With popular movies, popcorns and a lot of laughter, the first “Plain Life Festival” by the TKU Student Association kicked off on Dec. 22. The two day Festival showed two most popular movies: Cape No. 7 and Winds of September. Because of the uncooperative weather, it moved in the Student Activity Center the first day. Although it was drizzling, Cape No. 7 still attracted more than 200 students. Many students saw the movie the first time, and some even dragged their friends there with them to again taste the domestically-made and most popular movie of the year.

The second day was the climax of the Festival and some students “occupied the seats” for the movie at 4:00 pm. Walking from the Chinese Palace-style Road to Ching Sheng Square, one could see smiling faces broadcasted unceasingly on the projection screen. Those were the 1460 smiling faces collected by the TKU Student Association in the previous 3 days. They were edited into a collection album, and everyone there had a copy. All tried to find their own smiling faces in it on site. English senior Yu-rong Zhao smilingly said, “Approaching graduation, I feel it is particularly meaningful that my smiling face will witness that I have been a member of TKU.” Turning the pages of the smiling album, Information and Library Science sophomore Ying-chun Lin happily said, “It is super interesting that I can find the smiling faces of many of my close friends.”

That day, coordinating with the movie theme, the MC in high school uniform came to welcome the some 700 or more students. Students formed an arc, sitting on the steps of the Square while some students without seats were standing at the sides of the Square. English senior who occupied a seat in the first row said, “It was really like when people saw movies in the open in the countryside long ago.” The movie Winds of September was about high school sentimental memories. The foolish military officer instructor, the 17 years old passionate lover, the sensation of the swearing baseball watcher, and the unchanging loyalty between brothers, all these moving scenes restored students’ nostalgic young memories. Their moods rose and fell along with the development of the movie scenes. After the movie, the activity of drawing lots to win lucky presents started another climax. Electrical Engineering senior Yu-chen Chiu got his lucky present of a movie ticket; he took part in all the activities in the two days and excitedly said, “The activities are excellent, and we have got things to eat and presents to take home.”

The executive director of the “Plain Life Festival,” Public Administration sophomore Yi-hua Chen expressed that smiling symbolized simple campus life. Even if we were not familiar with each other, we could have mutual communication and interaction because of the activity which would leave TKU students with beautiful memories. She said, “While promoting and publicizing the activity, I heard someone saying, 'in this indifferent time, you will also hold such a warm activity!’ I was deeply moved. I hope to do it again in the future.” Around Ching Sheng Square there were full of colorful flags on which students wrote their wishes. The movie finished, but the flags were still fluttering with students’ hopes and wishes. ( ~Dean X. Wang )