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Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

Sacred Blossoms – A Deeper Look into the Symbolism of the Lotus – Day 11 {5/30}

During our temple excursions today, one of the temples we visited was Zuoying Yuandi Temple. On the way to the temple, we passed by a lotus pond, and our gracious Professor Young informed us that the lotus flowers in the pond are actually considered sacred because they’re associated with Buddha. One can often see Buddha sitting on these lotus flowers as they’re associated with Buddhas rise into Nirvana and enlightenment. It symbolizes the moment he sheds his worldly roots and ascends, transcending above the impurities and continuous distractions of the world.  This idea of transcendence is deeply reflected in how […]

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Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

Slowing Down in Kaohsiung – Art, Awareness, and the Pace of Life – Day 10 {5/29}

Today was a day of traveling. Moving from one province to the next, we made our way from Taichung to Kaohsiung. As Taiwan’s second-largest city, Kaohsiung has undergone an impressive transformation, evolving from a bleak industrial center into a green, revitalized city filled with lush parks, breezy beaches, wide streets, and vibrant outdoor public art. Speaking of art, one of the highlights of the day was visiting a cultural gem: The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts. Home to an extensive collection of artwork spanning both contemporary and classical forms, the museum showcases a wide variety of artistic styles and mediums. […]

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Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

 A Journey Through Time – Discovering Taichung’s Cultural Gems – Day 9 {5/28}

What a day! Thanks to the wonderful planning of our program, we students were granted the opportunity to experience Taiwan not only through its capital, Taipei, but also through its other provinces, such as Taichung and Kaohsiung. That being said, our visit to Taichung was amazing. It’s always a delight to explore and reflect on the presence of traditional buildings, historical towns, markets, and more landmarks that have withstood the passage of time and now serve as living remnants of the past woven into the fabric of the modern world. During my time there today, I had the chance to […]

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Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

Day 8: Exploring Taiwan’s Silicon Valley – Hsinchu Science Park {5/27}

Today we got the great opportunity to visit Hsinchu Science Park, located in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Known as Taiwan’s very own “Silicon Valley,” it’s home to a large industrial park nestled right in the heart of the city. Those who have established their facilities here are primarily companies involved in the semiconductor industry, along with others in closely related fields. During our visit, we were fortunate enough to have a guided tour of the Science Park Exploration Museum. The tour offered us a brief yet insightful overview of the founding of the park and showcased the types of innovative products being […]

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Friday, May 30th, 2025

Pivoting with the Times: Lessons from Hong Jaan Printing Co. – Day 7 {5/26}

Today we visited Hong Jaan Printing Co., where we were graciously hosted and presented with a very informational presentation about the company, the printing industry, as well as the printing process. As a company that started out during a time when there was no internet and everything needed to be printed, the printing company did really well, especially within the textbook and book market. Since textbooks were needed for classes, the demand for printed textbooks was very high, often reaching tens of thousands of copies per year. The same could be said with printed books. However, times change, and as […]

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Friday, May 30th, 2025

Reflections on Faith and Fortune – Where Religion Meets Business in Taiwan – Day 6 {5/25}

Today was a day of reflection. A day to discuss and consolidate my learnings, both religious and economic. Especially, a time to reflect on the way in which religion and business interact and interweave. On that note, I came to realize that religion here in Taiwan is very much present in the spaces where people do business. Many local businesses have small altars set up, often featuring a god, such as the God of Business, or other deities they worship. They do this to bring prosperity to their business. The process usually involves praying or burning offerings, such as spirit […]

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