2019 Huayu Enrichment Scholarship recipient Justin Tate at the Chiang-kai Shek Memorial Hall

The Education Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada has finalized its list of 2020 Huayu Enrichment Scholarship recipients.

Previously most scholarships were awarded for a period of three months or six months, but this year no scholarships have been awarded for periods less than six months and three scholarships are for twelve months. The reason for this change is that the COVID-19 pandemic led to many requests from 2019 Huayu Enrichment Scholarships recipients still in Taiwan to extend their scholarships. A common reason given was that staying in Taiwan is far safer than returning to Canada.

The Education Division realized that while the pandemic is still active many applicants will want to stay in Taiwan longer than in the past, for the simple fact that the pandemic has been handled so well in Taiwan. As well as helping recipients stay safe from the coronavirus, awarding scholarships for a longer period will let them put more time into their Chinese language studies with peace of mind, and develop a deeper understanding of Taiwan.

The Education Division also determined that an additional three months could be awarded from its 2019 scholarship quota and called for applications from the 2019 Huayu Enrichment Scholarships recipients who’d requested an extension to their scholarship. The additional three months were awarded to Justin Tate, a professional artist who creates art installations. His original plan was to study in Taiwan for six months. Justin said that life would have been very frustrating had he been living anywhere else, but in Taiwan, life continues essentially as it was before the coronavirus.