星島教室 化學 盧璚芝 裘錦秋中學（屯門） 中文科科主任 容尚君 裘錦秋中學（屯門） 化學科科主任 張鎮良 裘錦秋中學（屯門） 中史科科主任 作者介紹 起源及表演形式 打鐵花最早始於北宋，盛於明清，至今 已有千年歷史。相傳打鐵花原是煉丹道士祈 福禳災、驅邪鎮宅的法事活動。道教在宋代 發展日益強盛，明清時期更是長盛不衰。在 道教中，太上老君被視為道教三清之一，是 長生不老、掌管煉丹的神靈。由於冶鐵過程 中的熔煉和鑄造，與煉丹煉器的過程十分相 似，故此，太上老君也被認為是冶鐵行業的 守護神。工匠會透過打鐵花來祭祀和供奉太 上老君，並祈求保佑。 明、清時期，由於官府提倡和社會各界 的支持，每年正月十五或官府士紳有了重大 喜事，如金榜題名、還願、升遷、嫁娶、建 新宅第等都要出錢打鐵花慶賀，形成獨特的 民間習俗，使確山打鐵花的發展達到鼎盛。 民國初年，因戰亂和災荒，瀕於滅絕。近年 此習俗再被發掘出來、重新還原，加入現代 化元素，受到群眾和專家的喜愛。河南省確 山縣和河北省蔚縣的打鐵花都成功列入國家 級非物質文化遺產名錄。 每年年初，工匠們在祭祀後會開始打鐵 花。打鐵花表演時，他們在一處空曠場地搭 建6米高的花棚。「花棚」是依照「一棚兩層四方 八角」，也就是道教的「一元二儀三才四象五 行八卦」搭建的。棚上密布柳枝，綁滿煙花鞭 炮和旗子等。棚中央豎立一根6米高的老杆， 使花棚總高度達到10米以上。鞭炮固定在每 層平台的四個角落。五色旗依照中國的五行 方位設置，正東方為木，設藍旗；正西方為 金，設白旗；正南方為火，設紅旗；正北方 為水，設黑旗；中間為土，在「老杆」頂端，設 黃旗。 10餘名表演者輪流用花棒將千度高溫的 鐵水擊打到棚上，形成10幾米高的鐵花，鐵 花又點燃煙花鞭炮，再配上「龍穿花」表演， 場景蔚為壯觀，呈現出喜慶熱鬧的傳統習俗。 化學知識 首先，打鐵花需要將鐵由固態轉變成液 態，即熔化成鐵水，而當中涉及鐵的物態變 化。由於鐵具有巨型金屬結構，強大的金屬 鍵使鐵的熔點高達1600℃。因此，工匠們會先 在熔鐵爐中放入需要熔化的鐵，並添加少量 的碳和其他金屬元素，從而降低鐵的熔化溫 度至1200℃左右，減少能量消耗。此外，工匠 們為了不讓鐵水再次凝固，他們要一直打開 鼓風機保證鐵水的高溫，不時檢查鐵水的熔 化狀況。若不慎觸碰，隨時嚴重燙傷皮膚， 所以打鐵花的準備工夫並不容易。 然後，當工匠們將高溫鐵水擊向空中， 鐵水會化為液滴，與空氣中的氧氣進行氧化 還原反應。由於鐵的液滴與氧氣有較大的接 觸面積，因此反應速度會加快，繼而燃燒發 出黃色火花，在表層形成固態的氧化鐵（II）外 殼。另外，在鐵水中少量的碳會在高溫下將 氧化鐵（II）還原為鐵，使鐵可繼續與氧反應， 再次燃燒發出黃色火花，形成璀璨亮麗，如 流星般的煙花美景。如果想改變火花顏色， 工匠們可以在鐵水中加入適量的黃銅，當中 的銅（II）離子使擊打時的火花呈現青綠色；如 加入適量木炭，火花甚至可呈現鮮紅色。 透過這些化學知識的運用，打鐵花不僅 展現了美麗的視覺效果，還體現了化學與藝 術的結合。 價值和保護 打鐵花具有豐富的文化和藝術價值。它 展示了工匠的技藝和創造力，同時也體現了 中國民間文化的獨特魅力。打鐵花藝人奉獻 的鐵花也有着豐富的象徵意義，代表政通人 和、天降百福、五穀豐登、滿堂喜慶等吉祥 寓意。這些習俗和文化象徵意義的結合，使 打鐵花成為一種獨特的藝術形式，展現了民 眾心願的外在表達。另一方面，打鐵花也展 現了人民對神靈的敬仰和對傳統文化的傳承。 花棚建構了一個神聖的空間，象徵着祭祀對 象和宇宙觀的縮影。透過打鐵花的藝術表演 和參與觀眾的互動，人民可以在這個神聖空 間與神靈溝通，表達自己的願望。 與其他非物質文化遺產一樣，「打鐵花」 也面臨一些問題，包括傳承人老化、後繼者 少、花費高、具有危險性等等。為了保護和 傳承打鐵花這一非物質文化遺產，相關部門 制訂了相應的保護措施，如2019年確山縣文化 館獲得「打鐵花」項目保護單位資格。 近年來，打鐵花早已走出發源地，以景 區藝術表演、民間節日慶祝和國家非遺扶持 等方式到全國各地的旅遊景區，向遊客展現 這一與冶鐵、道教、祭祀文化等息息相關的 表演藝術。例如，澤州打鐵花在司徒小鎮進 行的演出突破了傳統的規模和形式，以「千年 鐵文化」為主題，融合了晉東南的民俗、民間 藝術和現代歌舞表演等元素。目前，打鐵花 在內地許多景點都有表演，展現各具特色的 地域文化特徵。大家不妨留意不同地方的打 鐵花表演時間，體會中國文化之美。 小思考，大智慧 1. 打鐵花的表演者如何抵受千度高溫？ 2. 打鐵花有甚麼文化象徵意義？ 參考答案 1. 他們在擊打時手必須快、狠、穩，打得越 高越散，鐵水才能在空中如天女散花，變 成微小的鐵屑，在半空燃燒、冷卻、降 落，從而避免表演者燙傷。另外，打鐵花 多在冬季表演，因為氣溫低，打開的鐵花 可以迅速降溫，對表演者來說更加安全。 2. 打鐵花藝人奉獻的鐵花具有豐富的象徵意 義，如天降百福、五穀豐登等。這些象徵 意義使打鐵花成為一種能夠表達民眾心願 的傳統習俗，同時亦展現了人民對神靈的 敬仰和對傳統文化的傳承。透過打鐵花的 藝術表演和參與觀眾的互動，人民可以在 神聖空間與神靈溝通，表達自己的願望。 本欄由教育評議會邀請資深中小學老師、校長及大學講師撰稿，旨在為學生提供多元化的STEAM學習材料，引發學生探求知識的興趣，將學習融入生活，培養學生的世界觀、敏銳的觸覺、積極學習的態度。 千年絕技 打鐵花迎新春 The China Current 教育頻道 澤州打鐵花 春節期間，不少內地城市都會上演「打鐵花」匯演， 流光溢彩的鐵花恰如美輪美奐的煙火，在夜空中綻放，金 花四濺，就像下了一場漫天繽紛的「鐵花雨」；鐵水飛轉 出花朵般的造型，亦令人賞心悅目。「打鐵花」是我國豫 晉地區流傳已久的民間傳統習俗，也是一種國家級非物質 文化遺產。這項習俗將冶鐵技藝、道教祭祀，以及化學知 識巧妙結合，創造出令人驚艷的場景。 讀社論學 英文 Since it came into operation, ride-hailing platform Uber impacted the taxi industry of every place drawing lawsuits. It finally reached a sett lement with taxi drivers in Australia for stealing their business, which is a global precedence. This is good news for taxi industries around the world and serves as a reference for Hong Kong. However, adaptations may be necessary, because taxi dr i ve r s i n Hong Kong have been much criticized and their service requires upgrading. The ride-hailing industry also needs to pay a price so that the authorities can amend the law to allow its operation in coexistence with taxis for better service. Govt can't buy back licences under deficit More than 8,000 Australian taxi drivers and hire car company owners filed a class action against Uber in the Supreme Court of Victoria state in 2019. After five years of l itigation, Uber final ly agreed to settle wi th the plaint i f fs for AUD$272 mi l l ion (HK$1.4 billion), making it the fifth largest compensation in Australia. Like in Hong Kong, Austral ian taxis operate under government licences that are freely tradable, while drivers are required to obtain a recognized qualification. However, since Uber landed in Australia in 2012, it has become very popular due to the lack of regulation on the new car-sharing service operating without a passenger licence and providing more convenient than taxis. The authorities thus amended the law in 2015 to al low Uber to operate legal ly robbing t ax i dr i ve r s o f mor e t han ha l f o f t he i r business. This, coupled with the impact of the COVID-19, has resulted in a significant income decline sharply dragging down licence prices. In Brisbane, for example, prices fell from a peak of over AUD$500,000 in 2014 to about AUD$10,000 in 2021. Many state governments provided financial support, in effect buying back licences while al lowing simple licensing procedures with an annual renewal fee. But licences cannot be freely traded and the driver must be the holder. Uber compensation for illegal operation and destroying the value of licences can be regarded as a victory for taxi drivers and hire car owners. To some certain extent, this is a great encouragement to the taxi industry, but it may not be applicable to Hong Kong where there is no class action law. Taxi drivers do not have the financial resources to engage in lengthy lawsuits with Uber either. The poor qua l i t y of tax i serv i ce in Hong Kong is due to the lack of regulation accompanying licensing. Many people regard licences as investment vehicles, buying them at a high price and then leasing them. To break even sooner, they can only increase rental fees. Some unscrupulous drivers thus make fast money, not hesitating to take longer routes, overcharge and act rude. Finally, the service worsens with the public and tourists turning to ride-hailing. The government promotes tourism as a means of revitalizing the economy. However, this has been offset by poor taxi service. The authori t ies should serious ly look into the urgency. The best is to buy back licences and overhaul the industry. However, the fiscal deficit is so severe that even if the price of a licence has dropped from its peak of $7.23 million in 2015 to the present $3.35 million, it would cost over $60.8 billion to buy back more than 18,000 licences, which is more than it can afford. Ride-hailing has become a global trend that is impossible to ban. The government can consider regulating it as soon as possible, requiring drivers to obtain taxi licences, buy insurance for passengers and pay tax on a par with taxis. If they want to do business legally, they should ease resentment from taxi drivers and strive for coexistence. Industry needs upgrading to save itself Meanwhile, the taxi industry should take advantage of a licensing system to form fleets wi th part ies of simi lar interests l ike ridehailing services that come with online pointto-point appointment & payment, feedback and complaint channels for self-rescue to create a new image. Reforming taxi service and regulation of ride-hailing platforms can no longer wait. The government must quickly settle differences, while the two parties should be prepared to make a compromise for common progress amid competition, striving for a win-win situation. 翻譯自3月19日《星島日報》社論 （http://std.stheadline.com/） 1. The word _____ in the first paragraph is the opposite of "conflict". 2. Uber has become very popular as it is more _____ than taxis. 3. In the passage, the word _____ means "dissatisfaction". 4. Uber drivers should obtain taxi licences, buy _____ for passengers and pay tax on a par with taxis. 5. According to the last paragraph, taxi and Uber drivers should strive for a _____ situation. Answers 1. settlement 2. convenient 3. resentment 4. insurance 5. win-win & Q A lawsuit (n) ——訴訟 settlement (n) ——協議 litigation (n) ——訴訟 plaintiff (n) ——原告 revitalize (v) ——使復興 overhaul (v) ——改造 resentment (n) ——不滿 fleet (n) ——車隊 Vocabulary ride-hailing platform —— 網約車平台 class action —— 集體訴訟 recognized qualification —— 認可資格 investment vehicle —— 投資產品 Useful Terms Former Australian lawmaker and taxi driver Rod Barton, a member of the class action, said the settlement vindicated his belief that Uber had knowingly avoided the country's taxi licensing rules. "They knew full well they were required to have their drivers and their vehicles fully licensed," Barton said, adding that Uber did a lot of things that gave them a commercial advantage against the taxi industry. Did you know? Uber Australian settlement – hope for coexistence 翻譯︰George D6 侷芎 12.06.2024 星期五
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