CyberFair Project ID: 8302

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: The Driving Force of Yuanlin Baiguoshan Glove Puppetry Kingdom –Qing Fa Wu (???)
Category: 1. Local Leaders
URL: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2017/gsh8302/index.htm
Bibliography: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2017/gsh8302/02_7_5_1.htm

School: Jing Siou Elementary School
    Yuanlin, Changhua, Taiwan

10 students, ages 11-12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 9, 2017. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2016,2015,2014

Classes and Teachers: Yisheng Liu, Meitu Chiu, Yulung Lin

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://eweb2.sjses.chc.edu.tw/eweb/100_5

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

It is said that the origination of the name –Yuanlin can be dated back to Yongzheng’s rein (1723-1735). The area, which was under the jurisdictions of Yanwu Shangbao and Xiabao, nowadays belongs to Yuanlin –Shi Bang Shi was the one who led the reclamation of the area – was almost fully cultivated during Yongzheng’s rein. Until approximately the 16th year of Qianlong’s rein, it had developed into a town called “Yuanlin Chai Street”, the name which stemmed from the remained circular forest that was left uncultivated after the reclamation from all around. It was also named “Lin Chai Street” because of the heavily wooded condition around the homes. Yuanlin Baiguoshan used to be the area where shrines were built during Japanese colonization period, and then it was developed into a scenic spot by the Township office using the approach of public management. Baiguoshan is a part of Baguashan. It is called Baiguoshan for it grows many kinds of fruit trees and greenery. People depict Baiguoshan as a mountain where fruits and flowers grows and give off fragrance; where mountain spring water tastes sweet; where preserved fruits are acclaimed; and where the scenery catches eyes. In the scenic area in Baiguoshan, mountains are magnificent; trees are lush, fresh and green; and the blooming flowers are pleasing to the eyes. There are also a hiking trail that is open to everyone, more than ten facilities for people to do physical exercise, and a playground for children to play in – the elephant-style slide always makes kids reluctant to leave. The tallest building on Baiguoshan is Martyrs Tower. Although it can’t compare to Yellow Crane Tower (???) in height, it does attract people to “ascend a story higher so as to see further”. On the top of the tower, one can overlook the scenery of the whole town and be immersed in the view of golden rays of the sunset spreading over the clouds.

2. Summary of Our Project

Yuanlin, an ancient capital, is full of different cultures. There are many characteristics to its cultures, including the origination of Baiguoshan Glove Puppetry Kingdom in Quanzhouliao and the well-known New Paradise Glove Puppetry Troupe which has hopped on the international stage. As the proverb goes, “The insider knows the ropes, while the outsider just comes along for the ride.”, watching the puppet show is like watching the story of a life, which is tinted with all kinds of emotions –delight, anger, sorrow and happiness. The history of puppet show has spanned over a hundred year and become the best witness of the fickleness of Taiwan’s society and human nature. The driving force of Yuanlin Baiguoshan New Paradise Glove Puppetry Kingdom has passed down to their fourth generation –Qing Fa Wu, who has witnessed the prosperity and the downfall of the hundred-year Taiwanese conventional art and culture.

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:4-6

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:4-6

E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):

• There are two computer rooms in the school and 70 computers in total for students to access to. • Every of the class-teacher is allotted a computer or a laptop, and in each class there is a LCD projector. • The E- classrooms were set up in 2009. They are equipped with interactive whiteboards. • The main campus network T1 gives access to academic network, and we also have a backup optical network. • There are three Wireless Access Points in school and wifi is available on campus. • The school bought three 3.5G wireless internet access for teachers and students to access to.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

Problem 1.The lack of information gathering ability Description: The students lacked the logic capability to integrate information, and it was not easy for them to find the matching resources for the topic. Solutions: We divided them into groups so they cooperated in finding the resources more efficiently. Putting students in groups helps teachers in guiding them to do the research.

Problem 2.The lack of interview experience Description: Students didn’t have much experience doing interviews, so it was hard for them when it came to making interview questions. Solutions: By presenting to the students the excellent previous works on Cyberfair website helped them get the idea of how this worked and further integrated the knowledge into their own project interview. They were encouraged to practice the interview with their parents.

Problem 3.No vehicles Description: When they were doing the project, they needed teachers and parents to drive them there. Solutions: We designated the interview time to be on weekends so parents could drive the students there.

Problem 4.Low typing speed and unacquainted to application software usage Description: The students typed slowly, so it took time for them to finish Related Project Information. Besides, problems like files loss and mis-deletion were not scarce. Also, because they were unfamiliar with the usage of application software so we were in face of a lot of unexpected situations when they were arranging the pictures and information, which caused them to fall back on schedule. Solutions: Students were asked to prepare flash disks and encouraged to use web hard disks to store up information. Besides, they were taught over and over how application software worked and were encourage to help out those that still did not know how to use it. For the words typing part, they were encouraged to do it after school and practice at home.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

By participating in Taiwan School Cyberfair project, students cooperated nicely to interview and get to know more about the project character –Qing Fa Wu. They finally walked out of the classroom to learn something from the field research and got to know the familiar things all over again through a personal experience. Through the exploration of the local characteristics, students do not only learn about specialized knowledge, they also learn that for local culture workers, to preserve a culture takes a lot of diligence and bravery.

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

Research Project Meets the School’s Teaching and Course Criteria (A).Project Theme is Closely Allied to the Below Seven Areas 1.Strengthen students’ abilities to organize and analyze: Make drafts for interviews, note down important details during interviews, and information collected. 2.Take field trips and observe in person: Through face to face interview with the research project figure and relevant cultural workers, students gain hands-on experience outside the classroom.

(B).Research Project Helps Develop Below Ten Basic Abilities 1.Use Technology and Information:During this project, students use digital libraries and the Internet to gather relevant information, as well as take advantage of digital media to present their findings. 2.Think Independently and Solve Problems:Information for this project is very enormous and difficult to process at times. Students seek assistance from teachers and parents at proper time, discuss the core of problems together and conclude best solutions.

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Project Elements

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

Use Information Technology to Help Finish the Research Project: 1.Online Library:Search relevant documents and learning materials about Glove Puppetry 2.Scanners:Use scanner to convert photos offered by relevant Glove Puppetry figures and letter of authorization into image files 3.Computers and Laptops:Transcribe the recordings, surf the internet for information, analyze questionnaire statistics, and make a website for the project research 4.Projectors:Projectors are used when having group discussions to show relevant information or explain how to use some software 5.Smartphones, iPads, Voice Recorders:Record, photograph and videotape the interviews 6.USB/Online Drive:Save and backup all the data

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

How Does this Project Work as an Ambassador through Social Interaction? 1.New Force of Glove Puppetry Inheritance: From the project’s experience sharing activity, it is noticeable that most of the students are fond of partaking in and learning conventional Glove Puppetry. Also, they are intrigued to explore and discover the rising and development of Glove Puppetry and its culture. Therefore, the trend to inherit and pass on Glove Puppetry culture is developed.

2.Vanguard of learning and inheriting Glove Puppetry: •Besides having field trips to New Paradise Glove Puppetry Troupe, My Puppets, Yunlin Huwei Puppet Museum and other Glove Puppetry Exhibition Halls, students also creatively making script adaptations of historical stories and perform and give lessons on it to experience in depth and pass on Glove Puppetry. By doing so, students display the fruitful results of their study on Glove Puppetry, and hope to arouse others’ passion for it to further promote and pass it on.

•By taking part in Glove Puppetry operation and performance learning activities and absorbing relevant knowledge in all aspects, the students become the vanguard who knows the best about Chuanghua Yuanlin Baiguoshan Glove Puppetry in the community. Apart from broadcasting relevant news to the classmates, they also wish to pass on and reserve Glove Puppetry culture.

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

The Research Project’s Influence and Impact on Us:

(1)From Jingxiu Vanguard’s aspect: Through interviewing Qing Fa Wu and several other relevant workers, and through long information gathering, we got to know that there are at least 75 Glove Puppetry Troupe in Chuanghua County. We also learned the origin and development of Glove Puppetry, which were things we did not know. Therefore, we have to work hard to spread and share what we have learned to people from other places, to encourage them to learn Glove Puppetry and let the great culture and spirit of Glove Puppetry keep running.

(2)From the School and Community’s Aspect: This research project on Yuanlin Baiguoshan Glove Puppetry not only obtained the school’s full support but also the assistance and resources from communities and other cities. Local residents and Glove Puppetry relevant workers also supported us without hesitation, which brought them and the school closer, and the students too experienced nice Changhua local friendliness.

(3)The People and the Environment: With the convenience of the Internet, this research project hopes to let others know and appreciate Mr. Wu’s devotion on promoting Glove Puppetry. Also, this project tries to arouse people’s attention to Glove Puppetry, and therefore help to pass on and promote Glove Puppetry.

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

How Do Local Parties Assist or Involve in the Research Project?

(1)Full support from the school teachers and staff: During the research and interviews, the principal, deans, teachers and parents all assist and guide the students to do interview, photograph, make reports and solve traffic problems without hesitation. Their instant help and encouragement is our biggest drive.

(2)Thanks New Paradise Glove Puppetry Troupe, My Puppets, Yunlin Huwei Puppet Museum, Chuanghua County Yuanlin, History Studio, Chuanghua County Yuanlin City Office and so on for accepting interviews and providing relevant resources, as well as giving the student team precious experience and knowledge.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Discoveries: 1.Recent statistics show that there are at least 75 Glove Puppetry Tropes in Changhua County and they mainly locate in Changhua City, Yuanlin, Xiushui, Tianzhong , Puxin and Puyan. 2.Yuanlin Baiguoshan is not only a place with beautiful scenery, numerous preserved fruits and well- arranged scenic areas for biking, but it also occupies a prominent position on Glove Puppetry’s culture development and international promotion. 3.Before Qing Fa Wu’s persistent devotion, Glove Puppetry’s conventional culture had been on its downfall. Thanks to him, the culture of Glove Puppetry is now rooting and spreading to international stages. More and more people now know about Glove Puppetry.

Lessons: 1.Must be fully prepared before interviews. Practice how to ask questions, otherwise it would be hard to conduct an interview on the spot. 2.Remember to record and videotape during the interview. Note-taking has to be organized, otherwise it would not be easy to recall the points when synthesizing the information. 3.Finish today’s work efficiently. Records for today’s interview is best done today, so that there won’t be any chance of forgetting details.

Surprises: 1.By his own dint, Qing Fa Wu persistently devoted himself to spread and flourish Glove Puppetry and impressively promoted it in or outside of Taiwan. He had been awarded with prizes many times and received Art Heritage Award, which are remarkable. 2.We witnessed how Mr. Wu made the mute tradition vivid, proving to us that where there is a will, there is a way. 3.It was not until we partook in the project did we know that our hometown Yuanlin is fairly important in Glove Puppetry culture development. It aroused our appreciation and identification with Mr. Wu. We hope everyone learns from him his spirit and persistence.

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