Today Teacher Wu and Teacher Lai said that we needed to do a debate, on ¡§Whether Teresa Teng's Former Residence Should Be Preserved¡¨.
We were allocated into the Pro and Con teams. In the Pro Team, there were: Yi-cheng, Yu-cheng, Yu-jie, Jia-ying, Bo-hsiang, Hao-che, Wei-li, Si-han, Wen-chi and Chao-yuan, while in the Con Team there were: Lin-hua, Ai-ting, Bo-hui, Pei-an, Chi-hua, Chi-hsiung, Yi-wen, Shi-hsiang, Jing-wei and Pei-chen. The teacher first explained to us about the rules of debating, and had also listed some of the points that could be debated by the Pro Team as well as the counter-points that could be used by the Con Team.
Teacher Shia, who was also present, added by saying, ¡§A debate is similar to a dodge-ball game, but unlike a dodge-ball game you cannot shout at or hit anyone, because if that happened then it would not be a debate, and the rules would have been violated. Therefore you must control yourselves.¡¨
After we returned home, we had to prepare the data for the debate the next time, so we had to concentrate hard on collecting information about Teresa Teng's former residence, as we could then know what our opponent knows and win the debate. But the teachers said that they will first do a debate to show us what it is like. I'm looking forward to it!
Comments before the Debate
¡· Bo-hsiang Wang
Today Teacher Lai and Teacher Wu had asked us to prepare the information for our next tutorial, and we also discussed the details for the debate. There was a Pro and Con team, and I was placed into the Pro Team after a random draw. Our Pro Team then discussed who would be the three that will speak on stage, and I was chosen as one of them, so after going home I must work hard to collect information on Teresa Teng.
¡· You-cheng Lin
The topic of today's tutorial was to discuss the problems for the Pro and Con teams during the debate the next time. The teacher had listed the problems proposed by the Pro Team, and also told us what the Con Team's approach would be. In this lunch-break, I learnt a lot and also understood how to do a debate!
¡· Chi-hua Li
The teacher asked us to do a debate, the topic was ¡§ Whether Teresa Teng's Former Residence Should Be Preserved¡¨. The teacher said that we needed to be allocated into two opposing teams, and our group drew the Con Team, while only poor Bo-hsiang Wang had drawn the choice to be in the Pro Team. The teacher also said, ¡§Teacher Lai and Teacher Wu will first do a debate to show you what its like.¡¨ That's superb!
The teacher and Teacher Shia instructing us how to debate.
We discussed our designated topic and gave each other opinions.
On the day of the debate, we really gave it everything we had to protect our points, and the following shows what happened:
Con: I feel that it should not be preserved, because it would be pointless. You don't need to preserve something for a person that has already died. Although presently it is still being kept but it has become the store-room for a beef noodle restaurant, so it would be better to simply destroy it and build buildings over it, as it would be more useful and will not look bad.
Pro: Although it is dirty and messy, but if you tidy it up it can still be re-opened and added with Teresa Teng's artifacts for people to visit. If we preserve Teresa Teng's former residence we can let other people know more about Teresa Teng; alternatively we could keep everything as is and relocate it to another area.
The Pro Team's representative, Jian-ying, steps on the stage to speak their mind.
Con: Teresa Teng hardly returned to Lujhou after leaving, because she felt ashamed by her poor family when she was young, so if she doesn't want it herself then we also don't need to preserve it. As a storeroom for a beef noodle restaurant, it has become dirty and smelly. If you preserve it then you will need to look after it, so rather take it down then go through so much hassle. If there is no use for it then it doesn't need to be preserved.
Pro: By preserving Teresa Teng's former residence, we can add it to the cultural features of Lujhou, and also, by preserving her residence, as well as the Li's former residence and Scholars' Residence , then more people from all over the world would be able to visit and thereby increase our tourism. By preserving her former residence, we can tell everyone that Lujhou had a international superstar, and that this singer once graduated from Lujhou Elementary School.
The Con Team's representative, Lin-hua, boldly argues on the stage.
Con: If we remove Teresa Teng's former residence, we can then build a Teresa Teng Memorial Park , and the beef noodle restaurant would find another place for a storeroom. By doing so you kill two birds with one stone, as you can both eliminate the former residence and maintain Teresa Teng's artifacts.
Pro: If you are going to construct a memorial park then rather simply relocate Teresa Teng's former residence there, and then you can place her artifacts inside for display. Or you can combine her former residence with the beef noodle restaurant and place her things inside as decoration, as it is also a promotional method for non-local customers to get to know Teresa Teng.
The Pro Team's Bo-hsiang is working to convey his views.
After the debate had concluded, we all unanimously agreed that Teresa Teng's former residence needs to be preserved or relocated. Therefore, we decided to write a letter to the Mayor, in the hope that he would accept our view and preserve Teresa Teng's former residence in Lujhou, so that it will not disappear and that the people will not forget this internationally acclaimed superstar.
Notes after the Debate Chi-hua Li
During this debate, we really battled intensely, and I also went on stage to express my views! But I was quickly defeated. In the end, we the Con Team still last, but ¡§One should not be proud of winning and one should not be despaired by defeat¡¨. We still showed good sportsmanship and congratulated the Con Team for winning!
