Raising the Taiwanese flag over UCLA Thursday morning brought Yu-Lun Liang back to his elementary school days in Taiwan, where he sang his country’s national anthem every week.
Back then, the anthem didn’t strike him as much as it does now that he is an ocean away from home.
“I didn’t feel anything special when I was back in Taiwan,” Liang said. “But now that I’ve come here for college, I miss it already.”
At 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, the second-year chemistry student and about 30 other UCLA students gathered in Bruin Plaza to raise the red and blue Taiwanese flag in celebration of Taiwan’s 102nd National Day. The students held the flag up as they sang the Taiwanese national anthem and “National Flag Anthem.”
Liang organized the event after realizing that Taiwanese students were not planning to hold any official National Day celebrations. Many of the students at the event came from clubs such as the Taiwanese American Union, the Taiwanese American Social Change Initiative and the Taiwanese Student Association.
For Liang, the national anthem describes why Taiwan was established. He said the country is a place for everyone to live peacefully and happily.
The ceremony signifies the amount of love and national pride some Taiwanese people have for their country, he said.
The students lined up in rows, faced the flag and sang while other students passed by on their way to class.
Robin Lee, a fourth-year global studies student, said he went to the event because he wanted to show support for Taiwan and show the bond between the Taiwanese community at UCLA.
Lee, who came from a small town in Taiwan, said he felt nostalgic for home, where many of his friends still live.
Some students at the event said they missed their friends, Taiwanese food and the ease in which they could travel in the country. They described Taiwan as an intersection of multiple countries and cultures, and a place where people were known for their hospitality.
Judy Yen, a second-year political science student who attended the celebration, said she thought it was admirable that students organized the event so they could celebrate the national holiday together.
She added that she misses Taiwan now that she is at UCLA, and that her country’s national anthem has grown more meaningful for her since she came to U.S.
“I didn’t feel as strongly about it before I came to the U.S.,” she said. “When you’re in another place you miss the place where you’re from.”