Yongkang Junior High School in Tainan City - Four Seasons Taste of Tainan City

In the 18th century, the city was crisscrossed by waterways, which formed a unique network of life for its people. Over time, the waterways that once bustled with small sampans have become old alleyways for tourists to explore, and the manhole covers in these alleyways serve as a testament to the waterways' past existence.
In this course, the art teacher first guides students through the design history of manhole covers, then follows the history teacher to explore the cultural heartland of Tainan – the area around Wutiaogang – to trace the historical lives of early settlers and appreciate its unique aesthetics. Students explore six pedestrian walkways around the Puji Temple and wander along Minzu Road and Ximen Road, collecting necessary course elements. The Chinese language teacher guides students in developing writing skills to construct design concepts. Next, the math teacher introduces different manhole covers from various regions, conducting geometric comparison experiments and discussing geometric properties to establish the relationship between shape and mathematical characteristics. Students practice ruler and compass constructions to design their own mathematical manhole covers. Finally, the art teacher guides students to design a manhole cover image with the theme "Shang Gai Shui" (meaning "Shang Gai Shui"), a characteristic of Yongkang, and also creates a large mosaic wall decoration of the manhole cover to adorn the campus. Finally, in the course taught by the information technology teacher, we learned how to use graphic design software. Using Canva, we designed and arranged images of Yongkang's distinctive manhole covers, along with conceptual text written by classmates, to create cultural and creative products such as heat transfer postcards, eco-friendly bags, and coasters. We also presented our learning results in "Street Corner, Pattern, Local Soul"—Manhole Covers with Art and Science.