Culture class demonstration
Get the first incense ("搶頭香" qiǎng tóu xiāng)
Cultural activity in session
The OCAC Minister, Ms. Chia-Ching Hsu, is speaking at the closing ceremony
The 2024 seminar of the Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning (TCML) took place from January 19th to 21st at the Culture Center of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (CC TECRO) in Washington D.C. This seminar, aimed at enhancing and promoting TCML operations in the US, was divided into four major discussion topics: "Marketing and Promotion", "School Operation and Student Recruitment",“Integration with Mainstream Communities", and "Culture Class Teaching".
Among many lectures and discussions during the three-day event, a unique cultural demonstration presented by Ms. Shin-Yi Lee, a guru of Taiwanese culture and designer of modern Taiwanese cultural activities, was unanimously agreed upon as the most creative and interesting experience.
From various cultural demonstrations and fun activities, Lee emphasized that the key to engaging TCML students in Taiwanese culture and language learning is to create fun activities with two elements: a party atmosphere and iconic Taiwanese cultural events or figures. Lee also emphasized the importance of “product differentiation”. Taiwanese culture can be significantly elevated to become a unique cultural activity, which is more likely to attract students to participate.
Lee used paper and easily accessible materials from local stores, such as water buckets, popsicle sticks, and foam blocks, to assemble the activity station. She demonstrated the station at the seminar and allowed teachers to have hands-on experience by participating in the "搶頭香" (qiǎng tóu xiāng), which translates to "Get the first incense" in English. This traditional activity, popular in Taiwan, involves grabbing the first incense stick in the temple and lighting it after the temple opens on the first day of the new lunar year. According to the tradition, the person who accomplishes this will receive the best luck and blessings from the gods for the entire year. Everyone who participated in this activity at the seminar had a great time and experienced the unique charm and fun of Taiwanese culture.
During the closing ceremony of the 2024 TCML seminar, the OCAC (Overseas Community Affairs Council) Minister, Chia-Ching Hsu, elaborated on the importance of cultural teaching and the unique charm of Taiwanese local culture. This cultural teaching lecture was highly beneficial for the teachers, particularly in terms of providing new strategies and insights for engaging students in Taiwanese culture. Every teacher expressed their enthusiasm to apply what they learned to future teaching and looked forward to more opportunities for learning and experience sharing. This seminar provided a platform for learning and exchange. It also deepened everyone’s understanding of Taiwanese culture. OCAC is looking forward to seeing more activities and teaching about Taiwanese culture in the future, and hope that this enthusiasm can influence more overseas friends who care about Taiwan, allowing more foreign friends to recognize and understand Taiwan.
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