The Department of Architecture at Mingchuan University received a subsidy from the Ministry of Education’s Study Abroad and Dreams Program. In recent years, the school has been subsidizing students’ overseas internship expenses. This summer, five students traveled to Japan to participate in a Japanese ex-situ teaching workshop and overseas internship organized by the program. Li Zhiyu, an associate professor of Renmingchuan Architecture, accompanied three students. Four students were from Van Collar in Kofu, Japan, and one student was interning at the Mitsubishi Design Institute in Tokyo, Japan.
The internship site in Kofu was a century-old house on the mountain. I assisted with the local forest restoration and activation plan. Not only did I practice, but I also learned traditional Japanese woodworking techniques. Axes, saws, planers, and chisels may seem simple, but in fact, they are not easy to master. The history of these techniques can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty. Japan, a country prone to natural disasters like typhoons and earthquakes, has preserved many ancient wooden construction techniques passed down through generations. During the internship, the wood craftsman taught us the construction method of the traditional wood craft called passed down for centuries. Another classmate was selected to work at the Mitsubishi Design Office in Tokyo, Japan after an interview. Both groups of students also spent weekends experiencing the local culture and customs over the 30-day program. The program host, Associate Professor Li Zhiyu, also visited Tokyo during this time. He also visited Takaharu Tezuka’s laboratory and signed an overseas internship cooperation agreement with Takaharu Tezuka and Yui Tezuka. It is anticipated that Mingchuan Architecture will offer more overseas internships next year, establishing a stronghold.
