On July 14th (last Sunday), the Ai FeiYang Taiwan Chinese Language Learning Center held a tour of 2024 Taiwan traditional cuisine and childhood cultural activities at the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center, covering aspects of daily life such as food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and entertainment, to let participants understand the daily lives of the Taiwanese people.
The event featured six booths: “Food is Key” showcasing Taiwan shaved ice, where participants could make their own shaved ice and customize it with ingredients like brown sugar and assorted toppings (mango pudding, red beans, green beans, taro, small tangyuan, grass jelly, rice cakes, etc.). “Dressing Up” displaying indigenous clothing, Hakka attire, and traditional wedding clothes.
The “Long-Term Residence” booth introduced Taiwan’s distinctive architectural culture. “Travel Far and Wide” showcased Taiwan’s modes of transportation like tricycles, buses, bicycles, and more. “Nurturing Talent” presented Chinese characters including pictograms and radical characters. And “Joy in Play” exhibited traditional Taiwanese games and activities like diabolo spinning, juggling, stilt walking, and hopscotch. These booths provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of Taiwan’s food, clothing, architecture, transportation, education, and entertainment culture.
Principal Shan Shengling of Ai FeiYang stated that the purpose of the event was to pass on cultural heritage and share all the beauty of Taiwan with the world. By integrating Taiwan’s daily life into the activities, non-Chinese residents and future generations of Chinese descent can understand Taiwan’s traditional culture and beauty while experiencing Taiwan’s freedom and peace. She emphasized that Ai FeiYang’s education is not about elite education but believes that everyone has potential and talent. Education is not just about knowledge transfer but also about personal growth.
Director Zhuang Yashu of the Overseas Chinese Education Center expressed that she believes the best way to learn a language is through its culture.
Ai FeiYang set up six booths covering various aspects of Taiwanese life – food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and entertainment. This allowed students to learn Chinese in a more interesting and engaging way 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. At the event, students, children, and parents enthusiastically took part in activities like flying handkerchiefs, dancing with long silk ribbons, making paper pagodas, spelling games, diabolo spinning, and hand-shaved ice, experiencing Taiwan’s culture and way of life firsthand.
Mr. Pan has been living in the United States for over thirty years, and his youngest daughter has been studying at Ai FeiYang for two years. His family of four attended the event, and he remarked that the activity was “very fun, very nice.” Although they visit Taiwan every year, their understanding of Taiwanese culture is limited as they usually only go shopping and to night markets.
This event provided children with the opportunity to engage with and understand Taiwan’s traditional culture, enhancing their knowledge and appreciation of Taiwan.
Guests at the event included Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission member Wei Dezhen, Fremont Vice Mayor Shao Yang, Councilman Raj Salwan, Fremont Unified High School District Commissioner Kou Huifeng, Fremont Human Relations Commissioner Cecilia Leon and her husband, Principal Shan Shengling’s brother Shan Shengming, and two sisters from Taiwan.