太極草坪 Tai-Chi Lawn
Ladies and Gentleman, we have now reached a very special and very important part of our campus. Many universities boast of owning large areas of open space for recreational purposes. But I believe National Central University is the only one that gives its lawns specific names. This one lying in front you is better known as the Tai-chi lawn.
Why is it called the Tai-chi lawn? Well, it has to do with the huge and solemn sculpture standing in the middle of it. The sculpture is carved by the most famous sculptor in Taiwan—Zhu Ming—and is titled “Tai-chi” for it resembles a person practicing Tai-Chi, the ancient art of Chinese self-cultivation. Zhu-ming started to carve a series of sculptures titled Tai-chi at around 1983. As his sculptures won famous awards in America and Japan, some professor suggested that maybe we could put some of his sculptures on our campus to enhance the artistic atmosphere. This piece was put on display at the Olympic games in Seoul, Korea in 1988 and was widely known. So former president (余傳韜) and some professors decided to pay about 3million New Taiwan dollars to purchase this piece.
To the surprise of the university, as the news spread, many students were opposed to it. Because at that time, the fourth girls’ dorm was near completion but the university declared that there was no funding for curtains over the windows to protect the girl students’ privacy. So the students then asked the school authorities not to buy the expensive sculpture, but to purchase curtains for the dorm. “We want the curtains, not the sculpture” was their slogan. I might add here that this was one of the first student protests on campus. This action finally forced the university to come up with more funding to satisfy the need of the girls’ dorm.
Today, as the sculpture is shaped like an arch, the place is highly suitable for children to play games there, such as hide-and-seek. And many students often ask their teachers to hold classes outside on the lawn to enjoy the sunlight and the breeze. Tai-Chi Lawn has become such an important part of our lives that students and faculty member would defend its integrity against efforts to put up new building there. That is why the lawn is still preserved perfectly today despite the desperate need of the university for new buildings.
Ladies and Gentleman, we have now reached a very special and very important part of our campus. Many universities boast of owning large areas of open space for recreational purposes. But I believe National Central University is the only one that gives its lawns specific names. This one lying in front you is better known as the Tai-chi lawn.Why is it called the Tai-chi lawn? Well, it has to do with the huge and solemn sculpture standing in the middle of it. The sculpture is carved by the most famous sculptor in Taiwan—Zhu Ming—and is titled “Tai-chi” for it resembles a person practicing Tai-Chi, the ancient art of Chinese self-cultivation. Zhu-ming started to carve a series of sculptures titled Tai-chi at around 1983. As his sculptures won famous awards in America and Japan, some professor suggested that maybe we could put some of his sculptures on our campus to enhance the artistic atmosphere. This piece was put on display at the Olympic games in Seoul, Korea in 1988 and was widely known. So former president (余傳韜) and some professors decided to pay about 3million New Taiwan dollars to purchase this piece.
To the surprise of the university, as the news spread, many students were opposed to it. Because at that time, the fourth girls’ dorm was near completion but the university declared that there was no funding for curtains over the windows to protect the girl students’ privacy. So the students then asked the school authorities not to buy the expensive sculpture, but to purchase curtains for the dorm. “We want the curtains, not the sculpture” was their slogan. I might add here that this was one of the first student protests on campus. This action finally forced the university to come up with more funding to satisfy the need of the girls’ dorm.
Today, as the sculpture is shaped like an arch, the place is highly suitable for children to play games there, such as hide-and-seek. And many students often ask their teachers to hold classes outside on the lawn to enjoy the sunlight and the breeze. Tai-Chi Lawn has become such an important part of our lives that students and faculty member would defend its integrity against efforts to put up new building there. That is why the lawn is still preserved perfectly today despite the desperate need of the university for new buildings.