To help international students far from home experience Taiwan’s festive traditions, the Office of International and Cross-Strait Affairs held the “2026 Mid-Autumn Festival Cultural Celebration for International Students” at noon on September 23 in the 10th-floor lobby of the Ching-sheng Memorial Hall. The international students from around the world eagerly lined up to receive mooncakes and enjoy the atmosphere of Taiwan’s traditional Mid-Autumn Festival ahead of the holiday.

Wendy Liew Man-Ying, a fourth-year student majoring in Japanese, hosted the event. She introduced the cultural significance of the Mid-Autumn Festival as a symbol of reunion and togetherness, along with folk legends such as Chang’e Flying to the Moon and the Jade Rabbit. The Office of International and Cross-Strait Affairs specially prepared two traditional Taiwanese mooncakes: sweet and delicate mung bean pastries and savory-sweet salted egg yolk pastries. Before distributing the mooncakes, faculty members and students gathered for a group photo to commemorate their Mid-Autumn celebration. Vice President for International Affairs Cheng-Hao Pao and Dean of International Affairs Chien-Mu Yeh also joined the festivities. After handing out mooncakes, they visited each table and chatted with students from different countries, asking about their academic progress and adjustment to life since the beginning of the semester. Laughter filled the venue, allowing newly arrived international students to experience the warmth and care of Tamkang faculty and the festive atmosphere on campus.

Ksenila Gasanova, a first-year student from Russia in the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations, excitedly shared that her Chinese-language teacher had introduced the origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival in class, sparking her curiosity and prompting her to attend the event and experience the festive culture firsthand. After tasting traditional Taiwanese mooncakes, she found them both delicious and unique. She also plans to visit Sun Moon Lake with friends during the holiday. Indonesian student Brendan Hubayana Ngadi, now in his fourth year in Taiwan and a senior in the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, shared that Taiwan’s Mid-Autumn Festival traditions have become a familiar part of his everyday life. Last year, he even experienced the Taiwanese custom of celebrating the holiday with a barbecue.