The 18th International Arts and Culture Festival & Exotic Market of STUST was grandly launched a few days ago. Currently, STUST has more than 500 international students from 33 countries. This event especially invited students from Germany, Paraguay, Honduras, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, the Kingdom of Eswatini, Kyrgyzstan, MSA (Muslim Student Association) and the host country—Taiwan. They set up twelve stalls and performed exotic dances. Students from various countries carefully arranged decorations that represented the cultural relics of their countries, allowing participating Taiwanese students and international students to have more opportunities for cultural exchanges.

【Students from various countries at the STUST 2023 International Arts and Culture Festival took a group photo. Jing-zhou Tang, Deputy International Director of STUST (front, second from left) praised the international students for their unique style and culture.】

This year, nearly 2,000 international students and Taiwanese students participated the International Arts and Culture Festival event. This event is intended to allow all participating students, without having to go abroad, to taste the local flavors of various countries through foreign cultural experiences or multi-cultural fusion performances and enjoy performances of exotic customs and customs, adding to the wonderful memories of their college lives.

【Kindergarten children of STUST visited booths at the International Arts and Culture Festival and interact with international students.】

Kindergarten teachers from STUST also led their children in the kindergarten to have cultural experiences at booths from various countries, giving the children in the kindergarten a rare opportunity to interact with international students on transnational cultures. Children could be exposed to and experience different foreign cultures in daily life and expand the horizons of their knowledge.

【STUST International Arts and Culture Festival stage performance competition: a Filipino student group won the first place.】

The highlight of this event wass the stage performance competition with the participation of students from various countries. Participants included Vietnam's traditional dance, Philippines' Larong Lah dance, India's Bharatanatyam classical dance, Indonesia's traditional Sajojo dance, Eswatini dance, the Kingdom's Sparka dance, Taiwanese officials and generals' folk performance, etc., were performed by students from all over the world, winning warm applauses from the guests. Filipino students won the championship, Taiwanese students came in second, Indonesia came in third, and India, Vietnam and the Kingdom of Eswatini won outstanding performance award.

President Cheng-wen Wu said that STUST welcomes international students. By holding international art and culture festivals and exotic markets, STUST allows Taiwanese students and international students to further understand and communicate with each other through joyful and rich exotic activities. It promotes mutual cultural understanding, helping students recognize and learn to respect each other, thereby expanding each other's international outlook and world view and demonstrating the intention and vitality of NTDUST in promoting international culture.