CGU Enews

　　In order to promote multiculturalism, establish a warm and welcome campus for international students, and create an opportunity for local students and international students to embrace an interactive and appreciative approach to each other’s cultures, the Office of Student Affairs hosted a series of activities during the 2013 Asian Culture Festival from the 28th of October to the 2nd of November.

　　The first activity of the 2013 Asian Culture Festival was an exhibition featuring 30 photographs of Asian arts, human figures, culture, landscapes, and world-renowned architectures, which were provided by the students from the CGU Photography Club. Following the exhibition was the movie Life of Pi. This Academy Award winning blockbuster was embedded with a high standard artistic atmosphere and impeccable visual effects, giving the audience a night to remember. Students of Chang Gung University were profoundly inspired by Ang Lee’s interpretation of religions, faith, and philosophy through the images of vast expanse of still water and the stunning sound effects of roaring thunder storms in the movie.

　　On the 3rd day was the evening party for the Asian Culture Festival. Approximately 30 students from the preparatory programs for overseas Chinese students of National Taiwan Normal University were invited to join us and socialize with over 200 students from Chang Gung University. In the beginning of the event, a 20-minute video was played to introduce Chang Gung University to the audience. Then the participants exchanged souvenirs to promote the relationships between the two universities. After that, 4 students from the College of Engineering put on an opening performance of Beatbox. During the evening, there were an intercultural video competition and a public presentation contest. 9 groups including students from India, China, Taiwan, and overseas countries participated in the competitions. Among them, 2 groups of Indian students and 1 group of overseas Chinese students won the Most Popular Award, the Best Culture Award, and the Best Eloquence Award respectively. Positive feedbacks from the students indicated that this meaningful event provided an opportunity for students to appreciate and learn from each other’s cultures. The highlight of the evening was the singing performance by the Indian students. All in all, the students showed their love of the activities of the festival, and everyone had an enjoyable evening.

　　On the 4th day, Lan Bai Tuo, a seasoned traveler as well as a best-selling author, delivered a speech on the topic “Learn with Fun through Travelling”. Considered thought-provoking, his talk touched upon Asian arts, history, culture, landscapes, traditions and customs. His mind-blowing speech truly expanded the students’ cultural horizons, as if they had just experienced a rich voyage to various Asian countries.

　　The final activity of the 2013 Asian Culture Festival was the carnival, which took place simultaneously with the annual sports meeting to celebrate Chang Gung University’s 27th anniversary. The carnival featured original Indian chai tea latte, curry cuisine, Japanese green tea, and Taiwanese sausage with sticky rice, etc. Color painting artists demonstrated “Henna”, which gave the Indian students an opportunity to reminisce about India. The 2013 Asian Culture Festival was concluded with beautiful sunshine, smiling faces, and an experience to remember.