From the 16th to 21st of July, Tamkang University held two simultaneous culture camps to promote Cross-Strait interaction and exchange: the 3rd Taiwanese Culture Camp for Mainland Universities and the 1st Taiwanese Culture Camp for Mainland High Schools. An opening ceremony for the two camps was held on July 17 at the TKU Tamsui Campus. The ceremony was hosted by the President of TKU, Dr. Flora Chia-I Chang, who also delivered an opening speech. She welcomed the camp participants and urged them to actively participate in all of the camp’s events.

In total, over 100 students and teachers took part in this year’s dual camps. The Mainland participants came from universities such as Shandong University, Sichuan University, Tianjin University, Peking University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Xi’An Jiaotong University, Jilin University, Nankai University, Zhejiang University, Fudan University, and Xiamen University. Participants included 14 teachers and 50 students from the above-mentioned 12 TKU sister universities, as well as 42 students from Tamkang University.

The Taiwanese Culture Camp is now in its third year. Having been held in 2010 and 2011, the total number of accumulated participants now amounts to over 200. It therefore serves as a major platform for exchange between Mainland Chinese and local Taiwanese students. This year, in order to continue to promote close Cross-Strait relations, the event was expanded to also include a Taiwanese Culture Camp for Mainland High Schools. Camp activities involved cultural trips and tours such as those held in previous years, with the addition of three special lectures on Taiwanese society and culture, as well as a lecture on university associations and a TKU club activity.

To provide participants with a true Taiwanese experience, the visitors visited a number of well-known Taiwanese tourist spots, including Fisherman’s Wharf in Tamsui, an Aboriginal Cultural Village, Sun Moon Lake, the National Palace Museum, and Shilin Night Market, among others.