A thick layer of early winter fog envelops the mountain forests along the road that leads from world-famous Sun Moon Lake to Tannan village. Two years after the 9/21 earthquake, there are still damaged stretches that are under repair, causing clouds of dust to permeate the air. We reach Tannan Village after following the mountain road for a little more than ten minutes, and find Tannan Elementary adjacent to the slope that supports the community center.

The village is situated in Nantou County's Hsinyi Rural Township. The majority of its residents-slightly over 600 in total-are Bunun aborigines who support themselves by cultivating longxucai ("dragon's whiskers") and betelnut. Established in 1951, Tannan Elementary is a "miniature" elementary school with only 12 teachers and a little more than 80 students.

Resuscitating the village

The devastating earthquake two years ago-the biggest in 100 years-caused 70 of the village's 156 residences to collapse, not to mention the 30-plus houses that were left partially crippled by the disaster. While fortunately only one individual received minor injuries, none of the public buildings, including Tannan Elementary, the police station, and the village's Catholic church, were left unscathed-in fact, most were totally destroyed. Moreover, access to the outside world was completely severed for a week.

In November of 1999, Chen Shui-bian, who at the time was a presidential candidate, made an appearance at Tannan village. As soon as he learned that the nation's NGOs had yet to address the crisis, he appealed to Continental Construction Company for assistance.

At approximately the same juncture, the Catholic Hsiaoming Foundation, the Kanyuan Foundation, the World Outlook Foundation and a handful of other charitable organizations provided timely disaster relief. Things really took a turn for the better when Continental Construction Company generously donated NT$60 million in the name of the Hao Ran Foundation.

Hao Ran Foundation executive Lin Ming-hung notes that the foundation spent half a year in correspondence with the community residents, students, and teachers, and asked two architects to provide models for the new school. In the end, architect Chiang Le-ching's Aboriginal-themed design earned the greatest approval.

Chiang Le-ching's ties to the Bunun tribe extend back 20 years to her student days, when she did church work at Chuping village. Not long after the 9/21 earthquake, she accompanied a priest to the mid-central Taiwan disaster zone in order to assess conditions in the area. Tunghai University's department of architecture at that time had assembled a "Tunghai Construction Team" and headed out to Tannan. Upon seeing what resembled the aftermath of an aerial bombardment, the teachers and students, as well as Tunghai alumna Chiang Le-ching, subsequently decided to dedicate themselves to the village's reconstruction.

"The local scenery is so beautiful. With such beautiful mountain forests, the buildings have to mesh with the natural environment." It is on this principle that Chiang based her design.

Knowledge storehouse

Completed last year in October, the new school uses archetypical Bunun house design as its model, with a three-segment floor plan, windowless front eaves and skylights. Yet even amidst its symmetry, there is still plenty of room for variation.

The foundation of Tannan Elementary encompasses a meager area of 3300 square meters, but Chiang was able to deliver maximum results from the less-than-optimal circumstances. Her multi-layered design transcends the constraints of space, seemingly creating it out of nowhere.

The hallowed centerpiece of a traditional Bunun home is the millet storeroom; at Tannan Elementary, the school library assumes that central role, symbolizing the storage of knowledge. Outside the library, the first floor allots ample space for a half outdoor stage that carries out both performance and ceremonial functions. The second floor houses the classrooms where the Bunun children study. Finally, there is the lofty watch tower that acts as clock tower, water tank, and flagpole.

The school's construction uses steel T-beams and translucent, high-resistance polycarbonate panels as well as other modern materials. These materials are melded into Aboriginal-style slate slabs, allowing the school to blend into its rustic setting.

The track is the school's most astonishingly original facet, and is the first of its kind in Taiwan. Given the tremendous importance that the village attaches to its annual sports day, it was imperative that the school include a track. As limited area posed a problem, the track was built around the school building.

In addition to the solid reconstruction of the school building, the Hao Ran Foundation further enlisted experts to make a study of Tannan cloth weaving and dyeing techniques, traditional architecture, and the local flora. The hope is that these will later become the backbone of the community's economic renewal.

Lin Ming-hung points out that the foundation had originally intended to assist with the rebuilding of the village's homes. Later on, it became clear that many Aborigines had not addressed the issues of property inheritance and property transfer, or in other cases, possessed houses that sat on government property. In the end, in the face of such unclear property rights, the foundation was forced to give up the notion.

Moreover, the residents of Tannan village have always supported themselves through farming and manual labor, but the nation's current economic lull coupled with the presence of foreign labor has caused unemployment rates to increase steadily. The consequences of Typhoon Toraji last year, erosion, and the loss of arable land, have deepened the region's economic turmoil, further impairing the prospects of reconstruction. At present, only five or six houses are under construction. Fortunately, the Aborigines are optimistic by nature, and their life in the mountains is simple; thus, life in the village goes on.

The seeds of culture

Long before the construction of Tannan Elementary was initiated, the Hao Ran Foundation, the building contractor, and the "Tannan Community Renewal Committee" had held several discussions. Eventually, they decided to involve as many of the village's skilled workers as possible, while still maintaining the quality of the project; in this way, the reconstruction would help boost the quality of village life.

Chiang Le-ching indicates that one of Tannan Village's previous reconstruction plans, the "Bununka Community Cultural Center," had followed this model. The cultural center, which was sponsored by the Taipei International Lion's Club, honored the wishes of both the village elders and the reconstruction committee by using stone slabs in the design. Tunghai University's architecture team, the group responsible for the design, after discussing with structural engineers utilized a "sandwich" technique to build the walls. The walls' outward appearance preserves tradition in its use of stone slabs from 40 to 50 centimeters thick. However, the interior of the walls is made of steel-reinforced concrete, allowing them to satisfy structural safety requirements in addition to displaying traditional features.

The road to renewal is long, but the school authorities and community residents are adapting to the new space. However, outside help cannot last forever, so Lin and Chiang hope the completion of Tannan Elementary will help provide impetus for the village's complete renewal. "Two years after the quake, there are only two things to be proud of: the cultural center and Tannan Elementary," opines Pai Chien-lin, a Tannan Elementary worker and former president of Tannan Elementary Parents Association.

The seeds of renewal have been planted at Tannan village-the only thing now is to wait for them to bud.

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A unique solution to the problem of limited space, Tannan Elementary's school track encircles the school, giving the Hsinyi Rural Township's Bunun children an outlet for their youthful energy.

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Imbued with the spirit of Bunun culture, the school walls symbolize the beginnings of cultural renewal.

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Tannan Elementary and the church opposite it provide the foundation of Tannan village's reconstruction.