NEWS - OUR TOWN

Guide tour with bilingual in Hamasen Building confidence Extracting insight

Rose — Sat, 04 May 2024 05:53:26 +0000

by Tina Lin, Project Co-organizer

A foreign language guided tour organized by USR Our Town took place in Hamasen, featuring Professor Zhang Shouzhen, a historical expert; Luis, a foreign language tour specialist; Teacher Eileen, from the Department of Translation and Interpreting, and volunteer guides. The event attracted 42 T&I students who explored various corners of the Hamasen area from 9 AM to 4 PM.

The tour included numerous historically significant landmarks, such as Wude Martial Arts Center and the old market. Students not only learned about the rich local history but also had the opportunity to taste authentic local snacks. The foreign language excursion was highly educational, with students appreciating the rich content of the Chinese-guided tour and the enthusiasm and vitality of the foreign language tour volunteers, gaining a deeper understanding of Hamasen's history and culture.

Students waited at the front gate of Wenzao University to go to Hamasen together.

Zhang Shouzhen provided explanations about Hamasen for students majoring in Translation at Wenzao University.

Weber conducted a tour for Translation Department students.

A group photo of lecturers, project team members, and Translation Department students.

Travel Through Time - Discover Present and Past of Old Houses in Zuoying

Rose — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 04:49:07 +0000

by Miyu Chen, Project Student

Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages’ USR Our Town program in 2024－Foreign Language Tour Guiding Community, successfully completed the first major theme of walking tours on February 24th – exploring old houses. Trained by the project team, community members led the public on visits to the old houses of Zuoying. On that day, the members not only conducted English guided tours for the public but also put their coursework into practice. Participants of various ages engaged enthusiastically during the event, attracting new partners to join the ranks of the foreign language tour guiding community.

The first major theme of the foreign language walking tour was the old houses of Zuoying, including the Yu, Su, Ke, Huang, Liao, and Guo families' century-old houses and Almond Blessing Alley. The old houses in Zuoying, Kaohsiung is the largest old houses area in Taiwan. Following the footsteps of the foreign language tour guiding community, guides and visitors traversed through the alleyways, glimpsing into the long history of the old houses from Zuoying Yijia to Cijia. Each house was constructed with red bricks and tiles. The architectural features of the houses, such as decorative tiles on walls, door lintels, and water drawing wells, not only reflect the essential principles of Chinese culture, namely "Feng Shui," but also mirror the historical background and culture of the time, revealing the social hierarchy of the residences.

The walking tour was an important step for the foreign language tour guiding community, not only in exploring the traces of history but also in experiencing the cultural pulse of the city. We will continue to explore the local culture of Kaohsiung with partner members, savoring the charm of the city and looking at this land's beauty and diversity from a new perspective. Through the power of languages, we will spread the story of Kaohsiung to the world, allowing more people to know and fall in love with this vibrant and charming city.

Community member, Bobby, introduced Huang's old house.

Participants focused on taking notes during tours.

Community member, Jay Ho, introduced Liao's old house.

Group photos of teachers, staff and participants in front of Haung’s old house

Explore the Beauty of Local Heritage, Discover the treasures of Indigenous Culture

DC — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 09:49:26 +0000

by Tina Lin, Project Co-organizer

Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages' USR Our Town launched its 2024 "Foreign Language Tour Guiding Community." The community is led jointly by Professors Sophie Mei-Fei Lu and Yi-Cheng Lin from the Department of English, Eileen Hung-Hsiu Lin from the Department of Translation and interpreting, and the project manager/ professional guide Luis Kung. It features six meticulously selected themes, each rich in content, and introduces high-quality courses every month. The courses offer both indoor English tour guiding skill training and outdoor English-guided walking tours, allowing participants to gradually master the English tour guiding skills and knowledge for each theme, providing an excellent English tour guiding learning experience.

The 2024 "Foreign Language Tour Guiding Community" commenced on January 30, 2024. The first class laid a solid foundation for the year's English tour guiding learning. Professor Sandie Yi-Jou Lo, the Dean of the College of International Culture, Education, and Foreign Affairs, also joined the course and exchanged ideas with the participants, contributing to the success of the event. In the first class, Wenzao alumnus Ken Rong-Jin Huang, who is currently an English tour guide, analyzed how to become an excellent foreign language tour guide; tour guide Jay Sheng-Jie He shared his personal experience leading stargazing tours in Mt. Ali with humor and vivacity, giving all the students the feeling of being on the star-gazing scene; project manager Luis guided the participants through the charm of Kaohsiung's ancient houses with clear steps and rich content, and led the participants develop captivating storylines for their tours.

The "Foreign Language Tour Guiding Community" in 2024 has planned six major themes to explore the local culture of Kaohsiung. The community is open to the public interested in guiding tours in foreign languages. The community plan runs from January to December, with odd-numbered months dedicated to thematic guiding explanations at Wenzao, and even-numbered months for field walks on the themes of the month. Participants will not only learn new knowledge about local culture but will also become more proficient in sharing the community's history and its contemporary aspects. This community embodies the spirit of university social responsibility, inviting everyone interested in guiding tours in foreign languages to join the community, exchange guiding skills, and introduce the rich history of Kaohsiung in foreign languages.

Jay Sheng-Jie He shared his experience of guiding stargazing tours in Mt. Ali.

Participants divided into groups to discuss the key points of guiding tours in ancient houses.

Luis Kung led participants to explore the beauty of ancient houses and their English guiding techniques.

Ken Rong-Jin Huang shared his experience and tips on becoming an English Tour guide.

1023 左營大小事｜Short Film Competition

DC — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 05:42:46 +0000

【左營大小事-Short Film Competition】

🔥Explore Zouying, find out more multi-cultural treasure🔥

Join 「左營大小事」short film competition! Explore this cultural area with richest historic heritage! Create dual subtitles content and share it with the world! Capture the splendid moments of Zuoying from your own perspective and creativity and showcase its history, culture, and diversity!

⭐️We will pick up 13 candidates whose work are the most remarkable, and we also offer generous cash prizes and other awards to those candidates~⭐️

👉Candidate：

Individual (No cross-group or cross-team participation allowed)
Group (maximum of five people)

👉Guideline:

Content: dual subtitles (mandarin + one type of foreign language)
Topic: must include elements about Zuoying historical and cultural heritage
Length: 90s ~ 180s
Technique: no limitation

👉Selection methods:

Qulificaiton review
Expert review
Theme Content 60%, Visual Performance 30%, Subtitles 10%

👉Award provision:

First Prize (1 winner): Awarded NTD 6,000 and a certificate
Three Excellence Awards (3 winners): Each group awarded NTD 3,000 and a certificate
Six Honorable Mentions (6 winners): Each group awarded NTD 1,000 and a certificate
Online Popularity Award (~winners): Each group awarded a prize and a certificate

✔️Please refer to the affidavit for more detailed information

Registration Period: October 16, 2023 ~ December 8, 2023

Submission deadline: Before 12:00 noon on December 8, 2023

Contact number: (07)342-6031 #3211

Official mail: ourtownstory1228@gmail.com

#探索左營文化

1103 Explore the Community & Write Stories

DC — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 05:18:16 +0000

📜 Explore the community and write stories

Wanna share your story but have no idea how to start?

Welcome to join this course to become a writer who excels in interviewing and editing the community stories!

Course Highlight

⭐️ learn how to conduct interviews and write reports

⭐️ track important issues in locla community

⭐️ transform local stories into remarkable reports

⭐️ promote community awareness

Course Content

⭐️ learn about interviewing skills and editing training

⭐️ learn how to conduct individual interviews and write report

⭐️ have opportunities for collaboration and sharing reports"

Particpiants

⭐️ anyone who are interested in interviewing and editing or community engagement

👉 Beginner friendly! As long as you are enthusiastic about this domain!

Date: 10/17、10/31、11/14、11/28、12/12、12/26

Time：18:30~20:00

Location：Pamma Coffee (No. 176, Liantan Rd., Zuoying Dist., Kaohsiung City 813004 , Taiwan (R.O.C.))

🔗Registratino link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScAfNzh4GPyhr_21GfzIOArI7ZE33pKCRmmWo3v9XSAXtrfzg/viewform

1026 SEE OLD FENGSHAN CITY 2023｜The Second International Volunteer Walking Tour

DC — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 06:58:14 +0000

Let's review what hwppened in the second event of international volunteer walking tour of SEE OLD FENGSHAN CITY 2023~~

This time, OUR TOWN team lead everyone on a walk along Route A-Come and Explore the Past and Present of the Old Town Rich in Culture and History

Route A: The Longhu Tower (Dragon & Tiger Pagodas) — Gongcheng Gate & Wall— Zengfu Shrine— Yang An Hall Traditional Chinese Medicine Store— Li Cheng Store— The Ke Qi-Hua House— Gong Family Herbal Shop/Qianbao Company— Hsieh Family Historical House— Zouying City God Temple— Joywell Cake Store

We extremely welcomed students from Wenzao's Japanese Department and the guided tour team to participate in the handmade experience activity, which collaborated with the local biscuit shops. Students engaged in the process of making pastries so much with their sparkling eyes. We believed that every participant must have learned a lot from the day-long walking tour and handmade experience activities~

SEE OLD FENGSHAN CITY 2023 is also drawing to an end. Thanks for the teachers, students, and all our fellows who accompanied us throughout the walking tour~

If you are interesting in other activities, welcome to leave comments and let us know. We are looking forward to seeing you again!!

Please refer to OUR TOWN USR ig for more information and photos:

https://instagram.com/ourtown_usrigshid=NzZIODBkYWE4N9%3D%3D&utm_source=gr

1023 Local Business Marketing Community

DC — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 05:39:22 +0000

Do you have plenty of great marketing ideas but nowhere to put them into action?

Then you definitely can't miss this!

Arranged by Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages- Our Town Community Sustainable Cross-Domain Co-creation Platform Project, inviting shop owners in Zouying old town business district to create marketing solutions together!

We will generate ideas and execute them through Project Team Discussions and Professional New Media Courses together from planning to implementation. Let's collaborate with them and make your marketing plans come true!

Date: 10/30、11/13、11/27、12/11、12/25

Time: 18:30-19:50

Location: Pamma Coffee (No. 176, Liantan Rd., Zuoying Dist., Kaohsiung City 813004 , Taiwan (R.O.C.))

The project will be conducted in "Project Groups" with 3-6 students. The number of accepted registrations is limited, so hurry up and sign up!

🔗Registration link：https://forms.gle/6D3UPPM6YrVQbFaNA

Organizer: Our Town Community Sustainable Cross-Domain Co-creation Platform Project

Cotact information：a0909509220@gmail.com (Ms. Lee, Project Assistant)

1021 Micro Program｜On-site Survey in Zuoying

DC — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 07:02:01 +0000

Wenzao Ursuline University's "OUR TOWN Community Sustainable Cross-Domain Collaborative Platform Project" is offering three cross-domain industry collaboration courses this semester, focusing on new media operations, event planning, and interview editing. These courses aim to provide practical experience and enhance students' skills in these areas. In one activity, students learned about local history through folk stories and visited temples to understand their cultural significance. In another, they explored the history and architecture of ancient houses in Zuoying. This project deepens students' understanding of local culture and encourages them to develop observation and critical thinking skills while leveraging their language proficiency to plan unique and feasible projects.

1012 Zhoying Walking Tour& Handmade Experience

DC — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 05:48:41 +0000

Let's review the scenes of the Japanese and English language groups engaging in DIY activities and experiencing calligraphy at 中外餅舖 in Zuoying.

The students from the English language group and the Japanese language group split up and participated in on-site field surveys along the Old Town route. After that, they came to 中外餅舖 for traditional cakes handmade experiences.

The students from the English language group were also happily engaged in practicing calligraphy experiences, and teachers kept them company. This was so adorable 🥰!

There will be many more such experiential activities. We will continue to update you on more similar activities!

1004 Recruitment of International Volunteers for SEE OLD FENGSHAN CITY 2023

DC — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 05:50:54 +0000

https://reurl.cc/ZyW7qV

First come first served!!

Welcome to join the walking tour 2023 and handmade experience

“SEE OLD FENGSHAN CITY 2023”

Zuoying Walking Tour & Handmade Experience

Date:

2023.10.07(Saturday)

2023.10.14(Saturday)

2023.10.28(Saturday)

Time: 14:00-16:30

participants can meet at Joywell Bakery Shop near Lotus Pond at 13:50

maximum 15 participants each tour

-Advised by Economic Development Bureau,

Kaohsiung city Government

-Organized by Kaohsiung Walled City Association of Commerce

-Co-Organized by Wenzao Ursuline University of

Contact information

Contact information :

86005@mail.wzu.edu.tw

0919 What is the Touching Story Behind this Inconspicuous Temple?

DC — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 05:44:38 +0000

What is the Touching Story Behind this Inconspicuous Temple?

In the Qing Dynasty, a literati named Liu traveled to Fengshan County to take the imperial examination for the title of 'Xiucai' and took the second position in this exam. However, he fell seriously ill soon after. While going back home located in the north on foot, he collapsed on the side of the road near 店仔頂陷窟底 and became a roadside corpse. One villager nearby, out of his compassion for the outsider, helped to bury Liu properly. His remains were placed in a golden jar, buried under a small mound for worship. The local people, at different times, received assistance from his spirit. This heartwarming story created a sense of mutual gratitude. In the Japanese era, it evolved into a modest 'Yinggong Temple,' dedicated to the Scholar Deity.

source: 廖德宗

Foreign Language Guiding Course｜Observation of the Actual Working Conditions

DC — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 04:14:07 +0000

by Tina Lin, Project Co-organizer

On September 12, 2023, Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages held the second session of the "OUR TOWN Community Sustainable Cross-Domain Collaborative Platform Project” focusing on promoting foreign language guiding skills and providing volunteer guides with opportunities to practice explanations in English. On the day of the community event, volunteer guides engaged in simulated exercises to hone their foreign language guiding skills and observed the actual working conditions of professional foreign language tour guides.

This event not only This event not only promotes the local community culture in Zuoying Old Town but also strengthened the ability of volunteer guides to provide explanations in English. During the activity, volunteers participated in on-site English cultural guiding explanations, gaining a deeper understanding of the similarities and differences between Chinese and English guiding and the unique features of foreign language guiding. In particular, Professor Luis conducted a guided demonstration on the theme of "North Gate of Xiong Town ", followed by volunteers selecting their own guiding topics.

The second community event not only enhanced the volunteers' understanding of English guiding explanations but also facilitated the promotion of local culture.

The lecturer gave a guided tour of North Gate of Xiong Town in English for volunteers observing the way of guided tours.

The lecturer's English guide is informative, lively, interesting and engaging.

Tour guide volunteers communicated with the lecturer at community events.

Snapshot of the activity of the community

2023 OUR TOWN Registration of English Guiding Tours

DC — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 13:26:02 +0000

Would you like to enhance your English tour guiding skills?
The registration for English Tour Guiding Community of OUR TOWN USR project at Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages is now a hit ! 🔥🔥
Registration link🔗 https://forms.gle/9TqjMrKKMMgieMic7
Welcome to join! Limited places available!
Local volunteers will be given priority in admission. Grab your chances~~~

Course Highlights
⭐️Guiding behaviors
⭐️Drafting tour scripts
⭐️Showcasing personal guiding styles
⭐️Natural English expression

Course location
⭐️Multimedia room, Shoushan National Natural Park

First course
🌟Time: 02:00 p.m. ～04:00 p.m., 2023/08/23 (Wed.)
🌟Guided by Teacher Louis and Teacher Eileen😍

Action is better than thinking! Click the registration link🔗!

2023 OUR TOWN Registration of History and Culture Innovative Activities

DC — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 14:06:23 +0000

The registration is being enthusiastically supported by participants, and the total number has already reached 70. To ensure that all of you can join our trip, we might arrange the outdoor guiding tour twice, which is depended on the number of registrations.

2023/09/16 Outdoor guiding tour about historical houses in Zuoying
Meeting point: Confucius Temple (Intersection of Liantan Road and Kongying Road)
Meeting time: 08:50 a.m.
Estimated starting time: 09:00 a.m.

Guiding route:
09:10 a.m. (1)一甲余家 (2)二甲蘇家 (3)二甲柯家 (4)四甲黃家
10:10 a.m. (5)五甲廖家 (6)五甲郭家
11:10 a.m. (7)聖公廟 (8)左營蓬萊閤
11:40 a.m. stop at 蓬萊閣

Indoor lecture
Time: 09:30 a.m. ~ 12:00 a.m.
Place: 1st floor, Gongjian Hall, Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages

Wenzao Ursuline University’s “Our Town Community Sustainable Cross-Domain Co-creation Platform Project” Join Hands with Shoushan National Natural Park to Create New Learning Opportunities for English Tour Guiding

DC — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 04:19:44 +0000

by Tina Lin, Project Co-organizer

What makes for an interesting and enriching English tour? This is the exact question addressed during the fifth foreign language guided tour community program of the "Our Town Community Sustainable Cross-Domain Co-creation Platform Project."

The foreign tour guiding classes aim to encourage participating volunteers to effectively filter through the abundance of their Chinese-related knowledge in their own minds before conveying the information in English. During the fifth class, Luis Gong, a professional tour guide who acts main instructor of the classes, took the volunteers through a step-by-step background of all the elements required in an English tour guide.

During the class, the volunteers practiced by introducing the features and beauty of Shoushan National Natural Park and connecting different points of related information together in English, thereby successfully conducting an English tour. Throughout the class, Luis repeatedly emphasized the nature of tour guiding as a form of art. And as an art full of humanity, a tour needs to be planned according to the needs and interests of the tourists.

The foreign language tour guiding classes are jointly led by Luis Gong as well as Professor Eileen Lin of Wenzao's Translation and Interpreting Department and Professor Mei-Fei Lu of Wenzao's English Department, who have been assisting the volunteers in fine-tuning the content of their English tour. At the end of the classes, the volunteer guides will be able to confidently explain and promote Shoushan National Natural Park in English and will have become more adept at conducting an interesting and enriching English guided tour.

Following this week's class, the volunteers are able to successfully share their treasury of knowledge using English. In the future, their training will surely contribute to allowing international tourists to learn more about Shoushan National Natural Park, the emerald of Kaohsiung.

The instructor, Mr. Luis explains how to effectively guide the various features of Shoushan National Natural Park in English.

Lecturer, teachers from Wenzao and volunteer guides practice explaining Shoushan National Natural Park in English.

Department, communicates with volunteer tour guides.

Lu Meifei, teacher from the Wenzao English Department communicated with the tour guide volunteers.