In Meinong folk village, we were given free time to walk around and buy souvenirs. I tried the winter melon milk tea in one of the stores while many others tried the 'lei cha', a popular type of Hakka food, which consists of green tea and beans. We also saw a man who used a saw, a broom, and empty toothpaste tubes to make music.
In the Hakka museums, we learnt about the Hakka's history, clothing, food, etc. They had in total five great migrations. They lived in the mountains and planted tea leaves. They also instilled moral values, such as respect, into a child at a very young age.
In the museum of history, we learnt about the 228 disaster which was caused by a government agent accidentally killing a bystander during a raid on untaxed cigarettes, leading to a rally on the following day.
The British consulate was a headquarters for the Japanese for a certain period of time. 3/4 of it was destroyed at one point in time. It is located at the top of a hill.
Lastly, we visited the Liuhe night market. We bought the famous smelly tofu, and a Turkish ice cream which was unique and interesting. We also played one of the games and won a soft toy. Although I was a vegetarian and couldn't eat much, I enjoyed myself there.
Day 3
In the morning, we went to tour around Ten Drum village, a small hotel where we were staying at which was located near the countryside in Tainan. It specialises in drums as you can tell from the name.
It used to be a sugar factory but now it is used as a hotel and a place to practice drums. We viewed a room which good ten drums inside and the guide asked us to hit each drum thrice, to gain health, wealth, etc.
Each drum had a specific name such as '添丁鼓', which was to wish for more children to pass on the family when you hit the drum thrice.
We also watched a performance where the professionals showed off their skills. I felt that it was interesting as most of the performance was done in the water and some wushu was incorporated into it too!
Day 4
In the morning, went over to zhengxin High School for an exchange program with the students there. We were warmly welcomed by the principal, teachers and students of Zhengxin and then proceeded to enjoy the performances put up by Zhengxin and showcase our own performances.
After that, we went to attend lessons with the senior high section of the school. I went to the Geography class. We watched a movie called 'whale rider'.
Later in the afternoon, we had a hands on pineapple tart making session. We then proceeded to 华山国小. I was very impressed by the children there as they were very young but played the violin together nicely, without scores. They also had great presentation skills and were confident when presenting, and this is something we can learn from them.
Day 5
Today we went to the towel factory where they made cakes and cute things out of towels. We had a DIY session where we made a puppy with a towel. We also walked around and viewed the other towels. There was a very big towel, used as a colorful wallpaper, and also a beach umbrella made of blue and white fabric. Of course, that would not be advised to be used in a rainy weather.
Also, we went to a puppet museum and watched a puppeteer introduce different characters that usually appear in shows. It was really interesting as we could see the performance from the puppeteer's point of view and learnt the tips and tricks.
Day 6
In the morning, we took part in the junior high section's geography lesson. We compared the costs of things, houses, and salaries in Taiwan and Singapore. We also compared land size, population, and jobs. It was very fun as we got to know more about each other's countries.
Then, we had English. They were reading the Aesop fables, and we discussed a few questions. The teachers then got some boys to act the fables out.
In the afternoon, we headed to Taichung with our buddies and their families and walked around Sogo. Then we came back and ate steamboat. Although the trip was not well-planned, I had a lot of fun with the family.
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