Taichung Day 3, Main attraction : Tunghai University !
Fortunately , Auntie Meiyue has a friend who is a former architecture student graduated from Tunghai Uni,
and he is now a part-time lecturer there too.
So I got to visit their studio!
This is one of the things that I'm eager to share about this trip! Hahaha
But still let's start from the beginning of the day.
Walked to the Taichung Main station from our hotel,
as I said in the first post,
it's actually a 10 mins walk, if we took the right route.
Below is the Taichung Main station.
Look how bright it was when it's actually not even 9 in the morning.
Public transport in Taichung is mainly Metro Bus,
which is different from Taipei.
In Taichung, a lot of places can be reach by bus.
And also, because they just launched the system, like how our lrt works, we have to touch the card before and after we go into the LRT, but in Taichung, they just launch this on the bus too.
Hence, they are on a promotion period, so all the bus trips are FOC! LUCKY US!
About half an hour of bus ride, and we are here in Tunghai University!
So green right.
I'd always like how our campus (TARC) are filled with greens,
But seriously, talking about green, our campus is nothing compared to THU.
We are on our way to their canteen for our first meal of the day.
Green green all the way.
The outdoor dining looks like some cafes outdoor seating right.
My bro wasn't posing there he's just too lazy to move his butt while I'm taking a picture of that corner.
Done with breakfast, time to get around ! Can't wait can't wait.
This is the mail room, which used to be a very important place for guys at the time
when mailing is the only way to keep in contact.
And the guys would write love letters and put it into the girl's mail.
那是一个 写情书的时代.
The post office in the campus.
Walking down a little more and we finally saw THIS.
The Luce Chupel, designed by I.M. Pei.
In case you don't know, I.M. Pei is the one who designed THAT thing below.
The Louvre Pyramind in Paris.
The front view of the chapel.
I.M. Pei was also responsible for the master plan and the early development of the campus of Tunghai University, with likely participation by architects Chi-kuan Chen(Chinese: 陳其寬) and Chao-kang Chang(Chinese: 張肇康).
mama looks so young hhahaha
See that orange flower on the tree?
I forgot what flower is that, but according to Uncle Jack (Auntie Meiyue's architect friend),
the flower is supposed to blossom last month, but it's late this year,
so we came just at the time it bloosom. Lucky us!
The clock tower.
According to the students, they have something like a community service,
they have to sweep the campus for a year or so,
and it actually carries marks!
And they have to get the marks in order to graduate!
So if you can't get the marks by the time you are graduating,
you have to stay back another year, to sweep the campus. :O
GREEEEENNNNNNNNN.
The campus, is designed like traditional Japanese buildings,
Where the buildings are aligned along a center axis.
And this pathway is the center axis to the campus building.
It is also open for people to jog in the evening.
At the end of the center axis is the library.
Having a coffee in the Cafe located in the library.
And what, a 7-11 in the campus,
and why must it be so nice?
It can even be compared with the cafes we have here in Msia. -.-
AND YES, THIS IS FINALLY THE MOMENT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.
TUNGHAI'S UNIVERSITY ARCHITECTURE BLOCK.
Walking in. This is actually the back door. You ready?
There aren't any student 'cause they are having their summer break.
And we happened to meet one of the lecturers and he said
the studio is considered tidy on that day.....
And we happened to meet one of the lecturers and he said
the studio is considered tidy on that day.....
They don't have seperate studios or whatsoever.
You notice the different levels? It goes like this.
The first year will sit at the bottom level, and the next year, you will move one level higher.
So the year one at the bottom, year 2 on the second level and on and on.
So this is actually the whole studio, containing all the archi students in one room (or hall?)
This is so much different from our studio. Where we have seperate studios for students of different year.
But, I like the way they change the seat and level thing.
Every year, you get a level higher. Does that somehow gives people some encouragement?
or maybe let them see how far they came and how far more they are heading?
And the seniors really have that 高高在上的感觉
学弟学妹都要抬头看我~ 哈哈哈哈
Okay, imagination run wild. Sorry.
The Bottom level.
Click to see the real image, and see that red writings on the wall, near the cardboard?
"我要上大二" 哈哈哈哈
And this, is the highest level.
I feel like I'm in a refugee camp....... Oh my .....
Are these inspired from Shigeru Ban's refugee camp?
I guessed no one noticed,
but this whole studio hall does not have any air-condition or even fan. Not even one.
They have to bring their own fans, and this building is actually very much enclosed.
And we only stayed in there for half an hour, and we are dying of suffocation, so 'kook' in there.
No fans, No air-con, No nothing.
Imagine the luxury we have, we can even cover ourselves in blanket and sleep in the studio.
Imagine the archi students there during summer, and winter.....
Kesian betul..
Courtyard in the Architecture Block.
No mechanical ventilation but a nice courtyard.
Jiang Jiang! The judgement hall aka presentation hall.
The front, 3 cool words - 建筑系.
They even have a block of their own.
Felt so envious, until I remember we have air-conditioned studio.
So that's all for architecture studio!
You know what is this?
THIS IS THE STUDENT HOSTELLLLL.
LIKE IT SOOOOOOO MUCH.
I forgotten what is this, cause there's too much to see in the campus.
They even have a farm in the campus, A FARM.
cows, goats, geese, ducks, and so much more.
And a factory to manufactured the cow milk.
They even have houses for lecturers and even retired lecturers.
It's like a community rather than a campus.
Stop for Ice-cream!
Postcards!
So excited with the cute packaging,
I forgotten the fact that it's made of milk, which I can't really take it.
Done looking around in THU.
Let's head to the next destination since there's still plenty of time.
This is basically how bus stops look like in Taichung.
Nice like @#$$%^!
Went to 勤美诚品.
Look at the tree trunks.
My brother and I wonder how they put that in,
or did they really knit it along the tree trunks? How long does that even takes?
台中是一个很美丽的城市
文化艺术气息很浓厚的地方
到处都能看得到很有意思的东西、建筑物、艺术品
比起台北 这里的脚步也比较慢
如果还有机会 我想我应该还会再去台中好好看看这个城市.
Around 4 o'clock, we went back to THU and met with Uncle Jack and his friend,
who is his senior when he studied architecture in THU, but he didn't work as architect after he grad.
about half an hour on a car trip, we are at 高美湿地.
Group photo time!
The two handsome on the left, are our Taichung guide-of-the-day hahaha.
That's Uncle Jack on the left, and his senior, Uncle Huai Zhen beside him.
Thanks for giving us the ride, if not for you, we wouldn't be able to see this beautiful place. :)
We actually have to walk further down until the end to see the sunset.
So the walking goes on.
At the end of the walkway, we are actually allowed to take off our shoes and go down to the mud.
I didn't though. Cause I imagines the sticky feeling after that, and what more I'm wearing a sneakers.
So I'd decided to sit and enjoy a little time of my own, while Auntie Meiyue keeps on asking me to go down.
Hahahaha
After the eggyolk disappears, we have to walk back again.
And diiner time ~
米糕
忘了什么面.
总之是个很饱足的晚餐，然后去最后一个地方.
东海艺术街.
It gaves me a very similiar feeling with Ubud, Bali.
But of course, Ubud is cooler. hahaha
Actually we didn't really walk far.
We found this convenience store, mum bought 2 mangoes,
asking the staff to peel for us, we sit in front of the store,
and have a great time laughing and talking there.
Moments like that makes a trip complete.
End of the day, head back to hotel, by bus.
And get ready to head to Jiufen tomorrow!
Day 3, End. :)