4th Meeting of Former Ministry of Education Scholarship Holders
The gathering commenced with a welcome address by the Representative Chen Hwa-Yue. This was followed by a talk by Ismail Tipi, a member of the Hesse state parliament and chairman of the Hesse-Taiwan Friendship Association, on “Exchanges between Germany and Taiwan”. The second speaker was Dr. Thomas Weyrauch, an expert on China and Taiwan and author of numerous reference books. Dr. Weyrauch spoke about Taiwan’s democratization and the upcoming local government elections in Taiwan. Both presentations prompted vigorous discussion.
After the lunch break, the afternoon was dedicated to a cultural tour which offered the participants ample opportunity to engage in conversation and exchange ideas, and also enjoy a very interesting venue. The tour took everyone to The Hai Yen Institute for the Conservation of Works of Art. The institute specializes in restoration and preservation of works of art and works, mainly for museums and institutions, and major private collections. Ms. Hua Hai-Yen is an authorized expert in the field of works of art on paper and textiles. Her introduction and tour of the institute was extremely interesting. The director of the education division Ms. Weng Chin-Ying was among the people enjoying this tour.
As well as giving former scholarship holders who had studied in Taiwan a chance to maintain their bonds with Taiwan and to meet up with old friends and others who had had similar experiences, the event also served to inform them about new programs in Taiwan that they might want to explore or tell others about. All the participants agreed that they had had a great time and they want these annual meetings to continue.