International Cultural Festival Sets Sail for Diverse Cultures
After being postponed by the pandemic for two years, the three universities of the NTU System, National Taiwan Normal University, National Taiwan University, and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, recommenced the jointly-organized International Cultural Festival on 28 March 2023. The two-day event comprised of up to booths showcasing up to 14 different cultures, including those of Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, etc. The booths not only sold dishes from distinctive cuisines but also artisan crafts; several of them displayed traditional clothes and cultural elements and offered hands-on activities for participants to explore individual cultures.
'Sailnfinity,” the theme for this year, tells a metaphor of students from all over the world embarking boldly upon an ocean voyage in the face of strong winds and high waves. The Jinnashan Dance Troupe, established by six Atayal youth from Wulai, New Taipei, opened the festival with a performance that synthesized Atayal traditional weaving dance, wedding dance, and celebration dance. A second dance performance followed closely after, performed by NTU students from Myanmar, whose physical movements expressed their passion for the culture of their country.
Among the invited guests present at the opening ceremony, Mr. Rusihan Ariffin Ibrahim, General Affairs Director for the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Center; Mr. Ching-Lai Kuo, staff member of Citizens Protection and Social Cultural Department at the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei; Dr. Elise Li, Associate Vice President for International Affairs at National Taiwan Normal University; Dr. Hsiao-Wei Yuan, Vice President for International Affairs at National Taiwan University; and Dr. Jason Tsai, Deputy Vice President for Student Affairs at National Taiwan University went onstage to open the treasure chest for this year’s International Cultural Festival. Balloons like ships on the ocean surface rose like the driving force of courage that set adventurers sailing into the infinite sea.
The multicultural cuisine fair had many exotic dishes on display, with Vietnamese students dressed in traditional attire introducing the Vietnamese nine-layer cake, rice noodles with roasted meat, and coffee with sweet condensed milk. The Indonesian students selected 10 dishes to represent the 17,000 islands that comprise Indonesia, including crispy shrimp cake, shredded coconut ball, turmeric rice with fried chicken, and fried chicken feet with green chili sauce. The booth attendants thoughtfully served the spicy sauce separately from the rest of the dish due to Taiwanese students’ different spice tolerance levels. 'The Indonesian shrimp cakes come in one big piece and we usually eat them with rice,” an Indonesian student shared, “Shredded coconut balls are a familiar Indonesian snack, but many people have said that they are not readily available, so we have specially prepared them to share here!”
NTNU Associate Vice President for International Affairs offers a word of encouragement to everyone, 'Since the establishment of the NTU System in 2015, the three universities have organized many major events together. We hope that through the International Cultural Festival, we can gain a deeper understanding of cultures from abroad.”