CyberFair Project ID: 8530

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: Chengtian Temple
Category: 6. Historical Landmarks
URL: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2020/gsh8530/index.htm
Bibliography: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2020/gsh8530/narrative.htm

School: New Taipei Municipal Jin-Shan High School
    New Taipei City, , Taiwan

7 students, ages 16-17 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 8, 2020. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2009-2019

Classes and Teachers: Chin-Lung Lee , Meng-Ta Lee , Show-Yuan Chen

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.cshs.ntpc.edu.tw/default_page.asp

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

Chengtian Temple is located in Huanggang community, Jinshan District, New Taipei City (in Northern Taiwan). On its back is Shitoushan, which was previously used as dugout shelters for air defense. There are still ruins from that time, but now it has become a popular tourist spot. Standing on Shitoushan, which is close to the Pacific Ocean, the tourists are attracted to the famous Twin Candlestick Islets. Standing on the courtyard of Chengtian Temple, tourists are fascinated by the expansive sea. The fishing port of Huanggang is in sight. In summer, there are tourists who come here to enjoy the seascape and play with water and some of them even fish. From time to time, you can see the sight of fishing boats going out to sea to fish. There are also hot spring clubs, youth activity centers, and community public hot spring pools in the vicinity. Chengtian Temple is located at the starting point of the ancient fish road, and tourists from downtown will see it right after they enter the community.

Jinshan District, surrounded by seas and mountains, is located in Northern Taiwan. It is close to the Pacific Ocean and the Taiwan Strait. Jinshan was previously known as “Jinbaoli,” a transliteration from a village of the local plain indigenous tribe. It was originally cultivated by the plain indigenous tribe. In the late Qing Dynasty, immigrants from Changchow and Chuanchow, two different regions in Fujian Province in China came here to colonize. Later on, they settled down.

Today, Jinshan has highways extending in all directions, reaching Shimen and Danshui in the west, Wanli and Keelung in the east, and Yangmingshan National Park in the south. Thanks to its location in the center of the northern area, Jinshan has become a popular place for sightseeing and traveling. You can go hiking in the mountains and go swimming in the water.

2. Summary of Our Project

Chengtian Temple is the faith center of Huanggang Community. The main god is Zheng Chenggong, King of Yanping County (27 August 1624-23 June 1662), better known as Koxinga or Coxinga. Most of the residents of the older generation here live by fishing. It is a typical fishing village. Chengtian Temple protects the residents and blesses them with a good fish catch. The theme of this study focuses on a comprehensive research of the temple, including the origin of the temple, its history, its main miracles, the characteristics of its building and ritual activities, its surrounding environment, etc. The study is done through the interviews with local elders, the collection of historical data, its literature and field surveys. We try to sort out the history of Chengtian Temple and its connection with the community so that everyone can understand the impact and importance of Chengtian Temple on Huanggang community. Our team hopes that through this study, we can have a complete introduction to Chengtian Temple, and we can help Chengtian Temple collect complete materials so that generations can understand Chengtian Temple and achieve the purpose of passing on cultural heritage.

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

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

No

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

V. The problems we have encountered and overcome In this project, we encounter three main problems, which are solved through communication and discussion:

A. Time coordination: Each group member cannot meet and discuss frequently because we have extracurricular activities, but this issue has been adjusted through social media communication and discussion.

B. The problem of lack of data: The subject of this study is about historical monuments. It is difficult to obtain the data. We solve this problem by going on field surveys, referring to relevant literature, and interviewing local elders and cultural and historical workers.

C. Webpage production skills: In the beginning, we didn’t have any experience in producing the webpage, so we didn’t have any ideas about it. Luckily, teachers taught us and guided us to make the webpage. Their requirements for the quality of webpage pushed us to discuss and revise continuously. In the process, we turned to the Internet and books for help. After continuous efforts, we have finally completed the webpage we have worked hard for.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

No pains, no gains. Efforts won’t necessarily lead to success. However, we definitely won’t succeed if we don’t put in time and effort.

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

In this research project, we combine what we learn every day theoretically and practically. It’s a process of learning and doing. The subjects included are as follows:

A. Chinese: By reading related books and the records in the temple itself, we learn how to correctly extract the key points and organize all the information. The couplets, plaques, and inscriptions in the temple have many special meanings. We get to learn the evolution of Chinese characters and understand the wisdom of our ancestors.

B. Social Studies: In order to get a deeper understanding of the Chengtian Temple, we searched the Internet for many characteristics and history of Fujian-style architecture. We also asked about how the Chengtian Temple was built, which enabled us to better understand the characteristics and development history of Fujian architecture in Taiwan.

C. Introduction to Business: From the process of interviews and observations, we learned about the interaction and verbal expressions between people. We completed this research through the division of labor and cooperation. We have been learning how to promote Chengtian Temple.

D. Computer Science: Through the teacher's teaching, we have a better understanding of how to apply office software and how to set up webpages. We have actually completed the design of a web page. In addition, the Internet helps us to find a large amount of data and learn how to properly filter and use the information online.

E. Arts and Humanities: In order to better understand Chengtian Temple, we have visited the temple many times to learn about the beauty of the temple’s architecture and cultivate the ability to appreciate it. We have also taken many photos of the temple’s architecture. We have learned to take good pictures and appreciate architecture, making art a part of our life.

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Project Elements

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

Desktop computer Laptop computer Scanner Word2010 Line File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Photoshop Photocap Cellphones

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

As a younger generation in the Huanggang community, we have no knowledge of the local humanities. Therefore, we decided to explore the history of Chengtian Temple. During the research, we used the Internet to collect data, and asked for help of the temple staff and community members. We asked Mr. Zhuo, a worker for culture and history, to give us a guided tour and an interview. We collected and organized all the information we could to make a webpage about Chengtian Temple for people to browse. We hope that people can understand the history and humanity aspect of Chengtian Temple.

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

Chengtian Temple is the faith center of Huanggang community, but most of the young people (including us as local people) do not know its development history and culture, and they don’t know about the building of the temple. Field visits and interviews with local elders and cultural and historical workers enable us to know the construction methods, historical evolution and cultural characteristics of Chengtian Temple. Besides understanding Chengtian Temple more, we have further understanding of the culture and beauty of the temples in Taiwan, which cannot be learned from the textbooks. Our hard work paid off. In the process of research, we come to understand the history of the local culture. What's more important is that we have a complete learning experience on the research of the topic and the production of the web page. It is a valuable learning experience combining the daily learning and practice.

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

During the course of this project, we didn't know anything about Chengtian Temple. Therefore, it is necessary to consult a lot of data and contact with temple personnel, local people, and cultural and historical workers. We visited the temple staff and local people. As for the cultural and historical worker, we asked Mr. Zhuo whether he could accept our interview by sending messages. After Mr. Zhuo agreed, we began to talk with Mr. Zhuo on the telephone to facilitate the interview and the guided tour, with which he really enriched the content of our topic.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

The biggest achievement of this project is to have a complete understanding of Chengtian Temple, the faith center of our hometown. We have organized the information and set a webpage for the public to browse. In addition, we also know more about the temple culture in Taiwan. The deities worshipped in each temple have their backgrounds, and the architecture of the temple has special meanings. Studying the ancient monuments left by our ancestors is very interesting. In the beginning, we had no idea about the topic research. Everyone was busy with their schoolwork. It was really confusing and hard. Some people wanted to quit. With the encouragement of the teachers, everyone insisted on it. Through the division of labor and cooperation, we supported each other and made the best use of the time outside of class. The work was finally completed. Although the process was hard, we have learned lessons and experiences which we won’t learn from the textbook. It shows the true meaning of “You reap what you sow.”

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View our CyberFair Project (Project ID: 8530)

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