By TSAI,TZU-JUNG, member of the OUR TOWN team
Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages' University Social Responsibility Practice Program, "OUR TOWN Community Sustainable Cross-Domain Collaborative Platform Project” organized the Team's Results Joint Exhibition and the Zuoying Events Video Competition Awards Ceremony at the Pamma Cofé in the Zuoying old town, Kaohsiung On December 30, 2023. The exhibition showcased the achievements of Wenzao students and community members involved in the project, integrating resources and manpower provided by local collaborative units. The award-winning students focused on the local attractions, cuisine, architecture, and cultural context of the Zuoying old town. Nearly 100 participants attended the event, highlighting how the students effectively utilized new media technologies, language skills, and game design concepts in reality puzzles and tabletop games. This successful exhibition successfully marketed the unique charm of the old town.
The exhibition consists of six areas, with the themes of the works centered around the practical field of Zuoying: "Interview and Editing Practical Course" - "Beyond a Hundred Words: The Beauty of Ci Ji Temple's Architecture, Dreaming of Ancient Houses"; "Event Planning Practical Course" - "Exploring Zuoying Old Town by Ubike: Culinary Delights, Sunset Lake Tour, and “Eat all the delicious food in old zuoying"; "New Media Practical Course" - a fantastical journey through videos showcasing ancient houses and temples; and a VR experience of the historical and cultural aspects of the old town led by Professor Chen Hongyu and his student team.
The micro-credit program offered by the OUR TOWN project consists of three courses: Event Planning Practical, Interview and Editing Practical, and New Media Practical. Through listening to local historians' explanations of Zuoying and industry experts teaching relevant new media knowledge, participants gain a deeper understanding of Zuoying. Under the guidance of professionals, students independently promote and publicize local historical stories and cultural activities. For example, students in the “Event Planning Practical”course designed a local activation sandbox experiment, using U-bikes to explore surrounding attractions near Lotus Pond, allowing participants to better understand the local cultural and historical context of Zuoying. Students in the “Interview and Editing Practical” course transformed into game designers, creating historical and reality puzzle games based on guided tour content, including Ci Ji Temple, Lingjiao Liao,(water chestnut）, Liao's ancient house and various historical door frames, bringing a new breakthrough to the relationship between participants and the practical field.
Finally, students in the “New Media Practical”course connected the architecture of Wenzao and the ancient houses in Zuoying Old Town. They recorded podcasts and used new media editing and filming techniques to compile key points, explaining the stories and anecdotes of each location.
Additionally, this project's results exhibition also invited participants from the "Community Story Interview Editing" community to share their on-site exploration of Zuoying, conducting interviews with local residents to capture their stories. The event also welcomed representatives from project collaborators, Hexing Tea House and Xingfu Alley to come to the scene., leading participants in experiencing local culture. The aim was to raise awareness of the university's social responsibility project and the land of Zuoying Old Town among more external individuals.
Guided by professional instructors, the community of story editors guided students to delve into the community, interviewing local residents and elders to unearth unique stories exclusive to Zuoying. Adding their personal writing styles and techniques, they produced distinctive reports. For instance, Ms. Wang Shiqing interviewed Ms. Xue, who is from Guo Family Ancient House, deepened everyone's understanding of the importance of preserving and inheriting the culture of ancient houses.The local business district marketing community cooperates with merchants in Zuoying. Through negotiations between students and the owners of Xi'an Noodle Shop, Hexing Tea House, and various pastry shops, unique marketing plans were designed for them . This included translating dishes into English and Japanese, English voiceovers for promotional videos, and exclusive interviews, not only enhancing students' practical experience but also increasing exposure for the merchants.
"OUR TOWN Community Sustainable Cross-Domain Collaborative Platform Project” collaborates with Wenzao students, local historians, and research scholars to work towards the goal of local prosperity. With the power of organizing this exhibition, it is hoped that more Wenzao students and external individuals will explore the old town of Zuoying, personally investigate and observe the changes in the local community development, and learn about more historical sites. The aspiration is for students to apply what they have learned in class to promote the local beauty of Zuoying Old Town and discover its unique cultural charm.
Zuoying Events Video Award Ceremony
Wenzao participates in teachers, students and community cooperation units.
Students of the "Event Planning and Implementation Course" will exhibit their class works in the form of posters and magazines.
"Interviewing and Editing Practical Course" Dreaming Back to the Ancient House Group students played a real-life puzzle-solving interactive game with the participants.
《新媒體實作課程》學生進行鐵窗花影片分享（林亭妤 攝影）
邀請杏福巷子在地商圈的老闆娘，帶領參與學員一同進行花磚杯墊手作體驗（林亭妤 攝影）
參與《故事編輯社群》的學員，運用簡報方式分享在地實際踏查的心得
文藻師生積極參與文史舊城的虛擬實境（VR）體驗
