Taiwan students marvel at pavilion

• Source: Global Times
• [09:43 July 21 2010]
• Comments

Students from Taiwan who are taking part in a summer camp in Shanghai visit the Taiwan Pavilion Tuesday. Photo: CFP

By Ni Dandan

A total of 850 students from Taiwan visited the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai Tuesday and described the Taiwan Pavilion as being a good representation of their home.

"The orchids here and the video clips featuring the urban scenes in Taipei, everything makes me feel at home," Lu Mei, a student from Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls High School, told to the Global Times Tuesday.

In the pavilion, Lu and her classmates were invited to fly electronic sky lanterns while making a wish. "Flying sky lanterns to pray for good luck is a popular practice in Taiwan. I've been doing this since my childhood," said Huang Moli, another student from the same school.

The students, from several high schools in Taiwan, were invited to the Expo by the Shanghai mayor, Han Zheng, in April when he paid a visit to Taiwan.

"As that they were invited by the mayor of Shanghai, they're definitely our VIP guests," said Walter Yeh, director of the Taiwan Pavilion. The Taiwan students, accompanied by some of their peers in Shanghai, were admitted through the pavilion's VIP entrance.

The director joked that usually the only people who can secure a visit to the Taiwan Pavilion during daytime are those who can run fast enough to arrive at the pavilion within 15 minutes after the Expo Park gates opening at 9 am.

The trip was arranged to boost communication between students in Taiwan and Shanghai. "We have had a lot of exchanges in commercial and cultural areas, but the communication between our young people is yet to be strengthened," said Yeh.

Lin Xiyu, a student at Shanghai Jincai High School, told the Global Times Tuesday that she was glad to finally get the chance to meet her peers from Taiwan and ask some questions she has always been interested in. "I had been wondering if they are under the same pressure as we are as far as their studies are concerned," said Lin.

Li Ci'en, a student at Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls High School who will enter her final year after the summer, said that Taiwan students face similar pressure to Shanghai students when trying to secure a place at college. "However, most girls are very active in ex-tracurricular activities as a way to beat stress. Of course, we are also hard-working when it comes to our studies," she said.

Li added that she found there are many things in common between Shanghai and Taiwan students. "We both love Jay Chou, and some popular soap operas and variety shows from Taiwan," said Li.