set in the lush steep hills of taichung off the taichung dock road (or the taichung boulevard) as it has been now re-christened is the tunghai campus. a university that was born out of the amalgamation of many christian institutes after being ousted from the mainland by mao. designed by i m pei on the lines of an american campus- a mall climbs the pedestrian tree lined mall towards the library. on both sides the department buildings are low slung courtyard houses- like a traditional chinese university. the science college, the arts college, the administration.
at the lower end of the mall is the luce chapel- off centre and standing glowing gold on a bright green lawn. a tourist attraction that has people taking photographs leaping from its sloping walls on the weekend. the two walls meet in a strip of light inside and the gridded walls swoop away to the sides. the choir sings some evenings.
the architecture school is not on this main mall. instead it lies on a road that runs parallel to it- along the languages school and the design school. the architecture building is modelled on the harvard gsd model- terrace studios rise along the hill and a stairway grows narrower and narrower as it climbs. the heart of the building is the double heighted atrium where introduction ceremonies and other rituals happen. overlooking this are the staff rooms. a courtyard lies between these with the library n the other end.
further down the hill is the latest extension of the campus- with the management school and the music and art school. brutal concrete curves curve to the ground making canopies and atriums in which students play pianos are softened by a turf roof.
\i lived close to this campus in a two storied apartment complex meant for young visiting teachers and older faculties. i had to walk all the way uphill every day to get to school. along the way was the mansion of the president of the university.
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