What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your Cyberfair project?

In what ways did your students act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your Cyberfair project both on-line and in person.

Being alive, an industry is thus meaningful. The industries, particularly the ones like soy sauce production with fading flavors, cannot be represented in a museum. The traditional soy sauce industry once faced its end of life. However, local culture has been valued in recent years. Many local industries have seen the light by taking advantage of such trend. Through the research for Taiwan School Cyberfair, we make a in-depth and in-width introduction to local industries with characteristics and quality. The students can learn both local culture and knowledge in our daily lives. Local culture and history has gradually been established. The local people identify with our research project. It is also interesting to go out of school and learn something. 

What has been or will be the impact of your project on your community?

In recent years, local culture and maintaining good health have become a new cultural movement. People have started searching for the past. Some unique local industries, which were once ignored, abandoned and hidden in a small corner, have been rediscovered. Through the establishment of the project and website, we hope that local industries operating in a manner of conscience can be highlighted in addition to exploring more about soy sauce in our everyday life. On the other hand, we intend to achieve school characteristics and cultivate students’ capabilities so as to make local people know that there are excellent learning activities at school in the countryside compared with urban areas.

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

We would like to thank for many people’s assistance and help with this research project. First, we would like to thank the school chefs. Some cuisine prepared with soy sauce was required in this project. Therefore, the school chefs helped with shooting. Aunt Chien, one of the school staff, is good at cooking. She has obtained B-class certificate for Chinese flour cuisine processing. She is demanding in raw materials and equipment. She has a professional oven at home. Therefore, we invited Aunt Chien to teach us how to steam fish and make Korean-style bread. These two things are easy to make. You can try them, too.
For enriching the project, we went to visit the place producing black bean (raw material for black bean soy sauce) – Hsia Ying. Mr. Chou Chun Chieh of Hsia Ying Farmers’ Association and Uncle Tseng who is a black bean farmer offered great help. Finally, we would like to thank the owner of Yong Hsing Soy Sauce Plant. He personally demonstrated and explained the production process. With his introduction, we got to know handmade soy sauce into depth. By visiting Yong Hsing Soy Sauce Plant, we witnessed an industrial model which safeguards traditions and sticks to quality.

Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (optional)

We didn’t realize that there was more than one method to produce soy sauce until we further explored it. It takes a couple of days to complete chemical soy sauce at a low cost. But chemical soy sauce brings the biggest issues. While producing chemical soy sauce, hydrochloric acid is used to decompose protein so as to obtain amino acid. 3-MPCD, a substance causing cancer, is produced in the process of making chemical soy sauce. It is considered qualified as long as its content is lower than the standard. However, people’s health may be influenced if it is taken a lot. Contrarily, traditional handmade soy sauce is produced by following natural principles. It takes longer time and more efforts to make but it tastes natural and healthy. Through this research project, we realize that technology doesn’t necessarily bring substantial benefits and tradition doesn’t necessarily mean “being out of date”. Living in a technologically advancing time, we should re-digest our ancestors’ wisdom from time to time.