Mandarin Studying Program for Utah High Schools from USA
2023/05/30
Under the coordination of the Education Division, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco(駐舊金山臺北經濟文化辦事處教育組), a group of 96 individuals from Utah, United States(美國猶他州), including high school students, teachers, and parents, arrived at our school on May 29th. They will participate in a two-week short-term Mandarin study program at the Center of Chinese Language Teaching(華語文教學中心). The members of this study group come from four different high schools: Skyridge, Lone Peak, Lehi, and Orem. The students possess basic Chinese communication skills and have a strong interest in learning Chinese culture. The group represents the largest number of American participants studying Mandarin in Taiwan since the lifting of travel restrictions, demonstrating the tangible implementation of Taiwan-U.S. Education Initiative and the Bilingual Education Program between Taiwan and the United States.
To welcome the study group members, the Office of International Affairs(國際事務處) held a grand opening ceremony on the morning of May 29th. President Liu Kuo-Wei(劉國偉) warmly welcomed the teachers and students and introduced them to the unique features of our semiconductor education. He expressed his hope that they would not only learn Mandarin but also gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan's world-class achievements in semiconductor industry. President Liu also mentioned that the United States continues to expand semiconductor production capacity, and Lehi, Utah, is a benchmark region in this field. He welcomes young students who are interested to come to Taiwan to learn about semiconductors. Alan Heath, the representative of the study group, delivered a speech. He had previously served as a missionary in Taiwan and has a deep emotional connection to the country. Emotionally, he said, "Taiwan is my second home," and expressed his belief that students will have great gains from learning Mandarin by immersion during their time in Taiwan as long as they are brave enough to speak. David Dong(董慶豐), First Education Secretary from the Department of International and Cross-strait Education of the Ministry of Education(教育部國際及兩岸教育司), also mentioned that he will be heading to the Education Division in San Francisco in July, which oversees Utah as well. He was pleased to meet everyone in Taiwan and emphasized that the Ministry of Education provides many scholarship opportunities for students interested in studying in Taiwan, and he is more than willing to assist American students who are interested in applying to come to Taiwan.
During the program, there will be intensive Mandarin learning and arrangements for students to take the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) exam. Additionally, to ensure that American students have a comprehensive understanding of Taiwan, they will visit famous attractions such as Taipei 101, CKS Memorial Hall, JiuFen, and TamSui. The volunteers trained under the Bilingual Education Program will accompany the students after class to introduce them to various Hsinchu delicacies and the local culture. Taking advantage of our campus facilities, the students will have the opportunity to experience basic semiconductor manufacturing courses in the Semiconductor Packaging and Testing Factory and visit the Hsinchu Science Park to understand the importance of Taiwan's semiconductor industry on a global scale. (Source: Office of International Affairs, Center of Chinese Language Teaching)
