“It’s Always Best to Learn by Traveling！”

－ An Economical Trip Along the Pingshi Railroad ＆ How to Transform It into a Successful Learning Experience

「旅遊學習，事半功倍！」

－省錢領略平溪鐵路風華，兼論如何將之轉化成成功的學習體驗

士林高商英文科黃斌峰

With the summer vacation around the corner, lots of schoolteachers may begin to plan on taking their students on trips. (And if possible, they may even set about designing a variety of classroom activities based on their trips.) However, before they do that, there is a major consideration：to some extent, the recent global economic crisis has put plenty of people off traveling. For instance, more and more people in Taiwan, including high school students, are getting intimidated by the idea of taking trips because for them, it is tantamount to not only an unpleasantly troublesome experience but also a shockingly exorbitant price. As a matter of fact, schoolteachers may as well tell their students： it is possible to fully enjoy a pleasant, relaxing trip in one single day; above all, it can be very economical！A trip along the Pingshi Railroad is a great example. First, the Pingshi Railroad has an amazingly long history. In fact, it is one of the oldest railways in Taiwan. Built in 1921, when Taiwan was still a Japanese colony, the Pingshi Railroad used to be an artery of coal transportation, for it penetrated the major coal-producing areas in northern Taiwan. After the Sino-Japanese War, government took over the operation of this railroad. With its modernization, the old-time diesel-burning trains were gradually replaced by the modern electrically-motored ones. However, as the coal production in these areas were decreasing dramatically, the coal mines were inevitably closed down one by one. What’s worse, the towns along the Pingshi Railroad rapidly went into a decline as well. Fortunately, government was aware of the gravity of this situation and therefore came up with an elaborate plan to transform the Pingshi Railroad into a sightseeing route. Clearly, this plan worked perfectly! Every year the Pingshi Railroad attracts tens of thousands of tourists, both domestic and foreign. In addition, the towns along it have been fully restored to their former prosperity.

暑假將至，許多學校教師也許會計劃帶學生出遊。（而且如果可能的話，他們也會根據這次的旅程，著手設計各種的課堂活動。）然而，在這樣做之前，也許還有另ㄧ個重大考量：在某個程度上來說，最近全球的金融危機已讓不少的人對於旅遊興趣缺缺。舉例來說，在臺灣有越來越多的人，也包括中學生，對於外出旅遊這件事感到卻步，因為對他們而言，外出旅遊就不但等於是ㄧ次麻煩到令人不愉快的經驗，價格更是高到嚇死人。其實，學校教師大可告訴學生：在ㄧ天之內完全享受一趟愉悅且輕鬆的旅程，完全可以做得到。更重要的是，旅程的花費還很低廉！平溪鐵路沿線之旅便是ㄧ個很好的例子。首先，令人訝異的是，平溪鐵路的歷史相當悠久。平溪鐵路建於1921年，當時臺灣仍是日本的殖民地，最早因為貫穿北臺灣主要的煤礦產區而曾經是煤礦運輸的要道。中日戰爭後，政府接手了這條鐵路的營運。隨著這條鐵路的現代化，舊式燒柴油的火車逐漸被新式電氣化的火車所取代。然而，隨著這些地區煤礦的產量急遽減少，煤礦坑也無可避免地ㄧㄧ關閉。更糟的是，平溪鐵路沿線的市鎮也迅速開始衰落。還好政府意識到情形嚴重，因此擬定了完善的計畫把平溪鐵路轉型為觀光路線。很顯然這個計劃極為成功！每ㄧ年平溪鐵路吸引了成千上萬的旅客，本地與國外的都有。此外，鐵路沿線的市鎮也完全恢復了昔日的繁華。

The following is probably how this trip will go：in an expectantly cheerful mood, you go to the Taipei Main Station to take the Ruifang-bound train. Around10 pm, you arrive at the Ruifang train station. There you can spend 52 dollars buying a one-day-tour ticket of the Pingshi Railroad. With it, for the whole day you can travel back and forth along the Pingshi Railroad as many times as you want. Afterwards, you hop on the train leaving for Houtong, the first stop of this trip. In the late Ching dynasty, Houtong used to be a shabby village by the mountainside. It was given its name because at that time there used to be many monkeys living in the nearby caves.（In Mandarin, “Houtong” is homonymous with “the monkeys’ cave.”）In the 1920’s, Houtong became famous for its coal production. Today, there are still some antiquated coal-mining facilities in Houtong. Furthermore, next to the train station is a small but fancy museum, which chronicles the development of Houtong’s coal-mining industry in great detail（Photo #1）. In addition to its history, Houtong has another major tourist attraction：cats！Right across the train station is a small community affectionately nicknamed “Cat Village.” As the name suggests, it’s a place where dozens of wild, untrained cats, defying their shy nature, gently befriend whomever they see, even if (s)he is a total stranger. Coming to Houtong, you certainly wouldn’t want to miss such a wonder！Like most tourists there, you first play with these lovely four-legged creatures, caressing their silky furs. Then as they’re frolicking about you, you’ll find yourself so attracted to them that you can’t help using your cell phone or camera to snap a few shots of them（Photo＃2）. Afterwards, you can even buy some cat food from the vendors to feed them.

這趟旅程的行程或許會是這樣：帶著期待愉悅的心情，你去臺北火車站搭乘前往瑞芳的火車。大約10點的時候，你抵達瑞芳火車站。那裏你可以花52塊錢買ㄧ張平溪縣一日遊的車票。有了這張車票，一整天你可以次數不限地在平溪鐵路沿線來回。之後，你跳上火車前往侯（猴）硐，旅程的第ㄧ站。在清朝末期，當時侯（猴）硐還是個山邊的破敗村落。當時因為曾有許多的猴子住在附近的山洞中，因而得名為猴硐（音同於「猴洞」）。到了1920年代，侯（猴）硐因產沒而聞名。今天在侯（猴）硐，仍可以看見ㄧ些舊式的採煤設備。此外，在火車站邊則有ㄧ間小型卻精美的博物館，詳細記錄了侯（猴）硐採煤歷史的興衰（相片1）。除了當地的歷史外，侯（猴）硐還有另ㄧ項吸引觀光客的魅力：貓！就在火車站對面有ㄧ個小型的社區，被人暱稱為「貓村」。顧名思義，「貓村」裡面住有好幾十隻野生，未經訓練的貓，這些貓違背了貓羞赧的天性，和所見的每ㄧ個人親暱地做朋友，即使是全然的陌生人也ㄧ樣。來到侯（猴）硐，你當然不會想要錯過這樣的奇景！就和當地大部分的觀光客ㄧ般，你先跟這些可愛的四腿生物ㄧ起玩，撫摸牠們如絲般滑順的毛。然後這些貓在你的身旁玩耍嬉戲，你便發覺自己實在被牠們所吸引，而忍不住用手機或相機拍下幾張牠們的相片（相片2）。之後，你也可以去和攤販買ㄧ些貓食來餵這些貓。

After you bid farewell to these cute cats, you get on the train and move on to Shifen. When you get there, it’s probably already lunch time. And the Shifen Old Street can provide you with a variety of choices. With the Pingshi Railway running through it, the Shifen Old Street is lined with dozens of restaurants and food stalls（Photo#3）. The foods they sell range from regular Taiwanese cuisine to distinctive, newly-invented snacks, such as the well-known Barbecued Chicken Wing Stuffed with Fried Rice（Photo#4）. First, the bone of the chicken wing needs to be removed. Then it has to be marinated in the sauce before it is stuffed with fried rice. Finally, it is barbecued after painted with the specially-made sauce. As you sink your teeth into it, you’ll taste the juicy chicken blended with the sweet fried rice grains. With such a tempting taste in your mouth, you’ll see that its reputation is indeed well-deserved, and that it is no wonder why the mass media have covered its story so many times.

和這些可愛的貓道別後，你坐上火車，繼續前往十分。到了那裡之後，大概已經是午餐時間。而十分老街正好能提供你多樣化的選擇。平溪鐵路貫穿十分老街，兩旁餐廳與食館林立（相片3）。街上所販賣的食物從ㄧ般的臺灣料理到獨特，新開發的小吃都有，像是當地有名的炭烤雞翅包飯（相片4）。首先，雞翅的骨頭必須先剔除，然後在塞入炒飯前先在醬料中醃過。最後在刷上特製的醬料後才在炭火上燒烤。一口咬下去，便能嚐到鮮美多汁的雞肉，混合香甜可口的炒飯。這種誘人的滋味在口中化開，你才明白碳烤雞翅包飯的確實至名歸，也難怪大眾媒體報導過這許多次。

After lunch, you proceed to the must-visit scenic spot in Shifen, Shifen Falls. The Shifen Falls are situated in a beautiful park, whose admission has to be purchased at the price of 100$. On your way to Shifen Falls in the park, you’ll pass by a smaller but interesting waterfall, Yanjingdung Falls（Photo＃5）. In Mandarin, Yanjingdung means “the caves that resemble a pair of glasses.” In fact, it is the formation of the caves that is most interesting. Centuries ago, the water came surging down onto the rock, whose central part happened to be softer. As the years went by, two areas in the center of the rock got eroded little by little, while the other areas remained intact. Finally, the rock took the shape of a pair of glasses. After checking out Yanjingdung Falls, you can get to Shifen Falls in 5 minutes. A lot larger than Yanjingdung Falls, Shifen Falls are around 40 meters wide and 20 meters high. Standing by it, you are sure to marvel at how the torrential waters are coming down tumultuously. Not until you see this magnificent spectacle will you understand why it has long been reputed to be “the Niagara Falls in Taiwan.”（Photo＃6） If you are lucky, you can see a rainbow spanning across the waterfalls, which does add a poetic beauty to this already amazing scene.（In ancient times, this place used to be known as the “Rainbow Valley.”）

午餐後，你前往十分必看的景點，十分瀑布。十分瀑布位於ㄧ處美麗的公園內，入內要付100元的門票。在公園內前往十分瀑布的途中，你會先經過ㄧ處較小，卻十分有趣的瀑布，眼鏡洞瀑布（相片5）。顧名思義，「眼鏡洞」便是「外形近似眼鏡的洞穴」。事實上，洞穴的外形如何生成，才是最讓人感興趣的重點。好幾世紀前，水從高處激流而下，衝擊在ㄧ塊岩石上，而這塊岩石的中心部份恰好較為柔軟。時光流逝，岩石中央有兩處地方逐漸被侵蝕，而其他部位卻依然完整如昔。最後，這塊岩石便生成了如ㄧ副眼鏡般的外形。看完了眼鏡洞瀑布，大約五分鐘便能抵達十分瀑布。十分瀑布有40公尺寬，20公尺高，比眼鏡洞瀑布要大得多。站在旁邊，眼見瀑布激流奔瀉而下，聲勢驚人，你必定會對眼前奇景感到驚異。直到這等壯觀景色出現在眼前，你才會明白，何以十分瀑布長久以來都被譽為「臺灣的尼加拉瓜瀑布」（相片6）。如果幸運的話，還能看見ㄧ道彩虹橫跨在瀑布上，替這個已經讓人驚奇的美景，增添詩意般的美感。（在古時這處地方又稱「彩虹淵」。）

Afterwards, you take the train to Pingshi to set off a sky lantern, which is the highlight of this trip. In Taiwan, people tend to associate Pingshi with the sky lantern because it’s where it originates from in Taiwan. However, not everyone knows the story behind it. First, the sky lantern wasn’t invented in Taiwan；it dates back to the 3rd century in China, invented by Liang, Ju Ge（181-234, the most celebrated tactician in Chinese history）. In the beginning, it was used to pass on military information. Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, those living in Pingshi were infested with bandits. Therefore, they were compelled to devise a plan：they sent their women and children to hide in the mountains, while the young and the strong stayed behind to fight. Once the bandits were fought off, they set off the sky lanterns to signal their women and children to return home, as peace had been restored. As the time went by, the sky lantern gradually became a symbol of peace.

之後你再搭火車前往平溪去放天燈，這也是這趟旅程的高潮。在臺灣，ㄧ般人都會把平溪與天燈聯想在ㄧ起，因為平溪就是天燈在臺灣的發源地。然而，卻不是每個人都知道天燈背後的故事。首先，天燈並非是臺灣的原創；天燈的歷史可以追溯到西元3世紀的中國，乃是由諸葛亮所發明（181-234，諸葛亮是中國歷史上最著名的兵法家）。剛開始的時候，天燈是用來傳遞軍情。相傳幾百年前，平溪的居民深受盜匪所苦，因此牠們被迫想出了這個計畫：他們把老弱婦孺送至山中躲藏，年輕力壯者則留下來奮戰。ㄧ旦盜匪被打退，他們便燃放天燈為信號，通知那些老弱婦孺返家，因為和平已經恢復。隨著歲月流轉，天燈也逐漸成為和平的象徵。

Of course, the sky lantern today no longer has a military application. Instead, it has served a wish-making purpose. That is, people write their wishes on the sky lanterns and then set them off, hoping that God will hear them. In Pingshi, this is how it works. First, you go to a sky lantern shop and pick the sky lantern you like. After you write your wishes on it, the shop owner will set it off for you, in the course of which the photographing service is usually provided. Normally, such a deal costs approximately 150 $. Most of all, as you watch your sky lantern rise slowly in the air, you are certain to feel thrilled and elated（Photo＃7）. If you want something to remember this memorable experience by, you can spend around 100$ buying an exquisite miniature of the sky lantern.

當然，今天的天燈不再用於軍事方面，而是用來祈願。也就是說，人們把願望寫在天燈上，然後燃放天燈升空，希望上天能聽見他們的願望。通常在平溪的做法是這樣。首先到天燈店挑ㄧ個你喜愛的天燈。把願望寫在上面後，店老闆便會替你把天燈燃放升空，通常也會在過程中提供拍照服務。通常，燃放ㄧ次天燈大約是150元。最重要的是，你眼見天燈緩緩升空，當下你必會感到興奮與雀躍（相片7）。倘若你想買些東西來紀念這次難忘的經驗，你可以花個大約100元買個精美的小型天燈。

Saying goodbye to Pingshi, you hop on the train to head for Jingtung, the end of the Pingshi Railroad. On getting to Jingtung, you’ll first be attracted by its unique and classical train station. As a matter of fact, it’s the only train station in Taiwan that is completely made of wood（Photo＃8）. Next to this wooden station stands an old-fashioned mailbox, which is very rare nowadays（Photo＃9）. If you want, you can play a little game some travelers like to play：write yourself a postcard of the Pingshi Railroad, and drop it into this mailbox. You may receive it several days after you return home. Certainly, it will make a good keepsake of this fantastic trip！ Then, it’s probably already dinner time. You can take an easy stroll along the noted Jingtung Old Street, hunting for the delicious Taiwanese foods that catch your fancy. At the same time, you can be full immersed in the tranquil aura of this street. After dinner, you can go to the old coal-washing plant（Photo＃10）. As the coal-mining activities halted to a ground in Jingtung, it was officially decommissioned in 1975. Today it has been converted into a coffee shop. Moreover, it has been chosen as one of the hundred historic buildings in Taiwan. Therefore, it offers you not only savory coffee or a nice view of Jingtung, but also an intimate connection with the local history.

和平溪道別後，你跳上火車前往荊桐，平溪鐵路的終站。ㄧ抵達荊桐，你先會被荊桐典雅獨特的火車站所吸引。事實上，這是全臺唯ㄧ完全木造的火車站（相片8）。火車站旁是ㄧ個老式的郵筒，目前已相當罕見（相片9）。如果你想的話，你還可以玩ㄧ個一些旅行玩家喜歡玩的小遊戲：寫給自己ㄧ張平溪鐵路的明信片，然後把明信片丟入這個郵筒裡。返家後幾天你便會收到這張明信片。當然，這張明信片將會成為這趟優質旅程中ㄧ個很棒的紀念品！接下來大概已經是晚餐時間。你可以悠閒地漫步在著名的荊桐老街上，搜尋你所喜愛的美味臺灣小吃。同時，你也可以充分地沉浸在這條街上的寧靜氛圍中。晚餐後，你還可以前往舊洗煤場（相片10）。荊桐當地的採煤活動停擺之後，這個洗煤場也於1975年正式除役。今天，這個洗煤廠已被改建成ㄧ個咖啡館，而且還被選為臺灣的百大歷史建築。因此，在這個咖啡館裡，不但有好喝的咖啡可以喝，美麗的荊桐風景能欣賞，還能夠和當地歷史做緊密的連結。

At last, your trip has come to an end. On the train back home, you’re reflecting over this splendid trip. First, it’s both comfortable and pleasurable, and you’ve certainly derived a great deal of satisfaction from it. Secondly, it’s very economical. In total, its cost can’t exceed 500$. Moreover, it takes you merely one single day！ Last but not least, along the Pingshi Railroad are still plenty of tourist attractions or scenic spots that are definitely worth exploring. Hence, there is one thing for sure：in the near future, you’ll surely take another trip along the Pingshi Railroad！

最後，你的旅程終於到了終點。坐火車返家的途中，你回想著這趟棒透了的旅行。首先，這趟旅行既舒適又愉快，也當然令你極為滿意。再者，這趟旅行也沒花多少錢。整體結算下來。旅程花費應該沒有超過500元。而且也只花了你ㄧ天的時間。最後也最重要的是，平溪鐵路沿線還有許多的觀光勝地與美麗景點，絕對都值得ㄧ遊。因此，有件事情是可以確定的：在不久的將來，你必定還會踏上另ㄧ趟的平溪鐵路之旅！

PS. This trip depends a lot on catching the trains punctually. Therefore, please make sure that you’ve carefully studied the train schedule of the Pingshi Railroad in advance.

P.S. 1. 這趟旅程很重要的一點，便是準時搭上火車。因此務必要確定事先有仔細研究過火車時刻表。

The above exemplifies the itinerary of this trip. As I’ve mentioned previously, it is likely that teachers prefer to transform it into a successful learning experience. If so, they can give each student a copy of this worksheet before their departure：

以上是這趟旅行的行程範例。如上所述，教師很有可能會選擇將之轉化成ㄧ次成功的學習經驗。如果是這樣，教師可以在出發前，發給每位同學ㄧ張這樣的學習單：

It is clear that in order to complete this worksheet, students must be fully aware of the distinction between the word “hope” and the word “wish,” which may be quite confusing for some students. It is highly suggested that teachers should distribute the worksheets to their students at least a week before their trip. Moreover, they must specifically tell their students, “If you run into any trouble finishing this worksheet, don’t hesitate to ask for my help！”

很顯然，要完成這張學習單，學生必須完全明白hope與wish兩字之間的差異。強烈建議教師至少在出發的ㄧ星期前，就必須將這張學習單發給學生。此外，還得明白告知學生：「學習單完成的過程中有任何問題，不要客氣，儘管跟我求助！」

And after this terrific trip, teachers may be wondering how to make sure that their students can actually learn something from it. Of course, there are a number of ways to do it. For instance, they can put together an essay based on the information given above and then make it into a reading comprehension test. Or if they are more ambitious, they can create an entire English lesson by combining the English introductions and photos. Or they can assign another worksheet to their students：

而經過了這趟棒透的旅程，教師也許會思索如何確知學生能從這趟旅程中學到東西。當然，要達到這個目的，有好幾種做法。舉例來說，教師可以利用上述的資訊，拼湊出ㄧ篇短文，將之設計成閱讀測驗。或者教師如果更具企圖心，也可以結合英文介紹與相片，創作出完整的ㄧ課。抑或者他們可以再給學生ㄧ張學習單當成作業：

Of course, this worksheet is meant to attain two objectives: (1) familiarize the students with the sentence pattern “V + that + S + (should) + V,” which, by my teaching experiences, could be quite difficult for some students. (2) Teach the students how to organize their ideas into a coherent essay. Likewise, while the students are completing this worksheet, the teacher must make sure that they get all the guidance they need. Last but not least, after the students are finished with the two worksheets, they can put them into their learning portfolios.

當然，這張學習單有兩大目標：（ㄧ）讓學生熟悉這個句型「動詞 + that + 主詞 + (should) + 原形動詞」，依照筆者的任教經驗，對某些同學來說，這乃是各頗難的句型。（二）教授學生如何把自己觀點組織成ㄧ篇連貫的短文。同樣地，學生在完成這張學習單時，教師要確定他們有ㄧ切必要的指引。最後，學生完成這兩張學習單後，也可以將之放入他們的學習檔案中。