Directed by the Associate Professor of Dept. of Architecture (DOA) Huang Jui-mao, senior student Tseng Zi-yun incubated an activity called “Kimino Party: Revisiting Chongjian Street,” attempting to call people’s attention to the destiny of old street. Chongjian Street, located along the Damsui River, is going to be torn down and re-establish into a wider road. On May 28, Tseng led some TKU students and Tamsui people to wear kimonos designed by the students of DOA. They took pictures at the antique old street, as if they were in a Kyoto scenery.

In order to save Chongjian Street and preserve the historical construction, Tseng and many of her good friends conceive a series of events including this “Kimono Party”. They confer with local personalities about borrowing the house in No. 28, Chongjian Street, and turn it into a complex Costume House. The House is not only the kimono dressing room of the young people, but also the meeting place and classroom of local people. Tseng says smilingly, “The emphasis of the party is not on kimonos, but on reconstructing the old street!” In order to attract young people to join the activity, she particularly chooses kimonos as the advertising media, not only because the fans of Japanese comic book and Idol Drama like kimonos, but also because everyone can wear kimonos. In order to publicize her idea, she even attends the class with kimono, which indeed attracts many students’ attention and enquiry.

The series of kimono events have endured for two months, and about 50 persons wearing the kimonos have been token pictures. Tseng says that, “Students of DOA are also good at designing clothes!” After class, she uses her DOA background to get some cases of drafting, and then puts all the money she earned into the Costume House. Tseng hopes that she could begin the reconstruction from the Costume House, and then spread out over the street, and finally save Chongjian Street from being torn down.

From buying the cloth, designing, to tailoring, the all processes of making kimonos are done by Tseng’s hands. Every week at the Costume House, people can see the students of DOA wearing the kimonos, shuttling between the Jhongjheng Rd. and Chongjian Street, introducing the histories of the streets to the tourists. They also invite the visitors to wear kimonos they designed to travel around Tamsui, experiencing a special and meaningful Tamsui tour. (~ Amanda Yen )