SHU has contracts with over 165 universities, in China, Hong Kong, Macao, Europe, America, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Australia and other countries, to be sister schools. Each year the number of exchange students gets higher and higher. Plans for foreign students to come experience Taiwanese culture are one of SHU’s most important yearly activities.
The SHU Office of Public Affairs held a cultural trip December 3rd, and invited students from America, the Czech Republic, Japan, Korea, China, and more, totaling over 30 students, along with members of the SHU Model United Nations, to see and enjoy Hakkanese culture and the beauty of Taiwan’s countryside.
This trip was held in a Hakka Village in BeiPu, HsinChu. The do-it-yourself experience of making Hakkanese pounded tea was a huge success among the exchange students. The feeling of putting your hard work into pounded tea before you can enjoy it was a special experience for the students. Timothy from Saginaw Valley State University, America, said that “This pounded tea trip was great!”
Besides pounded tea and clay oven baking, the exchange students also had a bite of dried persimmons while visiting a food factory. The historical downtown BeiPu was also a sightseeing spot for the exchange students where they got a closer look of a Hakka village. BeiPu in HsinChu is famous for its Hakkanese village. People are able to not only see some traditional architecture and stunning scenery, but also experience the passion and simplicity of traditional Hakkanese life. The Office of Public Affairs hopes to help foreign students understand Taiwanese culture through trips, food and sharing the passion of the people of this land.
