The new Foreign Languages Building, which has been constructed to the fourth floor, holds its groundbreaking ceremony at 4:00 p.m. on November 8, TKU’s anniversary. The Honorary Chairperson of the Board of trustees, Carrie W.T.Chiang Chang, will cut the ribbon, wishing a smooth and swift construction of the building.

The construction of this new 8-storey building which is situated between the Cheuh Sheng Memorial Library and Sung-tao Halls, started in August this summer and is expected to finish in May next year. It is to house departmental offices, faculty research rooms, and seminar rooms. Faculty and staff are scheduled to move in one month after the completion.

The Founder, Clement Chang, Chair of the board of trustees, Polly Chang, the President, Flora Chang, and the two Vice-presidents, Feng Chao-kang and Kao Po-yuan will attend the groundbreaking ceremony, together with several senior administrators. In particular, there are two guests of honor at this ceremony, Dr. Gilles Guyot and his wife, coming from Institut d Aministration des Entreprises of Lyon, France, to witness this unusual groundbreaking ceremony, Chinese style.

A Chinese-style ceremony usually begins with a lion dance and there will be no exception this time. The Overseas Chinese Student Club will perform the lion dance, which symbolizes luck and fortune. Responding to the lion, traditionally, money wrapped in an red envelop will be given to it; therefore, Carrie Chang will give the lion a red envelop on behalf of everyone. In return, the lion will offer oranges and a pair of poetic couplets on red scrolls. Following this, the ribbon will be cut in the roaring sound of firecrackers.

Another groundbreaking ceremony will be held on November 9th at Lanyang Campus to facilitate smoother and speedier operation. The President, Flora Chang and the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Polly Chang, accompanied by other board members and key members of Lanyang Campus Preparatory Committee, will be there to attend this ceremony and the opening ceremony of two newly completed bridges.

Clement Chang, the Founder, and Carrie Chang, the Honorary Chair of the Board of Trustees, according to the Chinese tradition, have selected a ‘auspicious’ time for the ground-breaking ceremony of the first-stage construction at the campus. The same lion dance group will be there to perform and whose performance will be followed by firecrackers, incense burning, and the offering of flowers, wine and fruits. After this, the ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place.

The two newly built bridges, named after Flora Chang and Polly Chang, are an integral part of the hilly landscape at Lanyang. A park and plenty of tress have been built and planted around these elegantly designed bridges to bring out the serene beauty of the surrounding environment. Apart from the faculty and staff from TKU, a delegate from Ministry of Education and several local dignitaries have been invited to the ceremony.