Special Thanks and Challenges

Special Thanks

│Photo: The Wondrous Temple Expedition│

Social Service Division, Yonghe District Office

We would like to thank Ms. Huang Shumei of Social Services Division at Yonghe District Office for recommending us to focus our research on Fude Temple on Dianzai Street. Through studying this historic temple, we got a chance to know Taiwan’s traditional folk religion and do in-depth research on how folk religion and the locals interacted with each other. We couldn’t wait until the project is completed so we may share our findings with everyone.

Chairperson, Dianzai Street Fude Temple Foundation

We would like to thank Chairperson Cao for giving us the opportunity to get a first-hand experience working at the temple’s foundation. We learned how the foundation pooled charitable resources together and then channeled them to the right people or group. Chairperson Cao shared her future plans for doing charity work with us, and how she intends to lead the temple to repatriate more back to the community.

Consultant, Fude Temple on Dianzai Street

We would like to thank the temple’s consultant Mr. Zhang for sharing so many stories about the temple with us. His stories made our reports more interesting. Mr. Zhang gave us a tour of the temple and shared interesting stories about different deities, and we also learned more about how to pray at the temple.

Janitor, Fude Temple on Dianzai Street

We would like to thank the temple’s janitors for providing us with so much valuable information even when they were busy. They shared their work experience and their personal stories with the temple. With the hard work from such a dedicated janitorial crew, the temple is able to offer services to people from Yonghe to around the world. Without them, the temple would not be able to operate so smoothly.

Locals

We would like to thank the warm people of Yonghe for accepting our requests for interviews. They answered our questions patiently, so we were able to find out how much do the people of Yonghe know about the temple. We will present these data in our findings on the project website.

Project Teachers

We would like to thank three of our hard working teachers. Before the research, they visited the temple by themselves. During our research, they guided us in doing different activities, such as making stop motion animations, conducting interviews and surveys, making deity puppets, giving guided tours, making storybooks, and performing plays. They steered us into the right direction, and we have all learned so much from them. Without them, we could not have finished the project with such good quality! We would like to thank our teachers for enriching our school lives to their fullest.

School Teachers

We would like to thank the principal, directors, and teachers of Yu-Tsai for giving us their full support in Cyberfair. Along with their encouragement, we were able to complete the researches and activities without a hitch. The school also helped us in out-of-school field studies and researches and in-school activities such as Earth God Week activities. We wouldn’t have done it without the support from school.

Stop Motion Animation Teacher

We would like to thank our stop motion animation teacher Mr. Wu Yenjie. He introduced different types of animations to us and taught us how to film an animation. We were then able to make a stop motion animation to present our research in a more interesting manner.

Parents of Team Members

We would like to thank our parents for supporting every activity that we planned for Cyberfair. They sacrificed their time to help us through. They gave us valuable suggestions for improvement when we were working on the project. We want to thank them for giving us the opportunity to work on such a special project, and the fond memories would be with us forever.

Team Members

We would like to thank everyone on the Cyberfair team for having each other’s back over the past six months. We did so many things together and finished researches from different perspectives. During group discussions, there were great ideas being thrown around, and team work really got things done efficiently. Whenever we came across an obstacle, someone from the team would step up and take the challenge. Our team bonded us closer, and we overcame many difficulties to bring the project to its conclusion.

Activity Assistants

We would like to thank the activity assistants who helped us with the activities. When we were making the deity puppets, the activity assistants sacrificed their nap time and after school hours to help us get the 100 cm puppets done in time. During the Earth God Week, the activity assistants helped us make mochi so the audience was able to enjoy Earth God’s favorite snack.

Our Challenges

│Photo: The Wondrous Temple Expedition│

Collecting Data

‘Deity’ is a very abstract topic. When we were collecting data, there was no way to double-check on the accuracy of information. So we ended up searching for the same thing across multiple websites to cross-check data’s consistency. We also combined interviews with temple staffs and the introduction on the Lunar Calendar as sources of reference for our website.

Interviews and Surveys

We faced a huge setback when we first asked people to fill out the surveys because we interrupted them rudely in the middle of their prayer. Later, we learned to observe and wait for the worshipper to finish praying, and then our success rate got significantly higher!

Time Management

There is always a ton of work to do in Cyberfair, so we must use our free time, such as nap time, after school hours, or holidays, to work on the project. Especially when it comes to examination time, time management was extremely important. After the rigorous training that we had gone through in Cyberfair, each one of us got pretty good at managing our time. We are now able to prioritize tasks according to their level of importance. With good time management skills, we are able to work on the project without hindering school work, and still have time to do things that we enjoy.

Work Efficiency

Efficiency is very important in Cyberfair because when one team member is not efficient, the team will not perform efficiently. Sometimes we may get distracted and started chatting away, our teacher would then intervene and remind us to get back on track. From Cyberfair, we learned the importance of managing time wisely. If we wasted time, we have also wasted everyone’s time. With that in mind, we got things done efficiently so we may have extra time to help other team members out on their research.

Giving Opinions

When I first joined Cyberfair, I did not participate actively in group discussions. I merely agreed to whatever other team members have proposed. However, I gradually realized that if I set my mind to take a stance, I could steer my train of thought toward that direction. Everyone is entitled to giving their opinions, and I have learned to voice my mine.

Expressing Ourselves

While taking parts in the various activities of Cyberfair, I used to have this huge fear of expressing myself in front of an audience. I kept on telling myself to be brave and keep my voice loud, and I gradually got over it. Now, I’m able to conduct guided tours for my schoolmates, service worshippers at the temple, and perform on stage in front of my schoolmates. As long as I have plenty of practices and have confidence in myself, I can do anything! My performance may not be the best, but my courage would propel me to accomplish every mission.

Source Text: The Wondrous Temple Expedition │ Photos: The Wondrous Temple Expedition