1. Life’s Songs, Sung without End The tablet that marks the original site of Yongchun Pond is the inspiration of this project, which attempts to recreate the utopia of the Land of Peach Blossoms by following the footsteps of the people who once visited this scenic spot. In days gone by, our ancestors refreshed themselves by rowing boats and reciting lyrical poems upon the waters. In a similar way, today’s Taipei residents come here to search for inner tranquility that washes away the city’s frantic pace. This is also where thousands of Yongchun Senior High School students spend their youth, learning and growing up. Time evolves, planets change positions, seasons shift, but the force of life remains constant. Overcoming difficulties, each generation of people treading on this land will compose their own Yongchun melody that carries on the eternal song of life. 2. A Dialogue of Hill and Pond in the Mind’s Eye The correlation between Yongchun Hill in the present and Yongchun Pond in the past creates a new space for people to linger, and this inspires the design of the three-sectioned stairs symbolizing the connections among the past, the present, and the future. With carvings on metals and stones that echo local culture, the first section of the stairs is marked with a blossoming peach tree that shows the vitality of this location and also serves as a visual focus for hikers. The second section of the stairs commemorates the pond waters of the past. Its blue tiles, symbolizing people of learning, and the image of stainless steel water droplets join together to intimate the people participating in the activities held here, and the past melding with the present to form the on-going vitality of this place. In the last section of the stairs, there stands a “tree of wisdom” representing the future, which aims to protect all the students studying at this high school. Its growing twigs embody the school motto: Health, Beauty, Honesty and Excellence, and its stainless steel material takes in and reflects all its surroundings, representing the learning process in which students absorb and then create in this magnificent environment. The juxtaposition of the past, the present and the future creates in the mind a new vision of Yongchun Pond.