Taiwanese Overseas Community Affairs Commission Vice Chairman, Li Yanhui, attended the “Northern California Taiwan Hall TCML Dragon Boat Festival Taiwan Culture Tour” event on Sunday, May 17th, accompanied by Namban Qiao Jiao Center Director Zhuang Yashu. The event featured cultural introductions on the Dragon Boat Festival, Taiwanese language singing, making rice dumplings, crafting flower umbrellas, bingo games, and cultural booth tours, attracting over a hundred TCML students and mainstream participants, creating a festive atmosphere celebrating Taiwan.
Chairman of the Northern California Taiwan Hall, Liao Junhui, expressed that the Dragon Boat Festival is not just a holiday but also embodies traditional, cultural, and emotional connections with family reunions. He recalled his childhood memories of making rice dumplings with his mother, believing that these cultural memories add meaning to the festival. He mentioned that while Overseas Taiwanese in the Bay Area celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, many people in Taiwan also enjoy this traditional holiday. Li Yanhui’s visit from Taiwan to join in the Dragon Boat Festival celebration with Overseas Taiwanese demonstrates Taiwan’s care and support for the overseas community.
TCML Northern California Taiwan Hall Principal, Dai Peili, hoped that through the cultural tour, more TCML students and mainstream people could learn about Taiwan’s cultural characteristics and diverse values.
During her speech, Li Yanhui expressed her joy in participating in the TCML cultural activities at the hall and celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival together. She reminisced about her time as a city councilor in Hsinchu City, where she often took part in community rice dumpling-making activities and received many rice dumplings every year during the festival, creating precious and fond memories.
She emphasized that language learning is not just a tool for communication but also a bridge for sharing culture, experiences, understanding, and friendship. Through the Dragon Boat Festival activities, she hoped that everyone could have a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s rich culture and experience the friendliness of the Taiwanese people, along with the deliciousness of rice dumplings.
Li Yanhui also expressed her gratitude to TCML teachers, volunteers, and organizers, affirming their efforts in promoting Taiwan’s language, culture, and education in the Bay Area. She stated that the Overseas Community Affairs Commission will continue to be a partner in supporting the deep-rooted development of Taiwanese culture overseas and amplifying Taiwan’s voice.
She particularly praised the collaboration between Northern California Taiwan Hall TCML and Google in promoting Chinese language education, believing that TCML has become an important gateway for mainstream society to recognize Taiwan and learn Mandarin.
The Dragon Boat Festival cultural tour featured festival stories, folklore introductions, and interactive experiences, making it fun and enjoyable for the students from the seven TCML schools in Northern California.
TCML Google student Vince Lacey expressed his love for learning how to make rice dumplings, while student Domingos mentioned that through the event, he gained a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s Dragon Boat Festival culture.
During the event, Li Yanhui visited the hall’s facilities and various cultural tour booths, engaging in friendly interactions with TCML students to understand the achievements and operation of TCML programs.