2024年1月28日由呂明澐小姐帶領18位祐生見習生及家長們，至新竹寶山進行古法熬糖體驗暨峨眉十二寮時空之旅。上午前往新城風糖休閒園區進行古法製糖體驗，寶山因高溫多雨且土壤為砂質土，適宜種植甘蔗，早期有許多小型製糖廠。導覽員首先帶領眾人抵達甘蔗田，與一般常見市售紅甘蔗不同，眼前專供製糖使用的甘蔗品種為耐病蟲害、纖維硬度及糖分更高的白甘蔗ROC16。導覽員演示砍伐甘蔗及分辨病害的技巧後，由眾人各自砍下比自己還高的甘蔗，接著齊心協力將收穫頗豐的一籃甘蔗運至清洗區，以人工清洗方式去除甘蔗上的灰塵和泥土等雜質。現場除使用機器榨汁機輕鬆榨汁外，也體驗一旁前人使用的傳統木製壓甘蔗機，每一個步驟都是體力和汗水的堆疊。緊接著以灶鼎大火熬煮甘蔗汁，每五到八分鐘以BR糖度計測量濃縮甘蔗汁的甜份濃度，達到甜度75度即是本次體驗活動成品「糖漿」。活動結束後享用豐盛午餐及淋上甘蔗糖漿的自製愛玉，熬糖的過程不僅是對傳統工藝的學習，從濃郁的甘蔗香氣中，逐漸溶解出濃稠香甜的蔗糖液，這自然至甜蜜的轉變，更是對耐心和細心的試煉。
For the study tour of January 28, 2024, Ms. Lu Ming-yun led 18 ARF interns and their parents on a trip to Baoshan, Hsinchu, to learn the traditional way to make sugar and travelled back in time in Shierliao. Baoshan was home to many small sugar factories in the early days due to its warm and rainy climate, and sandy soil, making it suitable for planting sugar canes. At Xincheng Fengtang Leisure Park, the tour guide brought everyone to its sugar cane plantation. Instead of the commonly seen red sugar cane, the species grown here is the white sugar cane ROC16, which is resistant to diseases and pests, contains harder fiber and higher sugar content. After watching a demo, everyone cut off a stalk of sugar cane each, put them in a basket and carried the loaded basket to the washing area. With impurities such as dust and dirt removed, the plant stalks were squeezed through a machine for their juice. Everyone also tried using an ancient sugar cane presser, which required much more physical effort. To obtain the end-product – syrup, the sugar cane juice had to be boiled at high heat. Its sugar concentration was measured using a Brix Refractometer at intervals of 5~8 minutes until it reached 75% Brix. After the DIY activity, everyone enjoyed a sumptuous lunch with a dessert of handmade aiyu jelly drizzled with sugar cane syrup. The process of sugar-making is not just about learning a traditional skill, it is also a test of patience and meticulousness.
下午眾人來到峨眉湖登船碼頭，搭乘電動遊艇進行遊湖導覽，導覽員介紹峨眉湖又名大埔水庫，是一座以灌溉為主的水庫，地理位置位於新竹，然其水源來自苗栗，而遊艇則由中部航務中心管轄，形成了地屬新竹、水權屬苗栗、船權屬台中的獨特情況。遊艇船體為雙體船結構，搭乘起來平穩舒適，沒有油煙味且無噪音，伴隨著古箏琴音裊裊，十分愜意。當日適逢鸕鷀來台度冬，其排泄物造就了部分樹林形成了獨特的景色，彷如詩中「月落烏啼霜滿天」情景再現，見習生們的目光亦隨著鸕鷀身影遠眺環湖，感受午後悠閒時光。隨後前往十二寮休閒農業區，峨眉湖畔早年盛產樟腦油，「十二寮」地名由來一說是源於其樟腦產出量排名十二之故，眾人在當地十二寮湖光村青創團體的導覽下，行進期間以配戴耳機聆聽語音故事情境的方式，結合眼前景象想像不同時代十二寮的景色，彷佛親歷了十二寮從淘金沙到種植香蕉、桶柑及東方美人茶的歷史變遷。除了穿越時空的體驗，行程尾站來到了可以透過「時光幣」交換所需物資及服務的免費商店、共食廚房，讓大家見識到這種特殊的禮物經濟概念，如何與地方創生結合。至此，本日活動已近尾聲，大家一起合照留念後搭車返程，並期待於下次見識之旅再相見。
In the afternoon, everyone arrived at Emei Lake for a lake tour on an electric boat. Also known as Dapu Reservoir, Emei Lake was primarily used for irrigation. While it is located in Hsinchu, its water comes from Miaoli, and the boat is under the jurisdiction of the Maritime and Port Bureau’s Taichung office, creating a unique situation where the land belongs to Hsinchu, the water belongs to Miaoli, and the maritime rights belong to Taichung. The electric boat provided a comfortable ride without smoke, noise, or vibration, while soothing guzheng music played onboard. The tour coincided with the winter migration of cormorants. Their excretion created a unique scenery of "snow-covered" forest and their flight drew the interns’ sight to the far ends of the lake as they basked in the tranquil afternoon sun. The next place visited was Shierliao Leisure Agriculture Area. The Emei Lake area produced abundant camphor oil in the early years. The name "Shierliao" came from its ranking as the twelfth largest camphor oil production area in Taiwan then. The tour involved listening to audio recordings through earpieces and imagining the transformation of Shierliao through the eras, from gold panning to the planting of bananas, citrus tankan, and Oriental Beauty tea. The final activity was using "time currency" to exchange for resources and services in free-of-charge stores and shared kitchen, introducing the unique concept of gift economy and its application in local revitalization. As the day's tour came to an end, everyone took a group photo before heading back home and looked forward to the next study tour.
