Invited by NCCU, international students joined the palanquin team for the annual pilgrimage, gaining an unparalleled experience of Taiwan’s temple culture.
Article by Office of International Cooperation
Initiated by Associate Professor Gao Zhen-Hong of the Department of Chinese Literature at National Chengchi University, the joint pilgrimage organized by Jingmei Jiying Temple garnered enthusiastic responses from international students. Participants from countries such as Japan, Thailand, Germany, Malaysia, Vietnam, Austria, and Estonia joined together to immerse themselves in Taiwan's temple culture.
This joint pilgrimage involved nearly 60 voluntary international student participants, invited through the university's Office of International Cooperation. Gao Zhen-Hong mentioned that two weeks prior, he fortuitously encountered the Chief Executive Officer of Jiying Temple, Gao Jin-Liang. They discussed the curiosity of international students about Taiwan's temple culture, leading to the idea of incorporating the celebration to provide international students with firsthand experiences.
Every year on the 15th day of the lunar month of October, Jingmei Jiying Temple organizes a joint pilgrimage activity. Recently, participants gathered from ten temples, including Muzha Jiying Temple, Jingmei Datian Temple, Wanqingyan, and Gongguan Fude Temple. The procession started from Jingmei Jiying Temple, with international students pushing the divine palanquin and assisting in distributing blessed items along the way. The route covered various areas such as Jingmei, Wanfang, Xinglong, and Gongguan, creating a lively and vibrant atmosphere.
To help international students understand the local temple culture, Gao Zhen-Hong worked with Jiying Temple's Cultural and Historical Affairs Division to compile information on the temple's history and festival activities, translating and condensing it into English. The temple also specially designed commemorative shirts for the palanquin team, distributing them to every student participating in the event to aid their cultural understanding and integration into the activity. Gao hopes that through this event, international students will have the opportunity to comprehend Taiwan's folk beliefs and, with their participation, change the negative impressions some people may have about Taiwan's temple festivals. In the evening, many international students continued to participate in a banquet, enjoying local delicacies and experiencing the warm Taiwanese hospitality through the unique round-table dining format.
"I feel very happy! Seeing community residents come together and work hard for a common cause is very touching!" exclaimed Panjasri, a Thailand student at the NCCU International Doctoral Program in Asia-Pacific Studies. Focused on rituals and religious activities, he immediately signed up upon hearing about the event. "In Thailand, we don't have activities where we invite deities to visit other temples." In addition to finding the temple culture intriguing, Panjasri is also curious about the impact of Taiwanese folk beliefs on community cohesion and looks forward to participating in the pilgrimage again. Despite the scorching sun during the event, the enthusiasm of international students remained high. Gao Yixiu, the chairman of Jingmei Jiying Temple, stated, "Many people internationally don't know what Taiwan's temple culture is about. We welcome international students to participate and let more people know about the beauty of our folk beliefs."
The university's Office of International Cooperation actively strives to create a mutually beneficial relationship with the community through the NCCU Global Village, embodying the spirit of "international perspective, local experience." The goal is to encourage international students to deeply engage in community affairs, bringing opportunities for cultural interaction with diverse languages and cultures to the local community. The Office of International Cooperation expresses its gratitude, stating, "NCCU hopes that international students in Taiwan, in addition to studying Chinese and professional courses, can also delve into understanding Taiwan's local culture. We are very grateful to Jingmei Jiying Temple for providing international students with this rare experiential opportunity, and the students' response has been very enthusiastic.
