Taiwanese Student Association celebrates culture, heritage for National Taiwan Day

BYU students of the Taiwanese Student Association celebrated National Taiwan Day, a holiday on Oct. 10 that celebrates Taiwanese culture.

Their celebratory event, which took place on Oct. 7, was meant to reflect on the importance of Taiwanese heritage. Taiwanese Student Association treasurer Clayton Guo said he loves his people and culture and has found purpose in his position. 

“To be a part of the Taiwanese Association and to help plan some of the activities and bring awareness to people and the people who are interested in Eastern culture, I think that’s pretty meaningful to me and I’m glad to be a part of this,” Guo said. 

Nyssa Lim from California attended the event. “It’s important to celebrate it here because obviously we don’t go to a super diverse school. So the fact that they have an event like this here allows us to experience our culture that we grew up with and reminds us that we still have it,” Lim said.

Lim compared celebrating national cultural holidays like this to Christmas and Thanksgiving. 

“You get together with other people that you have the most in common with—so background, language and having the same upbringing,” Lim said.

Bella Hsiung shared the importance of culture at BYU and the special vantage point people of color can offer. 

“Our heritage is what makes us provide diversity to the campus, provide a different experience and a different outlook on certain things and it’s just a huge part of my identity,” Hsiung said. 

Lim shared how her heritage is not just a part of her identity. 

“It’s also a part of who you act as a person. It builds your personality,” Lim said. “When you know someone from your same heritage you have, not the same personality, but the same foundation for how you guys act. You’re already an outsider so it’s like meeting another outsider and you guys have both that in common.”