24, 2014. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

Classes and Teachers: Chen Shu-Chun, Henry Su, Chang Hsiang Yi

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.victoria.org.tw

1. Description of Our Community

Siluo is situated in the northern tip of Yunlin County. Its border with Changhua County is demarkated by the Jhuoshuei River. It is one of the major towns of the great alluvial plain of Jhuoshuei River, having an area of 4,993 hectares. The field is ranked as the best in Taiwan. It has excellent irrigation and drainage systems that make Siluo the most important place of agricultural production in Taiwan. Babusa were the first settlers in Siluo. They were followed by Chinese immigrants and then by the Dutch. The Dutch called it Sorean. This was how Siluo got its name. Siluo was developed very early and built well by the Japanese during their rule, so it became a modern agricultural town. Siluo hope that they can have a promising future, standing on their cultural possessions inherited from their ancestors.

2. Summary of Our Project

The reason we picked Siluo for our project traces back to a recent series of food safety problems. Chemicals in soy sauce reminded us of the really healthy soy sauce which originate in Siluo, a nearby town. When we were collecting information, we realized Siluo was a town rich in culture. In order to make people learn more about Siluo, we introduced six aspects of Siluo. These included: 1. The Siluo Bridge a. Description, history, significance, naming, color b. Storytelling with photos 2. Old Yanping Street a. Development of streets b. Old house restoration c. Luoyoung Foundation d. The market e. Discoveries 3. Food a. Rice b. Soy sauce c. Delicacies ranking 4. Culture a. Siluo Cikang b. Chenwen Academy c. Fuhsing Temple d. Amulet 5. Questionnaire 6. Team members

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:dedicated connection

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

Our biggest problem was time. When we finished the website map, we noticed that the content was rich but covered too many subjects. As our team wanted the website to be perfect, they insisted not to change it. We were already occupied with school work, sports day rehearsal and final the examination. We barely had time for the project. Therefore, we worked during our lunch break and weekends to do surveys, interviews, photography and to sort the information. After school we would talk to each other on Facebook and write reviews. Some parents thought we were addicted to Facebook, but they didn’t know we were actually working hard. Later on, we accepted our instructors’ advice to modify the structure from a tourists’ point of view to work more efficiently.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Since finding the subject to finally finishing the website, I’ve been busy and felt fulfilled. What I gained most from over three months of research and interviews is that I conquered my fear of talking to strangers for interviews. I was too shy to speak a few times, but my team encouraged me, so I finished many questionnaires. During the interviews, I saw how much effort Luoyoung Foundation put into their community. They understand that the locals should be responsible for their own place and no matter how much it costs or how long it takes, they will keep working on this community. Their determination fully shows how much they feel obligated and love their home town. Participating in this project makes me understand Siluo more. People from Yunlin should familiarize themselves with this place. When I go to school somewhere else in the future, I can tell people everything about Siluo. I’m sure I’m going to be a great tour guide.

6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?

In order to develop students’ cooperative learning and independent study skills, our school opened a research class related to the Cyberfair theme about languages, social studies, science and everyday technology. Students can learn about the culture and geography of Siluo which connects with our geography lesson, in the rivers of Taiwan. Cultural identity is one of the major themes of our global courses. We believe that as long as we are familiar with our locality we can root in Taiwan, share with the world about our own land, beautiful Taiwan.

1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?

Projector /Teaching and lecture Phone/Talk to shops in Siluo Internet/ Looking for information, create a facebook group for discussion and sharing information Books, reports/ Find information Voice recorder, DV/ Recording the interviews DSLR cameras/ Take photos for project website Scanners, printers/ Scan newspapers, photographs and maps Laptop / Key in information during interviews HDD / Access to large amounts of data and video graphic Computer software/ DreamweaverCS3.0, PhotoImpact12.0, Flash CS3.0

2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.

After we decided to do Siluo, school introduced us to Li Mingche, Yunlin County Councilor for interviews. He was born and grew up in Siluo. He is very familiar with Siluo. He’s a martial artist and he is devoted to promoting martial arts development in Siluo. Through this interview we learned a lot about the history and culture of Siluo. Moreover, we were all touched by Mr. Li’s passion and love for this land. At the end, he invited us to a martial arts activity series he held and encouraged us to gain knowledge from doing, using teamwork power to better get to know Siluo culture more. In a world where creativity is greatly focused, the power of culture matters. We should develop this power to help us do better in an ever-changing world.

3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?

We interviewed many shopkeepers in Siluo, most of them complained that the government isn’t sincere enough, because although they hold a lot of events to attract tourists and fight with the locals for profits. They don’t bring anything good. Restoring local business takes money, and particularly long-term care and devotion. This was why the Luoyoung Foundation was made. We found a lot of information about Siluo in our Facebook group and school suggested a field trip in Siluo to visit historical sites. Therefore, our elementary school had a field trip. Our school hired a tour guide from the Luoyoung Foundation for the trip. There wasn’t much we can offer, so we can only support them by paying a guided tour fee. Grade Seven also had they organized a tour. We hope that after we finished the project, through the power of the internet, more people will see Siluo’s hundreds-of-years culture and experience the greatness of Siluo.

4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?

We interviewed Li Mingche, Yunlin County Councilor. He was born and grew up in Siluo, so he is familiar with Siluo. He’s also an martial arts artist and has been doing his best to help with the development of martial arts in Siluo. He helped us learned a lot about the history and culture of Siluo. Besides, we ‘d like to thank all the shops we interviewed and the biggest four soy sauce factories we visited, the superior and owner of Hede, Ms Lichu, our old street tour guide and the Luoyang Foundation who provided us a lot of information. We also want to thank every interviewee who took the survey in Siluo and Douliu. They gave us firsthand information and enrich our project.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

We discovered a lot of wonderful things. Some said they’ve never known there were so many delicacies in Siluo. Some said they didn’t notice there were so many interesting details and stories of those houses on the old street. Some members are shy, but they conquered their fear to talk to strangers for this project. Although, we’re not fluent in Taiwanese, but we had to speak Taiwanese to those shopkeepers to get close to them and get more information. The biggest lesson we’ve learned “unity makes strength”. We thought doing research was easy. We were responsible for our own jobs. AS we could get information easily on the internet, therefore, we worked on this project individually until there was a bottleneck. We were behind schedule. Our instructor said that unity makes strength and it hit us. Afterwards, we discussed matter with each other and solved the problems. For instance, there was a time when we were working on a survey about how famous Siluo is for one hundred interviewees. It can’t be done alone. However, we worked as a team, so this hard tasked was finished in a weekend. What surprised us the most was Siluo people’s persistence. The delicacies here all last for more than forty years. They keep the authentic flavor. The rice and soy sauce companies are hundreds of year old. Luoyoung Foundation insists that only the local should mind Siluo’s business. As a result, this community can develop well. It’s slow but persistent.