Six stops that turn our town into an English lesson — from a Qing admiral to a high-speed train. 六個站，把我們的小鎮變成一堂英語課——從一位清代提督，到一列高速列車。
A child who can talk about their own hometown in two languages owns it twice. These six places are all within Taibao — the town our school has watched over for more than a hundred years. Walk them with us, in English and in Chinese.
一個能用兩種語言聊自己家鄉的孩子，那個地方便兩次成為他的。下面六個地方都在太保——這座我們學校守望了一百多年的小鎮。用英文、也用中文，跟我們走一遍。
Our town is named after a person. Wang De-lu was born here in 1770 and became a naval Supreme Commander — the highest-ranking official Taiwan produced under the Qing. After his death he was honoured with the title “Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent” (太子太保), and the village renamed itself Taibao in his memory.
我們的鎮，以一個人為名。王得祿 1770 年生於此地，官至水師提督——清代官位最高的台灣人。他身後獲追贈「太子太保」頭銜，村庄便以「太保」為名來紀念他。
In the heart of Taibao stands Fuji Temple, whose main deity is the Seven Star Goddess (七星娘娘) — a protector of children. The temple keeps a plaque donated by Wang De-lu himself in 1813, and is treasured for its master temple paintings. For a school, it is a fitting neighbour: a place where the town has long prayed for its young.
在太保的中心，矗立著福濟宮，主祀「七星娘娘」——庇佑孩童的神明。廟裡保存著王得祿於 1813 年親獻的匾額，並以國寶級的彩繪聞名。對一所學校而言，這是再合適不過的鄰居：一個小鎮長久以來為它的孩子祈福的地方。
Beside the temple, the Wang Family Shrine honours the admiral's lineage. Inside are relics said to belong to Wang De-lu himself — swords, armour, the implements of a sailor-general's life. Stone lions, flagpoles, and zodiac carvings stand in its courtyard. History here is not in a glass case far away; it is around the corner from the school gate.
就在廟旁，王氏家廟供奉著這位提督的家族。裡頭存放著相傳屬於王得祿本人的文物——刀劍、盔甲，一位水師大將生活中的器物。石獅、旗杆與生肖石雕立在庭院裡。這裡的歷史，不在遙遠的玻璃櫃中；它就在離校門轉角不遠的地方。
Opened in 2015, the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum sits in Taibao as a museum of Asian art and culture. It was built here under a national vision — “balance the north and south, share culture evenly.” Our children grow up minutes from one of Taiwan's great museums; some of them will guide visitors through it one day, in two languages.
2015 年啟用的故宮南院，座落於太保，是一座亞洲藝術與文化的博物館。它在「平衡南北、文化均富」的國家願景下建在這裡。我們的孩子，在距離台灣偉大博物館之一只有幾分鐘的地方長大；他們之中，有些人有一天會用兩種語言，帶著訪客走過它。
Taibao is home to the THSR Chiayi Station — the high-speed rail that runs the length of the island. The whole of Taiwan passes through our town on its way north and south. A child who lives by a gateway learns early that the world is reachable, and that the world can reach them too.
太保是高鐵嘉義站的所在地——那條貫穿整座島嶼的高速鐵路。整個台灣，南來北往，都會經過我們的小鎮。一個住在門戶旁的孩子，很早就學會：世界是可以抵達的，而世界，也可以抵達他們。
Taibao is not only a town — it is the seat of the Chiayi County government, where decisions for the whole county are made. To grow up at the county seat is to grow up where things are decided. We hope our children leave us able to speak, in two languages, about the place they come from — and one day, to help decide its future.
太保不只是一個小鎮——它是嘉義縣政府所在地，整個嘉義縣的決定在這裡做成。在縣治長大，就是在「事情被決定的地方」長大。我們希望孩子離開我們時，能用兩種語言，談論他們所來自的地方——並且有一天，幫忙決定它的未來。
A name from the sea, a goddess who guards children, a museum at the gate, a train to everywhere — and one old school in the middle of it all. 一個海上來的名字、一位守護孩童的神明、一座門口的博物館、一列通往四方的列車——以及，在這一切中間，那一所老學校。