Director Chien Ho-lin of the Language Center expressed, “The Language Center has been dedicated to improving English language learning across the university. We incorporate engaging language learning activities, such as speed language exchange and English writing consultation services, to provide students with diverse choices and enhance their motivation to learn. We hope that students can fully integrate language learning into their daily lives, and the Language Center will continue to offer varied and enriching content to make foreign language learning enjoyable for every student.” Mr. Hsu Geng-zhi, a teacher at the Language Center, added, “Foreign language learning facilitates meaningful communication among English speakers from different cultural backgrounds and enhances the effectiveness of learning. This event allows students to immerse themselves in an international learning environment, fostering collaboration and making language learning more enjoyable through communicative learning methods.”

The purpose of this event is to increase opportunities for local and international students to engage in international exchange and broaden their global perspectives. In addition to local students, participants include international students from countries such as Belize, the Marshall Islands, Nepal, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, and more. The event will be hosted by Mr. Hsu Geng-zhi, who will be joined by local and international students as co-hosts. The event will be conducted in both Mandarin and English to explain the activities. Interactive and fun activities such as “Guess the Christmas Gift” and “Trivia Quiz with Prizes” will be incorporated to enhance the foreign language speaking and expression abilities of both local and international students, as well as strengthen their awareness of each other’s cultures.

Through the hosting of this Christmas gift exchange event, NPUST aims to increase opportunities for mutual learning and communication between local and international students, fostering a professional, international, and holistic campus learning environment.

The Wish-fulfilling Tanabata Festival draws inspiration from the Japanese Tanabata Festival, a prayer event held during the midterm exams and leading up to the school anniversary. Guests participating in the event write their wishes and blessings on colored wish paper cards, praying for their dreams to come true and offering blessings to the prosperity of the school. In addition to wish cards, participants also utilize origami to create small items related to their wishes, decorating wish cards to enhance the chances of their wishes coming true!

The Wish-fulfilling Tanabata Festival was guided by Director Chien Ho-lin of the Language Center, organized by Ms. Peng Chiung-hui from the Japanese Language Teaching Division, with the assistance of Mr. Chen Hsi-hung. Director Chia-an Lo-kai of the Leisure and Recreation Office was invited to assist in cutting bamboo for the bamboo branches. The Yokai mask painting activity was organized by Ms. Peng Chiung-hui, with the collaboration of Mr. Chen Hsiu-tsu, a teacher from the Department of Fashion Design and Management, who guided students on Japanese mask painting techniques. The activity explored the world of Yokai, created by the late Japanese Yokai expert Shigeru Mizuki on his centenary, introducing students to various types of Yokai and their symbolic meanings. Using traditional Japanese mask expressions, students were guided to paint their envisioned Yokai images. The painted masks were then displayed on the wall alongside the wish cards, attracting participants to explore Japan’s Yokai culture.

Director Chien Ho-lin expressed his hope during the opening ceremony that students would experience Japanese culture through the event and understand how they could apply their Japanese language learning in practical ways. Ms. Peng Chiung-hui explained that students applied Japanese language sentence patterns related to “will, hope, and prayer” on the wish cards. Through activities such as origami, making yukata handkerchief bags, and learning about Japanese Yokai culture, students learned relevant vocabulary and Japanese expressions for these processes. Participating students stated that cultural activities enhanced their Japanese language learning experience. The hands-on process allowed them to express their creativity, making it both fun and effective for learning. They also expressed their hopes for their wishes to come true. Mr. Chen Hsi-hung thanked the Kaohsiung Branch of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association for lending Japanese festival costumes and wooden clogs, adding a touch of Japanese style to the event.

Director Chia-an Lo-kai expressed his pleasure in assisting the activity. Bamboo is widely used in Japanese daily life and artistic landscaping, and there may be future collaborations with the Language Center for related applied activities. Mr. Chen Hsiu-tsu, from the Department of Fashion Design and Management, explained that Japanese Yokai convey joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness through facial expressions and eye movements, with facial colors and lines distinguishing characters as virtuous or malicious. Behind some seemingly eerie masks, there are unique stories and meanings.

Director Chien expressed that “NPUST has many sister-schools in Southeast Asian countries. In the past three years, NPUST students have been studying Southeast Asian languages, especially Vietnamese and Thai. More than 2,000 seats have been filled over that time—showing a definite level of interest amongst students. Now, we have signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at Wenzao Ursuline University, and we hope that in the future, more students at NPUST will be encouraged to study Southeast Asian languages and take the proficiency examinations. These things will be great additions to their resumes, helping them with their future job competitiveness and increasing their professional opportunities.”

The Director of the Wenzao Department of Southeast Asian Studies said, “of the three languages, the pass rate for the Thai examination is the lowest. Vietnamese and Indonesian are relatively higher, however, there is still lots of room or further promotion. After the signing of this agreement with NPUST, students who want to attend language proficiency examinations will be given a 20% discount preferential rate.”

It is hoped that the cooperative agreement will establish a window for bilateral exchange and that through reciprocity and the sharing of teaching resources, language and cultural courses will be enriched and students and teachers at NPUST will become more and more familiar with the cultures, societies and economies of Southeast Asia.