Taiwanese students visit Jordan to share culture, experiences

AMMAN — A group of 29 Taiwanese university students arrived to Jordan on Tuesday under the International Youth Ambassadors Programme to exchange cultural customs and share experiences with young Jordanians and Syrians.

Around 900 students from over 40 universities in Taiwan applied for the programme, and 100 outstanding students qualified to travel and perform shows in various countries, according to Warren Wang, from the Republic of China (Taiwan) foreign affairs ministry.

This year’s theme is “Dynamic youth, friendly Taiwan”, according to organisers, who said the trip aims to boost bilateral relations and raise awareness among Taiwanese students about humanitarian causes around the world.

The tour in the Kingdom started at the King Hussein Cancer Centre, where participants spent time with cancer patients. The group is rehearsing for a concert, and will also visit the Zaatari Refugee Camp and tourist sites including Wadi Mujib, the Dead Sea and the Amman Citadel. Wang said the programme was launched in 2009 to allow university students to participate in cultural exchange programmes.

“Taiwan is a multi-cultural society. Our stage performance by our youth ambassadors will present to the audience the different aspects of our culture, including minorities and indigenous people,” he added.

Each year, Taiwan offers three scholarships to Jordanian students, and the Jordanian government offers the same number to outstanding Taiwanese students, he said, to strengthen the ties.

“Our government cooperated with the Jordanian government in the northern part of Jordan; we helped rehabilitate the water system... Now it can supply clean water to around 40,000 refugees,” Wang said.

“Jordan and Taiwan have a very close cooperation on the refugee [issue]. We helped do our part in solving the problem regardless of the distance,” he noted.

Chao Yu-Chi, a bio-chemistry student, said the group came to the King Hussein Cancer Centre to spread positivity among  patients.

“The experience during the training programme is that we are a group of talented young people that are the elite in our own fields. We are divided into three groups… dancing, music, and languages,” he told The Jordan Times. 

“I think it’s really overwhelming for me that you get to spend six weeks with all these top students from different areas. We can learn from each other, experience different lifestyles or mindsets that we are not used to,” he added. 

Participant Wu Po-Yin said travelling to a country in the Middle East expanded her horizons to accept new ideas.

“We have to change our idea towards others maybe through education, or knowing the differences and backgrounds… to share our differences and know each other more, to [go] back to Taiwan and share what we have learnt and seen.”

Officials from the commercial office at the Republic of China (Taiwan) embassy said the programme also aims to demonstrate the Taiwanese government’s concern about the refugee crisis in the area.

“Taiwan and Jordan have a long-standing friendship since the 1960s... We really hope this visit can boost the youth exchange between both sides,” an official said.

She added: “We know Jordan has been suffering since the Syrian crisis broke out. We really hope the whole world can know more about this country — a country [of] peace, love and kindness.”

The students will perform a free concert to “celebrate diversity, youth and cultural exchange” on Wednesday at 6pm at Al Hussein Cultural Centre.