About Changhua County: The terrain of Changhua County as an isosceles triangle, located in central Taiwan. It is a place where is full of cultural atmosphere and a deep sense of hospitality, although it is the smallest county in Taiwan, its geographical advantage made Changhua County one of the earliest developed regions. Another geographical advantage, flat and fertile plains, makes it an agricultural development county in Taiwan as well.
The Origin of Changhua County: Changhua formerly known as "Boun-Sehun", was named after one of Pingpu aboriginal tribes. It has been renamed as Changhua in the reign of Yongzheng, Qing Dynasty. According to the governor of Fujian, Wang Shaolan in “Inscription of Changhua County” suggests its name as Changhua intended to demonstrate the meaning of the imperial at the period.
Traveling Spots: Tourist resources of Changhua are abundant and diverse, all well worth a visit. Whether bathing in secluded forest or mountain scenery, green landscape, sunbathing and playing by shoreline, cultural tour, exploring the monuments. Likewise, Great Buddha statue of Baguashan, a landmark of Changhua, Matsu Tin-Hau Temple, the 3rd monument, where people worship a Chinese Goddess of the sea, and Chingshuiyan, a county monument, where people worship Guanyin known as Mercy Goddess and other famous attractions are not to be missed. In addition to trickles, fertile plains, and growing crops, there are also many talents been cultivated here, for instance, many distinguished artists, famous writer, Hung Hsing-fu, contemporary artist, Hung Tunglu, advertising director, Tsie Guangcheng, and ecological photographer, Tsai Meng-Shin and countless professionals, are offspring of Changhua. Changhua can be said a remarkable place nursing outstanding and talents.
Our topical research summary: The topic of this research is Tsai Meng-Shin who won the 5th place of 2013 world rankings in Photographic Society of America (PSA). Photography has been very interesting to us whom attend photography courses at school, taught us how to take videos, photos, etc. Furthermore, many photographical professionals are invited to give speeches which we benefit a lot from. Whereas the school instructor invited Tsai Meng-Shin for a speech, which was our first acquaintance of him. Surprisingly, such a well-known distinguished photographer having taken so many top-notch ecological photographs is also from Changhua. We admire him the most that his life style and his photography course, especially his patience and never-ending enthusiasm towards photography. Consequently, this drives us to dig further and understand Tsai Meng-Shin better.
School facilities: This study has carried out at one of our school computer labs. Two main cables are a 60M fiber-optic cable and a 100M TANET fiber-optic cable. The network of each computer at school is linkable. Additionally, the electronic device is perfect and available in every classroom for our query search and use, so as Wi-Fi is available at administrative area such as offices and the library.
Difficulties and Challenges:
Time limitation:
We carried out this project at duration of school days. We can only sacrifice nap time and lunch time to discuss at a computer lab. Although the time was only thirty-five minutes for each gathering, we pooled all resources, and accumulated them bit by bit. Limited condition is still able to accomplish the plan and our determination. There is no such climate as giving-up among all of us. We fully took advantages of all resources and time we had. No matter on holiday or at night, as long as we were free, we searched information at home and then used a network drive uploaded progress, or reported the progress on Facebook and interacted with each other.
Data Collection:
Nowadays, the Internet is well developed, searching for information is not difficult; however, neither retrieving nor drawing the complex information from the parties is easy. We had to be selective. In order to find useful information, we carefully selected with keywords and likewise, we needed to consider the correctness of the network information we found.
Preparation:
Most of our information comes from interviews. Before interviews, we ensured the content was structured and concerned the depth of our questions. We thought everything was being considerate; on the contrary, what we were facing is way beyond our imagination. For instance, if we asked too many open-end questions or questions were too simple or limited, the interviewees would wonder why bothered to have this interview. During the interviews, we had to focus on taking notes, record the process and keep alarm in case whether there was any non-expectations coming. After the interviews, we needed to be detail-orientated and patience while organizing the transcripts.
Precious time:
Since Tsai had bitten by tsutsugamushi accidentally in Orchid Island, his immunity decreased that he underwent chemotherapy as we had the interview; consequently, we needed to coordinate his physical condition, so time became more compact.
Experiences: In this ingenious opportunity, we has had a chance to be a part of this blog project, a sincere practical. Our lives in senior high school were tiring and all members were not related to each other, after all we had encountered, our feelings towards to each other is as firm as a family. We developed tenaciously. We shared a same goal and coordinated with each other. The purpose of this project is to let us learn, listen and follow Tsai Meng-Shin with his photographic skills and mentality; as a result, our thoughts and skills to capture images of ecology are more robust. More importantly, we learn to be proactive, problem solving and consistency. We benefit not only for our techniques of photograph but also for self-development.
Tsai’s enthusiasm towards ecology and photography is far beyond everything. His dedication and respect to ecology reflects to his life and cannot be ignored. He likes to talk about his lifestyle in a humorous way as a patchwork of memories pieced Tsai's concern about ecology.
After the interview, we went on field with Teacher Tsai, we witnessed his diligence to both ecology and photography. What firmly made our eye-opened that student-teacher interaction, and cognition towards creatures, only at glance, he can recognized the species and its biological habits. With this experience truly multiplied and sharped our skills, we are confident to say that we had undoubtedly the best practice and level-up ourselves.
This blog project is to encourage students at all levels to perform and practice all techniques through case studies and teamwork which help all students explore local culture and native environment. The participants can learn not only these, but a focus on the ability to identify and dialogue with the people that stand behind the meaning. Such skills cannot learn from books. Practice is, however, the only way to sharp and well versed in skills makes the place of this blog project in our minds.