Want to score a 100 on an exam? A red beam bridge with the likeness of the “100” mark on a test paper in Hsinchu County’s Beipu Township has become a new tourist attraction for students to pray for good luck before an exam.
Across the bridge is the village of Nanpu, which in recent years has successfully developed agricultural tourism. The red arch bridge has also turned into an appealing landmark in the region, of which tourists take souvenir pictures. Since the design of the beam structure bears a resemblance to the “100” mark in red ink on a test paper in grade schools, it has acquired the nickname “100 Point Bridge.”
Yang Wen-kuo, director of the Beipu Commercial Zone, says that the bridge in Nanpu does have relevance to elementary school students. When the construction of the bridge was completed in 2000, it happened to be the 100th anniversary of the Beipu Elementary School nearby. The township office thus accepted the suggestion from local residents that the bridge be designed based on the Arabic numeral “100” in commemoration of the school’s anniversary. But not very many people know of this story, he says.
Since school started, quite a few parents have taken their children to Beipu Township and had pictures taken with the bridge during holidays in order to encourage them to study hard. Some parents even printed out the pictures and put them on their children’s desks at home, hoping to ensure that their offspring pass their exams with flying colors. Internet users predict that the “100 Point Bridge” may replace the “Jhueifen” — literally meaning “catch up on scores” in Chinese — and “Chengkong” — meaning “success” — railway stations in Taichung County as a new scenic spot for students to pray for good luck in exams.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY THEODORE YANG)
考試想得一百分嗎?新竹縣北埔鄉有座「百分橋」,紅色鋼樑線條如同小學生考卷上常見的「100」,遊客發現後傳開,意外成了考前祈福、朝聖的新景點。
從北埔市區過了這座橋後的南埔村,這幾年發展觀光休閒農業有成,這座漂亮的紅色拱形鋼樑大橋也成了遊客喜歡停留拍照的地標,而且有人發現這個「100」的鋼樑線條圖案,和小學生考卷上老師用紅筆打的100分幾乎一模一樣,「百分橋」的名號就此傳開。
北埔魅力商圈理事長楊文國說,這座南埔大橋還真的和國小學生有關,因為在民國八十九年新建落成時,適逢附近的北埔國小慶祝建校一百周年,在地方人士的建議下,鄉公所讓這座新橋的紅色鋼樑圖案做成阿拉伯數字「100」的造型,只是這段典故知道的人不多。
開學後有不少家長為了鼓勵孩子向學,利用假日帶著他們到北埔來與「百分橋」拍照,回家洗出來放在孩子桌上,鼓勵他們「考試要考一百分!」有網友預言,「百分橋」可能取代台鐵的「追分」、「成功」車站,成為考試祈福的新景點。
(自由時報記者蔡孟尚)
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