From July 8 to August 18, TKU’s Division of Continuing Education hosted a “2008 Chinese Language and Culture Studying Camp for Overseas Chinese Youth,” commissioned by Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission. There were totally 229 overseas Chinese youths from all over the world attending this summer camp.

Most participants came from USA, England, France, and Germany, their age ranging from 14 to 17. To make them get along happily is one of the targets of activities. They are grouped according to their language ability, so that they can learn Chinese and Taiwanese cultures more efficiently. Teaching assistant Lu Jo-ling, senior of German department, expressed, “these kids’ spoken languages are diverse; in many cases we have to explain one thing in four different languages.”

The courses includes Chinese language six hours per day, Cultural Classes every Monday and Tuesday, including flower-flatting, Chinese Kung Fu, Chinese calligraphy, paper cutting, indigenous dancing, Chinese knotting. Hsu Chu-chieh, a 15-year-old participant, expressed, “It is so cool to learn Chinese. In the beginning, I was not good at speaking Chinese; now I feel confident to speak out.” ( ~Chen Chi-szu )