The Lunar New Year is an important time for reunion with family and friends in Chinese communities. But since many overseas students are unable to return home for the holiday, the NPUST Office of International Affairs thoughtfully planned out a Spring Festival activity for the school’s internationals. The event began at 9 a.m. on January 23 at the square in front of the Administrative Building. Under the banner of “2025 Shur-Prise International Student Get-Together and Spring Outing” the students had a chance to experience the atmosphere of the Lunar New Year in Taiwan. The event was hosted by university president, Chin-Lung Chang, who wished the students “good luck in the Year of the Snake” (pronounced ‘shur’ in Chinese) and encouraged them to “continue to rise to the top!”. According to tradition, President Chang then distributed red envelopes to the foreign students, symbolizing Chinese New Year greetings and good luck.
In his speech, President Chang said: “during this special holiday, we gather with family and friends to celebrate, or go out to have fun together. You are like family members to NPUST, and so we have specially arranged this outing today to celebrate the Spring Festival with everyone in advance”. President Chang also wished all the students peace, health and happiness in the New Year.
Fifty-eight overseas students participated in the event, coming from 13 countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Mexico, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea, Somaliland, Swaziland, and Haiti. After gathering at the square, the Office of International Affairs led the group to Donggang Township where they visited the newly-opened Pingtung King Boat Museum and the Donglong Temple, which is dedicated to “Lord Wen”. They also visited Dapeng Bay so that the students could experience Taiwan’s rich and diverse leisure and tourism resources. Through the Spring Festival outing, in addition to promoting international friendship and exchange, the OIA provided an opportunity for the students to created beautiful memories of their time at NPUST and enrich one another’s life experiences.
