2025 TC Music Festival: From the New World
In 2024, Taiwan Connection (TC) marked its 20th anniversary with the theme The Great Revisited, paying tribute to Franz Schubert’s short yet breathtaking life. In 2025, TC Music Director Nai-Yuan Hu presents a completely different theme, From the New World.
“Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, From the New World – from the title alone, is this piece depicting the new world, or is it about the composer’s longing for his homeland?” says Hu. Read more.
The Alliance Cultural Foundation: Chair Stanley Yen’s First Visit to the US Since the Pandemic – Spreading the Power of Philanthropy
From late April to early May, following up on his 2019 visit to the US, Chair Stanley Yen traveled to Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The purpose of his trip was to express gratitude to overseas Chinese communities for their longstanding support of The Alliance Cultural Foundation (ACF) and to share ACF’s achievements in supporting sustainable development in the Huatung region. Under the themes Philanthropy Can Be Different and The Second Mountain in Life, Chair Yen gave six talks at venues including Fo Guang Shan Chung Mei Temple-Houston and University of the West, a charity golf tournament dinner, a retirement community, and a community center drawing over a thousand attendees.
During his speeches, Chair Yen shared how a group of Swiss missionaries who arrived in Taitung 70 years ago had profoundly influenced his commitment to Huatung. Now in its 15th year, ACF continues to advance its core missions of education, the arts, and regional revitalization, shaping a blueprint for sustainable development in the east coast of Taiwan. He concluded each talk with the message, “The road may be long, but I see light at the end,” encouraging audiences while expressing appreciation for their enduring trust and support.
Audience members shared heartfelt reflections, noting how rare and moving it is to see someone dedicate themselves so fully to philanthropy in a world filled with turmoil. One attendee remarked, “Chair Yen is 78 and still actively contributing to society which is proof that as long as the heart is willing, we can all make a difference.”
The Alliance Cultural Foundation: Choir Camp Volunteer Training – Understanding Differences, Responding to Needs
The Huatung Choir Camp will be held from July 1-13 this year. To ensure smooth operations, 61 volunteers have been undergoing intensive training of three sessions across four days to strengthen team dynamics and prepare to support the diverse needs of 120 campers, including 8 students with special needs.
This year marks the introduction of a special education teacher role. Moon, a professionally trained volunteer with experience in four previous camps, will accompany the team throughout the camp to provide closer observation and support for the special needs students. During training sessions, he reminded volunteers to prioritize each child’s sense of participation and safety when designing activities and interactions. One volunteer reflected afterward, “I now have a more concrete understanding of inclusion. What these children need isn’t just help, it’s understanding and patience.”
In another meaningful step, for the first time, name tags for indigenous students will display both their names in their native languages alongside the Chinese. This honors each child’s unique cultural identity in a visible and affirming way.
We believe that when a person is fully seen, they can express themselves more freely. Let us look forward to this summer journey where music becomes a bridge to deeper understanding and respect, and where every harmony carries a shared sense of listening.
Junyi School of Innovation: Cycling, Trekking, and Ocean Crossing – Experiential Learning that Pushes the Limits
After a full year of preparation, 11th grade students at Junyi School of Innovation set off on their long-awaited experiential learning challenges during the weekends of May.
The Ocean Crossing Team aimed to cross the Kuroshio Current and sail to Green Island. To match the sea conditions, they departed from Taitung’s Shanyuan Bay at 5:00am on May 3. Navigating an outrigger canoe, they spent nearly six hours crossing 40 kilometers of open ocean before landing successfully at Nanliao Harbor, Green Island. Their voyage retraced the ancient Austronesian migration route, marking an epic chapter in their personal journey of maritime exploration.
The Cycling Team and Trekking Team began their missions on May 16. The Cycling Team completed a 72-hour relay ride around the island, powered by waves of encouragement and supplies from family and friends along the route. Meanwhile, the Trekking Team carried their gear and ascended Jiaming Lake, known as the Mirror of the Moon by the Bunun people, pushing their physical and mental limits while taking in the breathtaking scenery.
Each successful expedition reflects the joint efforts of students, teachers, and parents. Ms. Liu, a parent of a Junyi graduate who assisted with supplies in Kaohsiung, shared her heartfelt appreciation, “I’m grateful to Junyi for giving students the opportunity to discover themselves through experiential learning. And I deeply thank every teacher who takes on the responsibility of keeping them safe while guiding them through such a formative challenge.”
Junyi School of Innovation: Waldorf Schools Unite – The Ancient Olympic Games Held at Junyi
The 2025 Ancient Olympic Games for Waldorf schools in the Northern, Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung regions was held on May 24, hosted by Junyi School of Innovation. Participating schools included Ci-Xin Waldorf School (Yilan), TongXin Waldorf (Taipei), Taipei Steiner, Qinghe Waldorf Institute (Taipei), the Hualien Waldorf Education Association, and Junyi’s fifth-grade class.
This year’s Ancient Olympic Games flame ceremony held special meaning. Led by Parent-Teacher Association’s President Sakinu and members of the Hunter School, the flame was lit at the signal fire platform following traditional Paiwan tribal rituals, invoking blessings from the heavens and earth and marking a sacred start to the games.
The Ancient Olympic Games do not emphasize winning or losing. Instead, students participate in events such as running, long jump, discus, javelin, wrestling, and city-state relays – activities designed to help them become more aware of their will, emotions, and thoughts. The games reflect the values of classical Greek culture – strength and grace in movement, and the harmonious development of body and mind.
The event also incorporated indigenous ecological wisdom, with experiential courses in log sawing, fire making, spear throwing, and archery. These activities taught children cooperation and respect for nature through hands-on practice. Many parents were deeply moved, expressing that the Ancient Olympic Games, with its integration of local culture and humanistic values, brought profound depth to physical education and created lasting, meaningful memories for the children.
