Great Joy Language School held a closing ceremony for its summer camp for teenagers and children on Friday, July 12. The event was attended by hundreds of guests, parents, and teachers and students.
Since its establishment in 1998, Great Joy Language School has nurtured thousands of students in learning Chinese language and traditional Chinese culture. This year’s summer camp, which ran from July 8 to 12, lasted for a week. The students participated in a diverse range of activities including folk arts, folk dances, and folk sports. Specific courses included handicrafts such as making lanterns for the Year of the Dragon, watercolor painting, rubbings, and magic fans, as well as activities like diabolo, swordsmanship, stick fighting, martial arts, chopstick dance, and fan dance.
In his speech, Director of the Taiwan Representative Office in San Francisco, Ming-Chi Lai, expressed that the summer camp is a place that blends Eastern and Western cultures. He emphasized that young people not only acquire new knowledge and inherit traditional culture during the camp but also strengthen their ties with the mainstream community. He hopes that children can benefit from the knowledge gained during this summer camp.
Yashu Zhuang, the Director of the Overseas Compatriots Education Center in the San Francisco Bay Area, expressed gratitude for the two lecturers from Taiwan Sports University dispatched by the Overseas Community Affairs Council to participate in the teaching activities of the Great Joy Language School summer camp. She hopes that through this event, overseas children can experience and enjoy Taiwan’s high-quality traditional culture.
Chairman of Great Joy Language School, Yunhe Ye, stated to Dajiyuan that the school has been organizing summer camps for 12 years, usually with forty to fifty students participating. This summer camp not only focuses on language learning but also provides students with an understanding of traditional Chinese culture. The curriculum includes dance, folk music and art, and emphasizes the development of students’ leadership and self-management skills. Additionally, moral education is conducted, and free participation opportunities are provided to disadvantaged students.
During the closing exhibition, children showcased exciting dances such as fan dances and chopstick dances, as well as sword performances like “Cloud Soldiers Triumphantly Return the Sword” and a theatrical performance of “Sun Wukong’s Journey to the Dragon Palace.” They also recited Tang poetry. Parents were busy capturing every performance of their children with cameras, recording these precious moments.
Guests attending the event that day included Overseas Community Affairs Commissioners Weidezhen and Zhengyuan Lin, Millbrae City Councilor Gina Papan, Hillsborough City Councilor Marie Chuang, former California Assemblyman and his spouse, the chief convener of the Confucius Ceremony, Moushanzhu, as well as Shengling Shan, President of the Northern California Chinese School Association.