Newsletter DEC 2015 NO. “Reading of Tomorrow” 8 Program in —the New Trend in Reading Spreading over Singapore

NCU Satellite Image Calendar NATIONAL CENTRAL UNIVERSITY “Trace of Life” NEWSLETTER —A Witness of Our Land

“International Environment Sustainable Development Program” of NCU Is Awarded Excellence in Postgraduate Program Accreditation

印 刷 品 Contents Newsletter

Focus 01 NCU Satellite Image Calendar “Trace of Life”—A Witness of Our Land 02 “International Environment Sustainable Development Program” of NCU Is Awarded Excellence in Postgraduate Program Accreditation

Academic Research and Development 04 Exploration in Jurassic World—Research into Serrated Teeth of Theropod Dinosaurs on Scientific Reports 05 The Youngest Brown Dwarfs Discovered by Graduate Institute of Astronomy at NCU 06 “Reading of Tomorrow” Program in Taiwan—the New Trend in Reading Spreading over Singapore 07 The Pride of NCU—Glorious Academic Honors and Awards

Arts and Humanities 08 Master Li Tian-Lu’s French Disciple Jean-Luc Penso Exhibits His Puppetry Collections in Taiwan 09 The 1st World Sinophone Drama Competition for Young Playwrights— Inspiring Younger Generation to Write

Featured Events 10 Westide at NCU—Introducing Hippie Culture 11 Multi-Ethnic Culture Month of 2015—Exploring Unique Cultures of Ethnics

International Exchange 12 “Satoyama” Service Learning in Japan—Retrieving the Harmony between Human and Nature 13 International Arts Festival—Indian Festival “Diwali” on NCU Campus Focus

NCU Satellite Image Calendar “Trace of Life”—A Witness of Our Land

“Trace of life” means the traces left by creatures’ Taiwan. Our satellite image calendar observes biological activities on earth. It could be as large as Taiwan from a different angle—from outer a footprint of a dinosaur, or as tiny as a hole that space, which shows us different visions and an insect drills in the soil. The Center for Space and perspectives,” said Dr. Jing-Yang Jou, the Remote Sensing Research (CSRSR) of NCU makes president of NCU. the “Trace of Life” the central theme in the satellite image calendar of 2016. CSRSR selected six images The six pictures in the calendar are arranged in Taiwan seen by the SPOT satellites of France, ingeniously and tell the symbolic change in presenting the landscapes of Wusanto Reservoir sequence. The images start from humans’ in City, Laobei Farm at Neipu in Pingtung essential needs to the demand on changing County, Cieding Fishing Farm in City, living environments, and from agriculture No.6 Naphtha Cracker Complex at Mailiao in and fish-farming to industry and larger-scale Yunlin County, the Permanent Housing Area at economic activities. People may observe from Shanlin in Kaohsiung City, and the Port of these images humans’ change of living Kaohsiung. environment and the rise in quality of “The core value of the satellite image calendar is life in those man- the concern for humanity. The design concept for made landscapes this calendar is the reflection on humans’ activities in the natural on Earth. Through those images seen by satellites, environment. we would see the massive trace that humans have carved on the earth with the planned landscape- changing activities and man-made environment creation,” said Dr. Chung-Pai Chang, Professor in The pictures in the 2016 Satellite Image CSRSR and the curator of the calendar “Trace of Calendar “Trace of Life”: Life.” which is the satellite image of Laobei Farm at Neipu in Pingtung County. “The documentary film Beyond Beauty: Taiwan PHOTO: CSRSR from above observes Taiwan from the sky and presents the beautiful and the fragmented of 1 Focus

IESD program is awarded excellence in the accreditation of postgraduate programs by TaiwanICDF for the second time. PHOTO: IESD program

International Environment Sustainable Development Program of NCU Is Awarded Excellence in Postgraduate Program Accreditation nternational Environment program. Many IESD students Engineering. The program Sustainable Development return to their hometowns after aims to recruit students from I(IESD) program of NCU graduation and devote what Southeast Asia and partner is awarded excellence in the they have learned in Taiwan countries (in Central America accreditation of postgraduate to their countries, which also and Africa). The curriculum programs by International enhances Taiwan’s cooperation of the program contains three Cooperation and Development and interaction with partner major areas: Environmental Fund (Taiwan ICDF) in 2015, countries indirectly. Technology, Energy Technology and this is the second time and Policy, and Remote for IESD program to receive To comply with government Sensing and Geographic the award. IESD program policy and develop the Information Systems (GIS). was established in 2003, and characteristics of NCU, IESD All courses are instructed in 63 students from 18 different program was thus founded English, and faculty members countries have studied in the in 2003 under the College of are outstanding scholars from

2 various fields. The objective Nicaragua, the application of is responsible for the planning of IESD program is seeking Landsat imagery in the urban project of building a new sustainable living for a better development in Guatemala, airport in his country. Mr. Oscar tomorrow. the classification of forest tree Mauricio Rodriguez Corrales species in Mongolia and so on. from Honduras in Central Dr. Jiunn-Chi Wu, Director of From their thesis topics, one can America is now the coordinator IESD program, has been in the see IESD students’ strong sense of Resources and Information program since the pioneering of mission. System Center in Universidad stage and has witnessed Metropolitana de Honduras, the program’s development “Till this year, there are 45 and he is in charge of the “from zero to one.” “These alumni of our program around management and application of international students fly the globe, and many of them information and resources in the thousand miles away from are having influences in their university. We are pleased to their hometowns to study in own countries. For example, see that our alumni are making Taiwan. What they have faced Mr. Yacouba Siko from Burkina great contributions to their is not simply the challenges Faso in West Africa is now the people and hometowns,” said of academic performances. urban planner in the Ministry of Director Wu. They need more help in Interior of Burkina Faso, and he communication and life here. We really appreciate all faculty and staff of IESD program, who have made great devotions to the program as well as to the students,” said Dr. Wu.

It is highly commendable that IESD students’ theses are usually related to their cultural backgrounds and concerned with the issues which their countries have confronted. Students’ theses examine the issues in their hometowns like wind power assessment for Bay Islands in Honduras, the feasibility of solar energy application in the villages in IESD students from different countries study and live together without border. Belize, the management of PHOTO: IESD program waste from slaughterhouses in

3 Academic Research and Development

Exploration in Jurassic World—Research into Serrated Teeth of Theropod Dinosaurs on Scientific Reports and they were air-shipped to Taiwan last July. The team conducted research with Applied Optics and proposed Synchrotron Radiation Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (SR-FTIR) for further analysis at National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) in , Taiwan.

Researchers have investigated for two years and found that the “steak knife-like” cutting edges on most theropod dinosaurs’ teeth were formed inherently, and the cutting edges were crucial for those dinosaurs to tear through the flesh and chomp on the bones of their prays.

The research further pointed out that the internal structures of the cutting edges were not “hollow” but solid. “Our study has rejected the previous hypothesis. We find that those internal structures, Why were theropod dinosaurs so powerful the interdental folds, are like springs that make and dominant in Jurassic Period? The theropod dinosaurs’ teeth tough but flexible, so their international research team organized by teeth would not crack so easily when they chomp. Dr. Robert Rafael Reisz, Chair Professor of The special structure of those dinosaurs’ teeth made the Dept. of Optics and Photonics, Dr. Rong- them top killers for hundreds of millions of years,” Seng Chang, Professor of the Dept. of Optics said excitingly Dr. Rong-Seng Chang, Professor of the and Photonics, and other distinguished Dept. of Optics and Photonics of NCU. scholars may have found one of the possible answers to that question. The researchers Besides the outstanding findings of the serrated discovered that one of the reasons that cutting edges on teeth of theropod dinosaurs, the made theropod dinosaurs the top of the international research team was also renowned for food chain was the saw-like cutting edges their study on dinosaurs’ embryos and the study on the side of their teeth. And the structure appeared on the cover of Nature in 2013. of these saw-like teeth resembled springs very much, rendering the teeth uneasy to crack. The findings were published in the internationally renowned journal Scientific Reports on 28th July, 2015. Dr. Rong-Seng Chang, Prof. of the The research originated from Dr. Reisz’s Dept. of Optics and Photonics, holding hypothesis. Scientists used to infer that the a tooth fossil of serrated cutting edges on Tyrannosaurus’ Tyrannosaurus, teeth might be the small cracks created when explains that the internal structures of tearing games apart, yet it was uncertain that the saw-like cutting if those cracks were inherent or acquired. The edges on theropod research team decided to borrow the teeth dinosaurs’ teeth are like springs which protect their fossils of Tyrannosaurus and baby Allosaurus teeth from cracking easily 4 from Royal Ontario Museum of Canada and make them top hunters. The Youngest Brown Dwarfs Discovered by Graduate Institute of Astronomy

PhD student Poshih Chiang A sample of new born brown Telescope in Chile to acquire the and his supervisor Professor dwarfs is the critical first step confirmation spectroscopic data. Wen-Ping Chen at the Graduate to offer an answer. All some Two methane-bearing brown Institute of Astronomy (IoA) hundreds of brown dwarfs dwarfs were found. The region of NCU reported the discovery known so far, however, are they studied, the Rho Ophiuchi of two cool, and youngest within tens of light years and dark cloud, is teeming with brown dwarfs known so far. with ages more than 100 million stars which are well dated to be At a distance of 400 light years years old. The nearest places no more than a couple million from us, these objects have in space where celestial objects years old. Spectral analysis surface temperatures less than are being formed lie about 400 suggests the two objects, Oph-T3 600 degree Celsius and ages light years away, where brown and Oph-T17, to have surface no more than a couple million dwarfs are very faint to detect temperatures cooler than 600 years. In comparison, our Sun is and easily confused with distant degrees. almost ten times as hot, with an background objects. estimated age of 5 billion years. The research article was The NCU group led an published in Volume 811 of The With a mass between that of a international team to use Astrophysical Journal Letters star and a planet, a brown dwarf the 4-meter Canada-France- in October 2015. “This is an is not hot enough at the core to Hawaii Telescope located atop important discovery,” said sustain thermonuclear reactions. the volcanic Mauna Kea in Chen, “to bridge our knowledge It is an unsettled issue whether Hawaii to obtain images with of the birth and early evolution a brown dwarf is formed like thousands of objects to select of stars of exoplanets.” Chiang a star, i.e., by gravitational candidates showing methane is now a postdoctoral fellow at collapse out of interstellar absorptions, a characteristic IoA, continuing on scrutiny into clouds, or like a planet, i.e., as molecular species in cool these elusive celestial bodies. a byproduct condensing out of atmospheres. The researchers gas and dust surrounding a star. then used the 8-meter Gemini

Graduate Institute of Astronomy of NCU discovered two cool and youngest known brown dwarfs with large infrared telescopes. On the left is brown dwarf Oph-T03, and on the right, Oph-T17. PHOTO: IoA 5 Academic Research and Development

Reading of Tomorrow Program in Taiwan—the New Trend in Reading Spreading over Singapore

The “Reading of Tomorrow” Chiau Primary School visited the interest in reading Chinese program conducted by Dr. and had classroom observation books among students in Tak-Wai Chan, Professor at Chung Ping Elementary Singapore. At the beginning, of the Graduate Institute of School in Taoyuan City, Taiwan. there were four schools, the Network Learning Technology They were impressed with previously mentioned three (GINLT), is spreading its seeds students’ passion for reading schools together with Montfort overseas to Singapore! The and the extraordinary effects Junior School, participated in educational delegations from that reading had brought. This the program. Because students Singapore have visited twice June, the delegation came to developed interest in reading as in three years. The Educational Taiwan for the second time well as demonstrated significant Technology Division of the and visited Simen Elementary improvement of learning Ministry of Education Singapore School, Wen Huah Elementary outcomes, there are now 13 are promoting Chinese-reading School, Lio Ho High School primary schools in Singapore program, and so far there have and other schools in Taoyuan joined the program to promote been 13 local primary schools in order to have a better Chinese-reading. joining the program. This new and deeper understanding trend in reading is spreading of “Reading of Tomorrow” “The basic concept of ‘Reading over Singapore. program. of Tomorrow’ is Modeled Sustained Silent Reading, Three years ago, Madam To develop students’ capability MSSR. The MSSR pedagogy LEE Jo Kim, Supervisor of and interest in reading, puts emphasis on the interest Educational Technology Educational Technology in reading, modeled reading, Division of the Ministry of Division of the Ministry of and cultivating reading Education Singapore, Dr. LOOI Education Singapore initiated habit. With the support of Chee Kit, Professor of National the Chinese-reading program. digital technology, can gain a Institute of Education, Nanyang They adopt the ideas and large amount of background Technological University, and systematic approaches of knowledge in their school principals and teachers from “Reading of Tomorrow” learning through massive North Vista Primary School, Si program and aim to promote reading,” explained Dr. Tak-Wai Ling Primary School, and Nan Chan.

Teachers from Montfort Junior School, Singapore, are The educational delegations from Singapore exchange with Prof Tak- 6 observing the class that participates in “Reading of Tomorrow” Wai Chan from NCU the ideas and learning modes of “Reading of program at Wen Huah Elementary School, Taoyuan City. Tomorrow” program. PHOTO: GINLT PHOTO: GINLT The Pride of NCU —Glorious Academic Honors and Awards

NCU faculty receives academic honors and awards one after another in the year of NCU’s centennial anniversary 2015! Dr. Wing-Huen Ip, Professor of the Graduate Institute of Astronomy, is awarded the holder of 19th National Professorship of the pleasure Ministry of Education (MOE). This is Dr. Ip’s second time being elected National Professorship holder and he wins life-long honor of National Professorship. Dr. Chi- Hung Juan, Professor at the NCU Honors : National Professorship and Academic Award from the Ministry of Graduate Institute of Cognitive Education. From left to right:NCU President Jing-Yang Jou, Prof. Wing-Huen Ip, Prof. Neuroscience, is the recipient Chi-Hung Juan, and the Minister of Education Se-Hwa Wu. of the 59th Academic Award from MOE and also named the Cognitive Neuroscience is one of the emerging scientific fields. Association for Psychological “Now is the best time for studying cognitive functions and their Science (APS) Fellow in 2015. neural mechanisms!” stated Dr. Chi-Hung Juan. It is a discipline consisted of complicated puzzles, and rewarded with great pleasure Dr. Wing-Huen Ip specializes in exploring new knowledge and improving human well-being. in the plasma physics of Saturn Dr. Juan now focuses on the application and development of visual and other planets, the surface of attention, cognitive control, working memory and brain stimulation a comet, and the structure of the techniques in educational and clinical settings. gas and dust of a comet nucleus. Dr. Ip’s research outcomes are Dr. Ching-Cherng Sun, Professor of the Department of Optics often published in the world- and Photonics, and Dr. Jann-Yenq Liu, Professor of the Graduate renowned scientific journals Institute of Space Science, receive the Outstanding Research Award such as Nature and Sciences. by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in 2015. Dr. “Astronomy is the dream as Loren Chang, Associate Professor of the Graduate Institute of well as the response to humans’ Space Science, and Dr. Chia-Ming Kuo, Associate Professor of the yearning for the value of their Department of Physics, are both awarded Wu Ta-You Memorial being and origin,” said Dr. Ip. Award by MOST in 2015.

Dr. Loren Chang (left), Associate Prof. of the Graduate Institute of Space Science and Dr. Chia-Ming Kuo (right), Associate Prof. of the Dept. of Physics, are recipients of Wu Ta-You Memorial Award by the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2015. 7 Arts and Humanities

Master Li Tian-Lu’s French Disciple Jean-Luc Penso Exhibits His Puppetry Collections in Taiwan

Jean-Luc Penso, the first French disciple of Taiwan’s national treasure puppeteer Tian-Lu Li, displayed his precious collections in the exhibition “Li Tien-Lu & Jean-Luc Penso: A Wondrous Taiwanese-Franco Rendezvous” at National Central University Art Center in November, 2015. His collections included western-faced puppets in his adapted Occidental legend l'Odyssée, performance posters, and photos taken in his days of learning puppetry.

In his childhood, Jean-Luc Penso was impressed with the Chinese and Indian portraits that his grand grandfather brought home from far East and thus harbored a yearning Jean-Luc Penso, the French disciple of for the Oriental. In his teens, Mr. Penso came to Taiwan through Taiwanese Master puppeteer Tian-Lu Li, mainland China by coincidence, met Master puppeteer Tian-Lu exhibits his puppetry collections at National Li, and decided to learn puppetry from Master Li with his great Central University Art Center. enthusiasm. With Master Li’s encouragement, he founded Théâtre du Petit Miroir with the other two French disciples Catherine Larue and Claire Illouz in France in 1978.

Master Li once said to Mr. Penso: “I believe there are many legends in your hometown Europe. You should work on creating puppet plays in your culture rather than merely being proud of playing Taiwanese puppetry.” Thanks to Master Li’s words, Jean-Luc Penso created his puppet play l'Odyssée, an adaptation from Greek epic poem Odyssey, and designed a collection of puppets, stage set, and incidental music for the play. The puppet play l'Odyssée made its global debut in Greece, bringing a new life and energy for Oriental puppetry.

Besides traditional glove puppets, Théâtre du Petit Miroir also plays shadow puppets to tell the myths and legends around the world. 8 They have traveled to more than 80 countries around the globe. Holy Crab!, the first prize of the 1st World Sinophone Drama Competition made its debut in the Festival of Award-Winning Plays on October 16th, 2015. PHOTO: Performance Center at NCU

The 1st World Sinophone Drama Competition for Young Playwrights st hosted by National Central University The 1 World Sinophone aims to encourage young playwrights Drama Competition for to produce more dramatic works. Young Playwrights—Inspiring Younger Generation to Write The 1st World Sinophone Drama Competition for The first prize of the 1st World Sinophone Young Playwrights hosted by National Central Drama Competition goes to Holy Crab! University, co-hosted by School of Liberal Arts, (the English script) by Zhu Yi, the second Nanjing University, China, and organized by prize, Dirty Paws, or How to Make a Great Performance Center and Research Center for Theatre Documentary Film (the English script) by Zhao and Performance Studies at National Central Binghao, and the third prize, Fallacy of the Fist University, seeks to encourage production of new by Taiwanese playwright Chien-jen Wang. Zhu dramatic works of young playwrights. The event Yi and Zhao Binghao, the first and second prize resonated with participants all over the world and winners, are bilingual playwrights from China, 198 entries were submitted. The top three award- living in New York now. They flew from New winning plays will be presented in both Chinese York to Taiwan to attend the ceremony. and English on a world tour of staged readings in Taiwan, Macao, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Vancouver in “The main purpose of this competition is Canada, and St. Louise in the U.S. to promote the dramatic works of young playwrights, seek possibilities of film and stage Entries were accepted from October 2014 to the productions, cultivate younger playwrights, end of February, 2015. 198 entries were submitted, and make the performing arts booming at including 181 Chinese ones and 17 English ones. a global scale,” said Dr. Katherine Hui-ling Most of the Chinese entrants came from Taiwan, Chou, Director of Performance Center at NCU mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Malaysia. and chair of the 1st World Sinophone Drama Bilingual playwrights from Taiwan, mainland China, Competition. and Singapore contributed to the English scripts, and even English and Bulgarian writers joined the 9 competition. Featured Events

Westide at NCU —Introducing Hippie Culture

The 42nd Westide hosted by the Department of English chose hippie culture as the main theme and hoped to have students and faculty experience once again the trend in the Sixties. Taiwanese students as well as international students participated actively. The organizers of Westide hoped to make everyone realize the artistic spirit of hippie culture—love, peace, and music.

The popular “tie-dying” among foreigners is to bind randomly with rubber bands on a white T-shirt and dye with your favorite color as you like in different places on the T-shirt. After that, just set it aside for several hours, wash it, and finally you will get a unique and stylish tie-dye shirt. Such a shirt represents the unconfined, free, and creative hippie spirit.

The hippie movement originated from Northern Europe. After it spread to the United States, hippie movement gained great popularity because of the anti-Vietnam war sentiment. Hippies emphasize the ideas of love, peace, and music. The most famous and unprecedented event of hippie movement was Woodstock Music & Art Fair in 1969. During the festival, large number of hippies gathered at the great meadow in rural area and enjoyed the music nd The 42 Westide hosted by the Department of English at NCU for 3 days and nights against bad weather. At that introduces hippie culture this year and holds “tie-dying” activity to be the prelude to the series of events. time, most hippie advocates dressed casually, not in any ready-made clothing but in tie-dye clothing to show their strong personal characteristics. The illusive but artistic style has become the unique image of hippie.

“Our Westide group held the informative and interesting shirts-tie-dying to be the prelude to our series of hippie culture activities to attract people. Later on, we have courses that introduces hippie culture, and we will hold a film festival, a music fair, and other activities. With various media and different ways of interaction, everyone could have a better understanding of the hippie spirit,” said Yu- Nong Dai, a sophomore of the Dept. of English and International students participate passionately and enjoy a lot nd the DIY tie-dying. the chief executive of the 42 Westide.

10 Exploring the Unique Cultures of Ethnics Multi-Ethnic Culture Month of 2015

There are various ethnic groups living in Taiwan. To learn more about the beauties of different ethnic cultures, “Multi-Ethnic Culture Month of 2015” made debut in October on NCU campus. The festival offered great opportunities for the public to have a better understanding of and to get closer to Hakka culture as well as cultures of other ethnics. Through the festival, it seeks coexistence and mutual Taiwanese aboriginal dance, the opening of “Multi-Ethnic prosperity among ethnics and to enrich the cultural Culture Month of 2015” on NCU campus, demonstrates the landscape of Taiwan. variety of ethnics in Taiwan.

Multi-Ethnic Culture Month of 2015 organized by prosper to make our lives more colorful and Hakka Affairs Council, the Department of Hakka full of variety,” stated Mr. Ching-Chung Liu, Affairs of Taoyuan City Government, and National Minister of Hakka Affairs Council. Central University started from 21st to 30th in October. Various activities including the festival “At NCU, we make students realize that each opening parade, public art exhibition, performances, individual is different and unique. People Yu-Xian Deng Cultural Relics exhibitions, and the have to learn and respect the differences speaking tour on college campuses were held one among them because every person grows after another and enlivened the whole festival. up with diverse cultural backgrounds and has distinct thinking modes. A mutual “The reason that a person exists is for other persons. understanding will build positive and The moment when we are seen by effective communication, so that people can the world, shall we be broad-minded and learn to work together to achieve something greater,” respect and appreciate cultures of other ethnics. We said Dr. Jing-Yang Jou, the president of NCU. also expect that different cultures may co-exist and

Multi-Ethnic Culture Month of 2015 organized by Hakka Affairs Council, the Department of Hakka Affairs of 11 Taoyuan City Government, and National Central University. International Exchange

“Satoyama” Service Learning in Japan—the Harmony between Human and Nature

This summer, NCU Service-Learning Office “The locals promote the idea of organic. It is not and Vision YouthAction (VYA Taiwan) only limited to the crops; they’ve thought of the cooperated and selected ten NCU students to whole nature. They insist on not using chemical visit Sansonjuku in Fukuoka Prefecture in Japan. fertilizer and try to live together with the nature. Students had their service learning there for 13 They even use handmade natural soaps when days and followed the spirit of “Satoyama,” a they take a shower, reducing the environmental spirit of harmonious coexistence of human and pollution to the lowest level,” said the participant nature. It is a place without Internet, so people You-Xiang Chen, a freshman from the Dept. of are getting closer to each other. With the organic Chemical and Materials Engineering. agriculture project, human beings are getting closer to the land. “It is really worthwhile learning from the Japanese ‘Shokunin’ attitude. When they are farming, safety Sansonjuku at Kurogimachi in Yame City of is the top priority. They have various tools and Fukuoka Prefecture is one of the important bases explain in detail the different purposes of those of ecological conservation in Japan. It is also a tools. They also pay great attention to taking a rest place that promotes LOHAS and environmental and never overwork. Besides, there is no Internet sustainability; therefore, young people around there and the place is away from any disturbance. the globe are attracted and visit Sansonjuku I think people are thus getting much closer, to have service learning and international showing their genuine affections, and enjoying the exchange. The major events of NCU students’ great peace and harmony of nature,” said another service learning in Sansonjuku are participating participant Qing-An Lee, a junior from the Dept. of in local ecological preservation and organic Information Management. farming projects. Volunteers from NCU worked together with the local volunteers to help with biodiversity recovery in the forest, lumbering, growing mushrooms, wet rice cultivation and so on.

12 International Arts Festival— Indian Festival “Diwali” on NCU Campus

To encourage international communications and to altar in front the stage to the gorgeous pattern make Taiwanese students learn more about foreign made of hundreds of flower petals, they have cultures, NCU held Diwali, the Indian festival of astonished everyone. The performances were lights, on campus in November. Indian students put of variety: folk dances, theatres, and mimes— on their traditional clothes, performed charmingly to list just a few. During the intermission, Indian dances and dramas. It was a party of cultural students served more than 20 traditional and gourmet feast, and students prayed for the bright Indian dishes for all the guests at the party future in peace and harmony. and everyone enjoyed a great Indian gourmet feast! “Diwali” is the last day of Hindu Lunisolar Calendar. This festival signifies the victory of light over “I am so glad that we have a chance to share darkness and the victory of good over evil. It echoes Indian tradition and culture here in Taiwan. the Hindu proverb ‘Nothing but the truth,’ and we’ve I’m always deeply grateful for all the warmth been always proud of the truth and non-violence that that Taiwanese people gave me during my the Indian great leader Mahatma Gandhi taught us,” study here. We have been holding Diwali for explained Satish Jaiswal, the president of NCU Indian almost a decade, and we hope it will be better Students Association. and better in the following years. We also expect to touch the hearts of people around During the four-hour party, Indian students showed the world with multi-cultural exchanges their creativity. From the delicate decoration of the and integration in this festival!” said Satish Jaiswal. Students make a gorgeous pattern (Rangoli) with hundreds of flower petals during “Diwali” festival at NCU!

13 National Central University Newsletter Publisher: Jing-Yang Jou Editor: Kuo-Kai Shyu, Rachel Wu Executive editor: Ju-Chih Chen Photographer: Yun-Hsuan Chu, Each Unit Published by Secretariat

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