Eckerd College Mandarin students sharpen language skills in Taiwanese university express program

Large group of students stands in front of a sign that reads LUODONG NIGHT MARKET

Professor of Chinese Language and Literature took several trips to Taipei to plan the Eckerd College’s first trip to Taiwan. Photos courtesy of Joy Gilbertson ’26

For the first time ever, a group of 15 Eckerd College students interested in improving their Chinese language skills and learning about Taiwanese culture made the journey to Taipei for Winter Term.

They were led by Professor of Chinese Language and Literature Jing Shen, Ph.D., who provided students the opportunity to visit many of Taipei’s most famous cultural sights, and experience language learning through immersion.

After a fourteen hour flight across the Pacific, students in the course titled Language and Culture in Taipei, were more than ready to start their journey in Taiwan. A key component of this trip was the language immersion, which was exciting for many students, as an immersion trip to a Chinese speaking country hasn’t been offered since 2018. Shen visited Taiwan many times in preparation in order to find locations with the best educational and cultural opportunities.

The students attended National Taiwan Normal University as part of an Express program focused on learning Mandarin Chinese. This program allowed students to take a Mandarin class at a level appropriate to them, and meet students from other countries, such as Japan, Korea, and Germany. NTNU’s program also included cultural experiences, such as traditional Chinese calligraphy, tea drinking, and day-trips to historic sites including Jiufen and Shifen.

Four students hold a very large lantern over their heads at night

Eckerd students release a paper lantern during a nighttime event in Taipei.

Shen’s class also visited the National Palace Museum, the Grand Hotel, the Taipei Zoo and a number of old streets and night markets. There are many old streets around Taiwan, and each serves as a unique slice of history. With architectural influences mostly from Japan and China, but also occasionally from Rome and other western styles, old streets play an important role in capturing and preserving the history and culture in Taiwan.

Night markets are another large part of Taiwanese culture, and can be found almost everywhere. These open-air markets are for shopping and entertainment, but mostly for food.

Large group of students stand with locals holding up calligraphy supplies

Students took courses at National Taiwan Normal University with other Mandarin language learners from around the world.

With accommodations right next to the famous Shi-Da Night Market, students got to participate in this quintessential Taiwanese experience.

Five students seated at a table at table set with tea cups as a man talks to them and smiles

The three-week language immersion classes were catered to student’s level.

One of the most striking places the class visited was Changfu Temple, located right by Sanxia Old Street. This temple is Taoist with extremely memorable carvings. Tamsyn Caddy, a senior marine science student from Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia, says “I was astounded at the details in the temple carvings, it was a level of intricacy I hadn’t thought possible on that large a scale.”

Some of these highly detailed column carvings captured traditional folktales, while others included more modern interpretations of Taiwanese culture. One of the most remarkable columns included detailed carvings of all of Taiwan’s native bird species. Each carving was entirely unique and intentional, and it left a very dazzling impression. The class also visited the more famous Wen Wu Temple by Sun Moon Lake during their excursions.

Marley Hellerstein, a senior East Asian Studies student from Atlanta, Georgia, says, “Taiwan was fun not only because of the environment and the places we visited, but also the friends I made, both within the Eckerd community and at NTNU.”