5-4-3-2-1! One light, then another, and another begin to illuminate, and their silky pink light shades flap and flutter in the warm evening breeze. At 6pm on the 18th of Oct, Lantern Lane was bathed in a soft purple glow. The President of TKU, Dr. Flora Chia-I Chang, who attended the colorful lighting ceremony, explained that Lantern Lane is a pathway steeped in Tamkang History. The Chinese-palace style classrooms that flank Lantern Lane were once the starting point for construction of permanent classrooms at the Tamsui Campus. It is thus fitting that the lighting ceremony – a symbolic event leading up to the TKU Diamond Jubilee – be held at Lantern Lane.

During the event, students painted the Diamond Jubilee logo onto attendees’ faces and hands, while the classical Chinese music society performed a variety of well known musical numbers. The resulting atmosphere was magical. Department of Electrical Engineering student, Luo Shao-Jun, said the performance of Chinese classical music infused the Lane with an even thicker traditional Chinese atmosphere; while Transportation Management student, Lin Jia-pei, offered a very practical suggestion: “Lantern Lane is now even more romantic. Coming here on a date would be just amazing!”