How many dominoes can you topple in one go? The current world record is 4,002,146 dominoes! In comparison, the 65,000 dominoes that were toppled at TKU on June 2 was a piece of cake. Nonetheless, it was a feat for TKU who in fact beat Feng-chia University, the previous record holder in Taiwan’s collegiate league (their record was approx. 40,000 dominoes). TKU could have done better had it not been for the earthquake that shook many people out of their sleep the night before, which also toppled some dominoes! This event was organized by the Extracurricular Activities Guidance Section (EAGS) and the venue of the domino extravaganza was held in front of the Shiao Mo Gymnasium. With no pun intended, the name of the event was “Domino Toppling TKU”.

Apparently, Dr. Flora Chang, the President of TKU, did not mind the pun, and gave a speech at the final toppling event. She applauded the dedication of the workers involved who took time and care to set up the dominoes in a span of three days. It demonstrated a great deal of stamina, perseverance, and team spirit from the participants, she said. Despite the hiccup with the earthquake, many people came to witness the event with Dr. Flora Chang pushed the first domino. Once that was triggered, the rest was an exhilarating ride for the onlookers, seeing one domino after another toppled in great speed which created colorful and tantalizing waves. Scream and applauses were heard throughout the whole process, making it a exciting experience for everyone involved. Several media networks were also present to report the event live. Many student would like to see similar events repeated every year.

When the earthquake happened, Kang Zhi-yuan, a sophomore from the Department of International Trade, was among those students who were still arranging the dominoes for the event. According to her, everyone was shocked stiffed as they fear their whole project would be ruined in these few minutes of earthquake. Fortunately, the main cascade was not affected despite some disruption with certain curves. They wanted to arrange over 100,000 dominoes, and because of the earthquake, they managed with over 60,000, which were still enough to beat the record set by Feng Chia University. In the end, their efforts were not in vain as most of Kang and her co-workers managed only 3 hours of sleep in each of the three days spent in preparation. They even got bruises on their knees for knelling on the ground for too long!

Hsieh Ching-tang, the Section Chief of the EAGS, explains that such an event is great for team building, where students can learn principle of cooperation and creativity at the same time. His office will definitely organize more of such an event in the future involving more people so as to create better record. ( ~Ying-hsueh Hu )