Overview of Research Project

1.The internet expo  category that we are participating in:
 Local Music and Art Forms.

2.Our "local community":
The area of Dacun and Yuanlin City was developed by Han Chinese settlers during the Yongzheng period(1723-1735), which was later a part of Yanwu Shangxia Fort. The first settler was Shi Shibang. By around the 16th year of the Qianlong reign, Yuanlin had developed into a street town called "Yuanlinzi Street". Because the early settlers had cleared the land from all directions, leaving circular plots of land as a memorial, it was named Yuanlinzi. The area is also known as "Linzi Street" because of the lush trees surrounding the people’s houses .

Many of the village leaders in Yuanlin also preserved the culture of Beiguan music, such as Dongshan Fongli Yuan in Dongshan Village and Fuxingxuan in Wannian Village, both of which are Beiguan groups with a history of more than a hundred years. In addition, because of Yuanlin's excellent geographical location, some people began to turn surplus fruits from the central and southern regions into preserved fruit candies, making Yuanlin the most famous place for producing such snacks.

3.Summary of Our Project Proposal:    
Beiguan music is an important representation of Chinese culture, especially in Taiwan, where Changhua is known as the stronghold of Beiguan music with the highest number of “Xuanyuan” (Beiguan music groups) members registered. However, due to its aging members, young people are less inclined to join Xuanyuan. The younger generation may also face opposition from parents who have biased views towards the parade culture and may not understand the essence of Beiguan music.

Changhua has a nationally designated preservation group, Lichunyuan, and four county-level preservation groups: Dongshan Fongli Yuan, Changhua Lifangyuan, Lukang Yuchinyuan, and Changhua Rongleyuan. Our school, Dong Shan Elementary School,  is also dedicated to promoting Beiguan music and has a deep relationship with Dongshan Fongli Yuan, which has been in existence for over a century and provides community outreach to pass on this traditional music to the next generation. Therefore, we have decided to utilize the cultural advantages of our location to introduce Beiguan music and showcase its lively atmosphere in daily life, including Beiguan music performances in homes, temple processions, and parade performances.

Dongshan Fongli Yuan, a local Beiguan music group near  Dong Shan Elementary School, was founded by Mr. Lin Chaohu in 1948, and named Fongli Yuan. The group has been passed down for three generations by Lin Chaohu, Cao Changchun, and Cao Rongyuan, who are passionate about traditional arts, Beiguan opera, and music. This group has a history of over a century, and we will focus on Dongshan Fongli Yuan to gain a better understanding of the history and techniques of Beiguan music, and to actively preserve and promote traditional arts and Beiguan music.

   

4.Challenges we must overcome:    
Participating in the 2023 Web Expo is a new learning experience for students. In the past, students were accustomed to being taught by teachers, but this time they need to actively gather information, visit different experts and teachers, and participate in various experiential activities. The change in learning method is the biggest challenge for students. Fortunately, through group cooperation, everyone learned to divide up the tasks, communicate and coordinate with each other, and complete various research and activities one by one.

In addition, we also encountered the problems of insufficient time and inadequate webpage production skills. Because the nine students come from different grade levels and classes, it is difficult to find common times to carry out activities. In order to avoid sacrificing their regular learning time, the research progress is delayed. Time is also required to teach students to be proficient in various application software operations to create a perfect project webpage!

5.Reflection:    
In this 2023 Web Expo, we learned many things that cannot be learned in a regular school. It allowed us to gain more knowledge and common sense as we worked together to complete this activity. Each link was very important and indispensable, so everyone worked hard to contribute to the overall success. What I learned throughout the activity is that it is not easy to be as amazing as these Beiguan teachers. It takes extraordinary patience and perseverance. Each experience is valuable and benefits us greatly.

Participating in this activity gave us the opportunity to deepen our understanding of our traditional culture and promote it through the expo. Perhaps our approach is a combination of technology and culture! We would like for everyone to know that Yuanlin is not just for tourism and preserved fruits, but more importantly, we have the unique traditional culture of Beiguan Music!