The “2026 Taiwanese Culture and Folk Art Teacher Training Program,” organized by the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC), held its final showcase and closing ceremony on July 28 at the Dream-Realizing Hall in the Wen-Ying Building, National Taiwan University of Sport (NTUS). A total of 56 overseas cultural seed teachers from 18 countries around the world completed an intensive 70-hour, two-week training program to present creative and fruitful achievements. Through cross-border exchanges and mutual learning, the participants have developed into essential leaders in overseas community education, dedicating themselves to promoting Taiwanese culture abroad.

The closing ceremony was co-hosted by Lin Chi-jung, Director General of the Department of Overseas Compatriot Education Affairs of the OCAC, and NTUS President Hsu Kuang-piao. The event opened with a welcoming ceremony titled “Conveying Affection through Tea and Welcoming Blessings with Ang Ku Kueh (Red Turtle Cakes),” featuring an introduction to Taiwan’s tea culture and the custom of stamping blessing imprints on red turtle cakes to convey authentic Taiwanese warmth. Director General Lin commended the 56 participants for their commitment throughout the two-week program, praising their dedication of time and effort to promoting Taiwanese culture overseas. She also extended her gratitude to Program Director Professor Chen Chung-yu and Professor Pan Li-chun for integrating university resources to enrich the curriculum. On behalf of the OCAC, Director General Lin presented certificates of completion to the participants and encouraged them to actively engage with overseas Taiwanese communities and mainstream society. She urged them to leverage the Taiwan Centers for Mandarin Learning (TCML) and local compatriot schools to share their expertise in Taiwan’s diverse culture, traditional folk arts, and skills. By doing so, they will showcase Taiwan’s soft power and help Taiwanese culture flourish worldwide.

The program offered three specialized tracks—folk arts, folk sports, and folk dance—along with joint courses covering Taiwanese tea utensils and tea ceremony aesthetics, Taiwanese cuisine, cultural instruction, guided tours, and exhibitions. The participants showed the fruits of learning through a static exhibition and a dynamic performance. The static exhibition featured guided cultural tours and displays of achievements in glove puppetry, indigo dyeing, straw weaving, knotting arts, and instructional design. The dynamic showcase integrated all three tracks through captivating performances, including lion dancing, fancy diabolo routines, fitness staff exercises, Hakka dance, Indigenous-inspired dance, festive dance, and glove puppetry, demonstrating the rich diversity of Taiwanese culture. From curation and hosting to teaching demonstrations and stage performances, every element was jointly planned and executed by the participants, highlighting their abilities in interdisciplinary integration, cultural interpretation, and pedagogical skills.

The event concluded with a joint performance by all participants titled “The Amis People Bringing the Harvest Home—Ilisin Harvest Festival.” The performance symbolized how cultural seed teachers from around the globe are spreading the seeds of Taiwanese culture to every corner of the world, empowering overseas cultural education and allowing Taiwanese heritage to take root, grow, and be passed on from generation to generation.

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