The Taiwan Chinese Language Learning Center, Love Soars, held a traditional Taiwanese food and children’s play culture tour on July 14th at the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center, covering aspects of daily life such as clothing, food, housing, transportation, education, and entertainment. The event aimed to provide participants with insights into the daily lives of the Taiwanese people.
The event featured six booths: “Food is the Foundation of People’s Livelihood,” showcasing Taiwan-style shaved ice where participants could create their own shaved ice and add ingredients like brown sugar, fruit pudding, red beans, mung beans, taro, small rice balls, grass jelly, and rice cakes. “Dress to Impress,” displaying indigenous clothing, Hakka clothing, and bridal wear (Phoenix gown).
“Long-Term Residence,” introducing Taiwan’s distinctive architectural culture. “Traveling Thousands of Miles,” showcasing Taiwan’s transport vehicles such as tricycles, buses, and bicycles. “Nurturing Talent,” introducing Chinese character culture including pictograms and radical characters. And “Finding Joy in Everything,” displaying traditional Taiwanese children’s toys and games like diabolos, juggling, stilt walking, and hopscotch. These booths provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of Taiwan’s food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and entertainment culture.
Principal Shan Shengling of Love Soars expressed that the purpose of the event was to pass on cultural heritage and showcase all the wonderful aspects of Taiwan to the world. By incorporating Taiwan’s daily life into the event, both non-Chinese residents and Chinese descendants could grasp the traditional culture and beauty of Taiwan, as well as experience its freedom and peace. She emphasized that Love Soars’ education is not about elite education but about believing in the potential and talent of every individual. Education is not just about imparting knowledge but also about personal growth.
Director Zhuang Yashu of the Overseas Chinese Education Center believes that the best way to learn a language is through culture. Love Soars set up six booths covering various aspects of Taiwan’s food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and entertainment, providing students with a more engaging and interesting way to learn Chinese through practical activities. It is hoped that after experiencing the event, students will be more interested in learning Chinese and look forward to traveling to Taiwan in the future to practice what they have learned.
The event attracted over 100 participants. Students, children, and parents enthusiastically took part in activities such as handkerchief dancing, ribbon dancing, Tower of Hanoi, word puzzles, diabolo play, and hand-cranked shaved ice, experiencing Taiwanese culture and life firsthand.
Mr. Pan has been living in the United States for over 30 years, and his young daughter has been studying at Love Soars for two years. This time, his family of four attended the event. He mentioned that the activity was “fun and nice.” Although they visit Taiwan every year, it’s usually for shopping and visiting night markets, so their understanding of Taiwanese culture is limited.
This event provided children with the opportunity to explore and understand traditional Taiwanese culture and enhance their knowledge of Taiwan. Guest participants at the event included Overseas Chinese Affairs Commissioner Wei Dezhen, Vice Mayor Shao Yang of Fremont, Councilor Raj Salwan, Fremont Unified High School District Committee Member Kou Huifeng, Fremont City Interpersonal Relations Commissioner Cecilia Leon and her husband, Principal Shan Shengling’s brother Shan Shengming, and two sisters from Taiwan. ◇