Since the “Return to My Mother Tongue Movement” was launched on December 28, 1988, Taiwan has been emphasizing the importance of local education, ethnic group diversity, traditional culture, and the preservation ethnic languages. In affirmation of the movement, in 2022 the Hakka Affairs Council, which operates under the Executive Yuan, officially designated December 28 as Taiwan’s “National Hakka Day”.
This year, taking the date as an opportunity to put the spotlight on those making important contributes to Hakka culture, the Hakka Affairs Council held the “2023 Hakka Contribution Award Commemoration Ceremony and National Hakka Day Commemoration Event”. The event took place on December 28 at the Denwell Hotel in the Xinzhaung District of New Taipei. Three teachers from NPUST, including former Vice-President Pao-chuan Hsieh, Associate Professor Liang-Shwu Lee and Professor Chun-fa, were recognized for their related contributions, each being awarded the Third Class Hakka Affairs Professional Award by Hakka Affairs Council Director Yiong Con-ziin.
Professor Chun-fa Cheng expressed his appreciation, saying “it is truly an honor to be awarded the third-class award by the Hakka Affairs Council. Taiwan is a society with diverse ethnic groups and it is my mission as a Hakka scholar to promote and preserve my hometown’s local culture. I will continue to apply GIS and signaling data towards research in the Hakka area, and use my professional skills to write more exciting literature and history for my own ethnic group.”
Professor Chun-fa Cheng, who has also been working under the Higher Education Sprout Program and the USR-HUB Program to get teachers and students involved in the promotion of local civic activities and to innovative education for the elderly, was also recently named among the winners of the “MOE Social Education Contribution Award”, which was created by the Ministry of Education (MOE) for groups or individuals who are committed to promoting lifelong education, cultivating lifelong learning habits, building a society of learning, and engaging in various social and educational affairs.
NPUST Professor and former vice-president, Pao-chuan Hsieh, has made numerous noteworthy contributions in the area of food science over the years. At the current awards he was recognized for his commitment to improving the local food industry and promoting Hakka industry. Associate Professor Liang-Shwu Lee, who is also on faculty at the Graduate Institute of Hakka Cultural Industry, has been dedicated to the promotion of Hakka arts and literature, and was awarded for her research and academic work in this area.
