OELP Taiwan - Day 5

29th May 2014

-Lugang Old Town

-921 Earthquake Educational Park

-proceed to Taipei by high speed train

-Ximending

Yijun: This is the fifth day of our trip and we visited the 921 Earthquake Educational Park. The park is a preserve of some of the phenomena from the disastrous earthquake. We saw a lot of devastated buildings along the tour around the park and have learnt the power of a earthquake which was the sliding of the plates. The reason this Educational Park was set up was due the the peoples reluctance to mind the earthquake on the day it strike, September 21, 1999. The central part of Taiwan was struck by the earthquake that measured 7.3 on Richter Scale, However, for those who had felt the shock , some just ignored it and went to sleep again as they were used to earthquake shocks. That was a big mistake as there was a lot of aftershocks that gradually led to the collapse of the buildings due the main shock's power that had already weaken the buildings, also, people forget to switch of their electrical appliances that afterwards leads to fire in the buildings.The government thus set the Educational Park at a school that have felt the full shock of the earthquake to remind people of the day of the 921 Earthquake which was one of the worst disaster recorded in Taiwan history and to serve as a reminder to people that they should always be vigilant and to remind people of the needs to prepare for such disasters and be ready to provide emergency rescue services. Thankfully, the earthquake did not take a lot of lives with it but it was still a tragedy that was etched in the people that had went through this. Singapore however, does not have any disasters unlike Taiwan but we need to learn to take precaution and be ready at anytime a terrorist attack strikes or others.

Next, we proceeded to have our lunch and then, take a trip to Lugang old town. The old town serves as a place that preserves authentic traditional architects. The government did this to preserve this place so as the younger generations would be able to learn and remember the culture that the Taiwan many years ago would be. However, it seems that few youngsters take any notice about this place but instead just tour this place to buy souvenirs and do not learn anything in the process. This would show that the culture was been gradually eroded even though the government set up games and activities at the old town to attract teenagers, but, I felt that the government's effort was a waste as I barely see any teenagers taking note of the cultures but instead only plays the games. I felt that the teenagers should actually be taking on the responsibility to preserve the role rather than let them learn nor from a meaningful place.

There is also some interesting structures that I see like the old well which only rich people had in the past and I also learnt that the size of the doors would affect the amount of taxes that you have to pay in the past. 

Next we went to Ximending to do some shopping but I felt that the main purpose of the trip to Ximending was for us to view the historical structures while shopping at the same time for us to learn educational components . ximending is also designed like this to attract young people to patronize this place and to learn about these historic structures. However, it was a bit regretful that I did not manage to see anything as I actually slept through the entire visit.

Sharlene: In the morning, we went to the 921 Earthquake Museum. Basically, this museum aims to serve as a reminder for the public of the need to prepare for disasters and be ready to provide emergency rescue services. It preserves the site that were badly damaged by the earthquake. The Chelongpu Fault Gallery in the museum is to show how it was thrusted up when the earthquake occurred. Fortunately, the earthquake happened at night therefore no student was present in Kuang-Fu Junior High School. There were different educational yet interactive displays in the museum, teaching us how earthquake was formed, Earth's plate tectonics and aftershocks of the 921 Earthquake. 3D movies and even the vibrating platform of the Earthquake Simulation Area that allowed us to experience how the earthquake felt. I like that this museum exist as it educates the people the importance of learning from this experience and to improve. Continuously being reminded of the 921 Earthquake can let citizens to remember and turn it into a learning point. To be prepared and ready always. Knowing what to do when during a crisis or emergency can determine what happens to your life. After viewing all the damage done by the earthquake, I felt very fortunate to be living in Singapore that is free of natural disasters. Although, we can also learn to be prepared for any emergencies such as floods and terrorist attacks.

Then we went to Lugang Old Town. (It was sooooo sunny.) This town is significant because this is the heritage of the olden times. The houses were long and had irregular shape because families were taxed based on the size of their main door. Thus, to reduce the amount of taxes paid, many families expanded their houses in the opposite direction of the door. Also, I clearly remembered there was a well outside of a house. The well is to provide water for anyone or a neighbor who was walking past this house and needs a drink. I feel that this owner of the house is very generous and kind, even sparing a thought for their neighbors. Over here, some of us do not even know our neighbors' names nor greet them. After witnessing the well, since we are all living next to each other, why not know them better and be assured that there is someone that will help you when in need too. I think that countries have iconic buildings as an identity. Without a history and background, there is no sense of identity to promote nationalism for a country. So anything that currently represent a country is important! 

Lastly, we took the high speed train to Xi Men Ding! The customer service is very good. Even though I came out of the store empty handed, most of the sellers still smiled and thanked me. That left a good impression :D If I was in Taiwan, I will feel like going back to those stores. 

Shaun: First off, we went to the 921 earthquake museum. We learnt about how earthquakes were caused, their after effects and also how to keep ourselves safe during an earthquake. After the tour, I realise how fortunate we are to live in Singapore where there are no natural disasters like earthquakes. However, we should still be clear of what to do during an earthquake because even the 921 earthquake was unexpected.

Next, we visited the Lukang old town. Although it was really hot, it was cool looking at the old houses and understand why they were built this way.

At night, we took the high speed train to ximending. I was shocked to see how dangerous the streets were. The motorcycles would just randomly appear behind without us even knowing. This made us more vigilant and minimize chatting while crossing the roads, which is something we often do in Singapore. We have also learnt to appreciate the safety of traffic in Singapore which we have always been taking for granted.

Fiona: Today, we visited the 921 Earthquake Museum, Lugang Old Town and Ximending at night. At the Earthquake Museum, we got to learn more about earthquakes and even got to experience an earthquake in a room. After seeing the devastated old site of the school from the 921 earthquake, I was surprised and amazed by the effects an earthquake can make. I also felt how lucky we are to live in Singapore, as Singapore does not meet with natural disasters often. It was fortunate that the earthquake happened at 1.47am, as there would have been nobody in the school during that time of devastation. Through the tour guide's explanations, I have also realised how prepared Taiwan is for emergencies like this, and how the number of casualties could have been a lot higher. Singapore is learning to be disaster-ready, and I hope that we can be as good as Taiwan. Next, we visited the Lugang Old Town, where there were many old shops and shophouses still in business, and very old buildings still intact. I felt that it was very good to preserve this culture of shophouses and old buildings in Taiwan, so that the modern people could experience them and have more knowledge of what it was like back then. I was also amazed by the red scrolls with very traditional Chinese words written on them that were pasted all over some of the old buildings. This shows how effective Taiwan is in preserving their culture so that they would not be forgotten. I am thankful that Singapore also puts effort in preserving some of our old buildings and structures, like the Goodwood Park Hotel and the Parliament House Building, to preserve our history and commemorate our past. After visiting the Old Town, we took the bullet train back to Taipei, then took the public train (like mrt in Singapore) to Ximending Station. We were given a certain amount of time to roam on our own to shop and do whatever we wanted. Ximending was beautiful, with flashing posters and fashionable shops but at the same time had old buildings and stores, showing the variety of shops that can be found there. Ximending is just like a Taiwanese version of Singapore's Orchard or Bugis, and we had a lot of fun shopping there. Overall, we had a lot of fun today learning about Taiwanese culture and how old buildings and earthquake-devastated sites are preserved for the younger and future generations. I really hope that we can learn from them! :) 

Esther: In the morning, we went to the 921 earthquake museum where we learnt about how earthquakes were formed and seen what damage the earthquake has done to the school. They were lucky as no one was in the school at the time the earthquake happened, as it was 1.47am. Through the tour, i had learnt about what after effects the earthquake have done, and also some emergency procedures that we can take when there is an earthquake. We also experienced the earthquake through a simulation that showed us the power of a 7.3 magnitude felt like. I think that singapore is also learning to be ready for any disasters as we have fire drills frequently and we are taught how to evacuate the classrooms as quickly as possible.

Next, we went to lugang old town where we saw many of the the old buildings that were still preserved there. They all had small doors but were long and irregular shaped as they were taxed by the size of their doors. I think that they did a good job preserving the buildings as they contribute to taiwan's culture and history, which builds up their identity. 

Lastly, we went to ximending where we shopped for a little while. The shop owners there were all very friendly and passionate, and even though most of us left the shops empty handed, they would still smile at us. I think that this can be something for singapore to learn, as some singaporean shop owners would frown at us when we spent a long time in their shop but still came out empty handed.