They visited Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Johor, and Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia to perform cross-cultural exchanges and volunteering between July 31 and August 14. Minister Yiong shared that the reason for arranging the visits to Singapore and Malaysia on this occasion is because of their shared status with Taiwan as Southeast Asian countries. We are like neighbors, and in the post-colonial era, we all faced major challenges such as gathering peoples of different languages, ethnicities, cultures, and religions under one nation. This can also help participants understand the trials and tribulations the countries faced on their path to nationhood.
In today’s flag presentation ceremony, the Hakka youths enthusiastically demonstrated the results of their training. They were divided into groups of four people, including a group of hosts, musicians, singers, and martial artists. The musicians, in particular, included an instrument popular across Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia—the coconut-shell fiddle—in combination with the Western traverse flute. Their performance was accompanied by dragon and lion dances and glove puppetry, a dazzling fusion of East and West. The singers added modern popular music elements to traditional Hakka songs, giving the original Hakka Girl a brand-new style. They even surprised everyone by rapping in Hakka. The martial artists created a battle atmosphere between the girls performing street dance and the boys showcasing martial arts from Zhao’an, Yunlin. Spectators were continuously delighted by the variety of talents possessed by Hakka youth.
Other than local cultural exchanges and meetings with overseas Hakka figures, volunteering was an essential part of this tour, showing concern for local social welfare organizations. It is hoped that young Hakka people can bring the goodwill and desire to serve others, typical of the Taiwanese and Hakka people, into their international volunteering experience.
