Promoting cultural diversity amongst students, Diamond Bar High School’s Taiwanese club is full of people of various backgrounds and unique stories that come together to share their appreciation and love for their culture.
The Taiwanese Club, led by senior co-presidents Terry Chang and Edmund Chen, hosts club events coordinated by seniors Lucy Wu and Ryan Wang to promote Taiwanese culture including karaoke nights, night markets and workshops to teach students Taiwanese Hokkien.
These events are done with the intention of spreading their culture and to evoke pride amongst those who are Taiwanese.
“The purpose of our club is to teach DBHS students about the diverse culture of Taiwan, and to bring Taiwanese representation to DBHS as well,” Chang said.
Taiwan is a hub of democracy, technological innovation, and cultural resilience in the Asia-Pacific region. Taiwan’s culture is a rich blend of indigenous traditions and modern global elements.
With over 50 new members in the 2023-2024 year and a huge amount of excitement for Taiwanese culture, the Taiwanese club seems to be flourishing.
This February, the club had an exchange event with Taiwanese students from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, to allow DBHS students to understand more about life from the perspective of a typical Taiwanese student.
They shared their experiences as students from Taiwan and club members also expressed their own experiences as American students. Experiences shared included school experience, daily life, and traditions unique to Taiwan. Differences included more schoolwork, higher use of public transport, and longer school hours for Taiwanese students.
“The Taiwanese Exchange Student event allowed our members to connect directly with those from Taiwan, exchanging insights from both sides of the world,” said Edmund Chen, one of the presidents of the Taiwanese club.
All students had the opportunity to engage in conversations about the similarities and differences between their two cultures.
The club’s exchange event gave students from various backgrounds the chance to learn more about Taiwanese culture, and so the club hopes to host more activities such as the student exchange event in future.
“I’m glad to see students who have never heard of Taiwan or know little about the country join our meetings and learn about Taiwan through our club,” said Chen.
