The National Immigration Agency helps immigrants integrate into Taiwan life

June 6, 2010
The China Post news staff

TAIPEI -- The National Immigration Agency (NIA) held yesterday a large-scale gathering of new immigrants to Taiwan by sharing traditional festival activities to jointly celebrate the upcoming the Dragon Boat Festival that falls on June 16 this year.

The event took place at the NIA's service center in Taoyuan County with cooperation from the Taoyuan County Government as well as social and community organizations.

One of the major activities was to teach immigrants from over a dozen of foreign countries and their family members about the skills of making “zhongzi” -- a traditional Chinese-style food made of glutinous rice stuffed with various fillings and wrapped with bamboo or reed leaves.

The NIA invited Yang-Huang Yu-lan, a 72-year-old grandmother, to share her long experience of making the delicious “zhongzi” with immigrants from the United States, Indonesia, Kampuchea (Cambodia), Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and China, where the festival is also observed.

NIA Director General Hsieh Li-kung and other officials also shared their know-how and dexterity in preparing the unique food.

Volunteers from local communities also demonstrated skills for making traditional fragrant satchels, which are used as necklace pendants to help ward off insects or evil spirits as summer temperatures rise.

Young children of immigrant families were also taught the trick for making eggs stand upright on the day of the festival.

The Dragon Boat Festival, occurring on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, is a traditional holiday also celebrated by racing “dragon boats” in memory of ancient patriotic Chinese poet Qu Yuan (340 B.C.-278 B.C.).

Director General Hsieh said the event sponsored by the NIA yesterday was part of the agency's long-term program for promoting the integration of new immigrants from overseas into Taiwan society.

Through similar activities, the new arrivals and local residents will have more opportunities to enhance multi-cultural interchanges and understanding as well as accept, tolerate and respect the differences in Taiwan's democratic society, Hsieh stressed.