The Overseas Community Affairs Council achieves good results in handling the Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning Establishment Program in 2021 with excellent performance to promote Mandarin teaching with Taiwanese characteristics to the U.S. and Europe societies

The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) has achieved good results in handling the Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning Establishment Program in 2021. 18 centers are operating successfully and going to offer Mandarin courses successively in 2022. After evaluation, the OCAC selected four centers with excellent performance as future benchmarking: Irvine Chinese School and Silicon Valley Chinese School were evaluated Best; Washington DC Taiwanese School and Hua Hsia Chinese School were evaluated Excellent. These outstanding centers will serve as benchmarks for each Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning in future.

OCAC Minister Tung Chen-yuan said that the Taiwan Centers for Mandarin Learning were promoted on the foundation of existing overseas compatriot schools (groups) by the OCAC as bases for the promotion of Mandarin learning with Taiwanese characteristics to take advantage of the best opportunity to promote Mandarin learning in the American and European areas. In 2021, 18 such centers were set up at overseas compatriot schools in the U.S., UK, France and Germany. Operating results have been good in the last six months. The OCAC held three online presentations on December 1^st and 10^th, 2021. Most students had no Mandarin foundation at all before taking classes, but now, after one term, they can greet someone, introduce themselves in simple Mandarin, and recognize the basic characters and vocabularies used in everyday life. Through the cultural activities arranged by the centers, the characteristics of Taiwan’s culture and its difference with western culture have been introduced, which will help student increase understanding and appreciation of Taiwan’s culture. Many students have said that they hope to use what they have learned when they visit Taiwan in future.

With the achievements of 18 Taiwan Centers for Mandarin Learning established in 2021, the OCAC held an evaluation meeting on December 28^th. Approval for operation in 2022 was given to all 18 centers, among which 4 centers with excellent performance were evaluated: Irvine Chinese School and Silicon Valley Chinese School were evaluated Best and Washington DC Taiwanese School and Hua Hsia Chinese School were evaluated Excellent. The OCAC has recently announced the potential list of new 29 centers to be set up in 2022. The experiences of the centers with excellent performance will be shared with the new centers at the right time to let all Taiwan Centers for Mandarin Learning provide high quality Mandarin teaching next year and, while doing so, share Taiwan’s cultural characteristics with local societies. The e-books and class related information for the 18 already-established centers can be viewed on the page of Taiwan Centers for Mandarin Learning (http://TaiwanCenter.Taiwan-World.Net) on the OCAC official website. Non-Mandarin speaking people from mainstream society interested in learning Mandarin are invited to view the information and register for the class.

The advantages and characteristics of democracy, freedom, diversity, and openness of the Taiwan Centers for Mandarin Learning promoted by the OCAC in America and Europe match the basic values of society in America and Europe. The overseas compatriot schools (groups) at which each center is based has designed language and cultural courses suitable for local students from mainstream society; each center has successively seen the enrollment of local officials, school district managers, professors, and engineers; some centers offer special courses in cooperation with city government, think tanks, and research institutions, providing diverse and free learning environment and methods for learning Mandarin and Taiwan’s culture. And they have been well-received by local people.

In future, the OCAC will use Taiwan’s mature Mandarin intelligent technology and join with the intelligent education industry to provide students with the opportunity to take part in various Mandarin intelligent competitions so as to facilitate learning and exchange. Also, in combination with the OCAC’s English teaching volunteer program, summer camp, and other language learning programs, young people in the U.S. and Europe who are learning Mandarin will be invited to Taiwan to experience its culture and life directly, in which case, the OCAC hopes to promote cultural exchange and language learning and deepen the relationship of societies in the U.S. and Europe with Taiwan.

Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning-Hua Hsia Chinese School held a completion results exhibition at which students received completion certificates

Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning-Washington DC Taiwanese School held a year- end activity in which students showed the results of calligraphy study

The Taiwan Centers for Mandarin Learning e-book can be downloaded at http://TaiwanCenterEBook.Taiwan-World.Net