On June 27th, the Northern California Tianle Language School held the 2025 Youth Children’s Summer Camp closing ceremony, attracting over a hundred students and parents. The event was attended by numerous guests, including Gou Huizhen, head of the San Francisco office, Zhuang Yashu, director of the Bay Area Cultural and Educational Center, Dong Qingfeng, Wei Dezhen, Li Yuanlin, Chen Yangming and his wife, as well as Millbrae Mayor Anders Fung, Vice Mayor Reuben D. Holober, and Councilor Sissy Riley.
The summer camp, which lasted for 5 days from June 23rd to 27th, attracted over fifty students from kindergarten to university levels. The curriculum focused on folk arts, dance, and sports. During the presentation day, students showcased traditional sports such as diabolo, stick fighting, swordplay, and Tai Chi, as well as performed cigarette box dance, lotus dance, Taiwanese indigenous dance, and temple fair dance “Po Jie Celebrates the New Year,” vividly showcasing Taiwan’s multicultural characteristics. The students also displayed various handcrafts completed within a week, including lanterns, paper art Din Tai Fung xiaolongbao, floral collage paintings, rubbings, and bookmarks, fully demonstrating their learning outcomes.
Chairman of the Tianle Language School, Ye Yunhe, stated that this year’s summer camp had three major highlights: age-appropriate teaching from kindergarten to college students, the voluntary return of many alumni to assist in teaching, promoting cultural inheritance and intergenerational emotional connections, and cultural practical highlights, such as making Din Tai Fung xiaolongbao using paper art, helping students understand the history and culture of Taiwanese xiaolongbao through production.
Ye Yunhe further mentioned that this year, special teachers Bai Bihui and Liu Zihui from Taiwan were invited to teach folk dance and sports, respectively, providing students with professional and systematic traditional cultural courses. Bai Bihui shared with Epoch Times that the dance content brought this time was rich, the children were fluent in Chinese, and their enthusiasm for learning was surprising.
Gou Huizhen, head of the San Francisco office, delivered a speech on behalf of the office, reminiscing about sending her child to Tianle Language School over a decade ago, acknowledging the school’s dedication and warm support in Chinese education. She thanked parents for allowing their children to learn Chinese and culture during the summer, believing that years later, they will be grateful for their parents’ choices.
Zhuang Yashu, director of the Bay Area Cultural and Educational Center, also expressed gratitude on behalf of the Taiwan Overseas Community Affairs Council, noting that the summer camp not only strengthened language education but also served as an important bridge for young people to understand Taiwanese culture. She thanked the two Taiwanese teachers for their participation and dedication and commended all teaching assistants and teachers for their efforts.
Millbrae Mayor Anders Fung praised Tianle Language School for its 27 years of continuous cultivation of cultural education, helping Asian American children understand their cultural roots and heritage. He said, “Nearly 60% of our city’s residents are Asian Americans. Thanks to Tianle Language School, children are nurtured in their ethnic cultural identity and pride, injecting rich multicultural content into the community.” That day, he and Vice Mayor Reuben D. Holober, and Councilor Sissy Riley jointly presented commendations, acknowledging the school’s contributions.
Parent Chen Yiru, who attended the event, shared that her daughter has been participating in Tianle summer camps since the COVID-19 pandemic period, actively engaging in both online courses and physical camps. She mentioned, “She loves it and had a great time.” Through these activities, her daughter not only improved her Chinese language skills but also deepened her understanding and identification with her own culture.
Teaching assistant Liu Mingyue shared that playing with these lovely children warms her heart. Another teaching assistant, Lei Zhitong, expressed, “I just enjoy playing and eating with them. Seeing them smile makes us happy.”
Other guests present at the event included Overseas Community Affairs Advisory Commissioner Li Wenxiong, President of the American Association of Chinese Schools Wang Wanjun, and Chairperson of the National Day Committee Lin Xiuchun.