Penghu County Pengnan Junior High School — Penghu "Gaishui"

In the 2019-2019 academic year, our school implemented the "Manhole Covers with Meaning" curriculum module, achieving remarkable results and winning the Ministry of Education's "Cross-Discipline Aesthetic Leadership Award" in 2020. To continue and deepen this achievement, this curriculum will further integrate local cultural representative colors and community characteristic patterns, and plan to complete the design map of manhole covers in the five townships and one city of Penghu County, developing a "Penghu Manhole Cover Map" with local spirit and cultural identity.

According to a survey by domestic media, manhole covers ranked seventh among the "Ten Ugliest Streets in Taiwan" due to their monotonous designs and tendency to slip, leading to accidents. However, a Japanese street observer pointed out, "Appreciating manhole covers is also appreciating a city." This shows that with careful design, manhole covers can be transformed into street art, becoming an important medium for showcasing local cultural aesthetics.

Although small in size, manhole covers are distributed throughout the city, forming part of infrastructure and serving as an important element of the urban landscape, possessing the potential to become carriers of cultural creativity. Through design and beautification, manhole covers can integrate local culture and historical symbols, not only enhancing the aesthetics of the urban landscape but also strengthening residents' cultural identity and becoming highlights for promoting cultural tourism.

The integration of cultural and creative industries with manhole cover design showcases the innovative spirit and cultural connotation of urban landscape design. By incorporating local symbols, traditional totems, or historical stories into manhole covers, cities can highlight their uniqueness and provide residents and tourists with a deeper cultural experience.

This course focuses on "aesthetic literacy," aiming to cultivate students' appreciation for beauty in everyday life. Through in-depth study of "manhole cover maps," and in collaboration with Chung Cheng Junior High School's inter-school partnership mechanism, students will jointly create manhole cover design maps for the five townships and one city of Penghu County. The goal is to develop students' aesthetic perception of public spaces and to cultivate their ability to create aesthetically pleasing works with personal style and local imagery.