Day 11 - Making paper

Today’s Programme
Morning	To Learn the Quintessence of Chinese culture - Making Paper
Afternoon	To visit Central Taiwan Science Park
Evening	Activity of Team
Hotel	Crown Hotel, TaiChung

That morning, we went to the paper factory. That factory is still producing paper by hand while the others are now using machines. They took us around the factory (not large) to see how they make paper. Then, they provided a making paper workshop for us. They showed us how to make an A4 paper by:

1. Spin the wood issue until it’s mushy
2. Put the sieve into the mixture of the waste from spinning and water, then shake it until the water is all gone.
3. Pull the paper, using a little water, from the sieve
4. Wait for a couple of days until it’s all dry (We could cover it with wooden boards and put it in pushing machine to get rid of water quickly, but this method won’t get very good quality paper)
5. Put the almost-totally-dry paper on the laundry and use the brush to make it smooth and wait until the steam’s gone.

After finishing a normal paper, they let us make another one. Before getting rid of the water from the second piece of paper, we had to make a colorful pattern by using a smaller sieve and put our hand on the sieve before putting it into the mixture. We then place the small colorful paper on the big one. It looks cool when it’s dry ^_^

Then they taught us how to make a paper fan. It was easy, just stamping the pattern on the paper, then gluing it with plastic profile and decorating the rim. Mine wasn’t very great but Main Bao, my Fu Dao Yuan, borrowed it from me to show it to the OCAC committees on the ending ceremony too hehe.


On the way back to TaiChung, we had Chinese karaoke in the bus. I actually wanted to have a nap, but I couldn’t resist what my heart desired :-D I joined them singing the songs I knew (just humming, I cannot read traditional Chinese)

We arrived at TaiChung in the afternoon, but we had to visit the Taichung National Science Park first.

I thought it was a museum, but it was like the Board of Investment or the Software Park in Thailand. It’s the place where the Taiwanese government provides cheap business area with governmental supports. The speakers spoke first in English with Chinese accent then in Chinese, but it was good ‘cos I understood what they said. The Video presentation was also conducted in English. P’Orn, the Chinese export, got problem ‘cos it was in English. She asked us to translate but my translation skill was poor hehe. Some of us were asked by the Fu Dao Yuans to ask questions. We asked questions in English but it looks like the speaker’s English wasn’t very good. They didn’t exactly answer what we asked.

Leaving the Science Park, we were brought to the Taichung Metropolitan Park which was located on the hill. We could see the whole city form there. It was beautiful but it was very hot there.


Arriving at the Taichung Crown hotel again, the hotel was preparing for a party (to welcome us back hahaha). I didn’t give an interest to the party area, but after finishing dinner, while I was packing my stuff into the small bag ‘cos we were not supposed to get anything from our luggage for 7 days until we reached Taipei (they moved our luggage to Taipei), I heard a dance song loudly. I only thought that there’s some fun activities there, so I went to the window in front of the room where I could look down to the place between the two buildings of the hotel (in front of the temple). I was a little shocked as there were two girls in bikini dancing sexily. I was like “Oh my god!! It’s in the front of the temple, how dare they do that?”. All girls were excited. We reserved all the windows on our floor to look at the show.

When the sexy show was done, our focus was at the second floor of our building (I was on the fourth). There was a couple at the balcony of the second floor. A young couple was xxxly flirting. We were having fun gossiping them because they were like ready-to-make-love. They didn’t even notice that we took their pictures with flash :-P

At the night I had heard the Chinese song loudly. It was a kind of religious ceremony, they were paying respect to something, but it was too late at night. I didn’t bother looking at the whole ceremony.