Dr. Albert Tang, currently Associate Professor in Media, Communication and Cultural Studies at Fu Jen Catholic University, has obtained his doctoral degree in cross-cultural studies (comparative literature and visual studies),a master degree in mass communication (advertising, Television, film and journalism) and a bachelor in English language and literature (drama, translation and situated English). His academic interests range from Chinese Cinema(s), Cultural Studies, to new media arts, inter-Asian cultural management, both domestic and abroad.
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| While TAindia continues its service at FGS this year, an interview was taken with Master YU CHEN for better understanding of FGScontribution to the local community and TAIndia’s future collaboration. |
Professor Tang has been engaged in volunteering and service learning activities. He has led student delegations to India since 2013-2017. He's now President of Chinese Youth Goodwill Association which paid its first visit to Brisbane, Australia (2015), Semarang, Indonesia (2017).
What inspired you to be the faculty of TAIndia 2017?
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| TAIndia 2017 received a big card of appreciation from students of Grace Ling Liang English School for her service in Chinese teaching at the academy from Jul. 26 to 28, 2017. |
I've been serving as supervisor for such service learning delegation since 2013. I myself has been chosen as a member of Chinese Youth Goodwill Mission (to visit Europe and the Middle East) when I studies in Fu Jen. Also, I serve as Director for International Youth Ambassador Program (sponsored by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC) from 2011 (to UK), 2012 (to Israel), 2013 (Atlanta and Miami), 2014 (Asian Pacific). Those activities had widen my perspective and broaden my Weltanschauung ( "world view"). Hence, being a faculty to such student-organized activities, can better give profound feedback, solid training and humanity-bed sharing for my student--partners. The experiences also enrich my observation and understanding of Grand tour and Will to serve others of the younger generations.
For TAINdia 2017, in particular, I initiated to propose such new combinations, Kolkata and Delhi, Mother House and Tangra, volunteering and service learning, historical tourism and Cultural Studies. It's a new way of creative thinking in modeling the program. I, therefore, will be delighted to work with the partners, to prevail the spirit of TAIndia (Taiwan and India, Brothers and Sisters as a world).
How important is to for young people to volunteer and do community service? What has been the general feedback of volunteers?
Volunteering and community service, to young students nowadays, provide a window for them to better reflect their own ways of living and knowing the world by physical mobility and further motivating they to materialize their future life goals. Apart from academic studies and extracurricular activities, volunteering and community service articulate different layers of critical reflection of social relations and intercultural communication. Transformation of personal stereotype toward certain groups are highly expected and possibly evolved into CHANGE of life attitude in the future in our reflection every night, our partners share their volunteering experiences in terms of their first-hand observation, group interaction and social interpretations. They are motivated to portray different mirrors of INDIA landscapes, and to better comprehend the humanistic trajectory of missionaries of charity and other NGO institutions. They found their heart purified, and their mind more peaceful, and great leap toward their own inner growth, both intellectually and psychologically.
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| On Aug 5,TAIndia meetsChinese majors from JNU to exchange views and share academic experience in universities from both sides in English and mandarin. |
What were the best aspects of your experience in India?
Personally, the best aspects of my Indian experience lies in the hospitality of local friends, whose-heartedness from our perception of the NGOs, NPOs, and incredibility of interface of Chiense-India cultural mapping, such as Tagore. Research-based approach to service learning has led to much knowledge of the history down-to-earth, such as Chinese diasporas in India, White Town Colonial terrain, and contemporary India society.
What kind of impact do you think TAIndia have had on youth of Taiwan?
TAIndia 2017 incorporates students from Fu Jen, Jadavpur University (KOL), JNU (Delhi) and Lingnan university (HK) to share young people a possible way of MEETING the world via love and action, and a trial to jump out our the comfort zone (to INDIA) to look for potentiality of strength and perseverance. This will demonstrate to Taiwan's youth an alternative path for a more meaningful and fruitful performance other than academic studies and stiff thinking. Also, India, a country alive of mysterious legends and sometimes demoralized by media, is accessible and should be repainted with humanistic colors of social concerns.
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| TAIndia 2017 stands in front of Missionaries of Charity aka Mother’s House initiated by Saint Teresa in 1950. |
What do you wish for the future?
As mentioned by several contact windows in India, TAIndia will aim to continue its work in the future, with more collaboration among various institutions, such universities, NGOs, NPOs...etc. We've taken, especially, contact with quite a few organizations in Delhi, Jaipur, Sillong. TAIndia hopes to include more space with more Indian students, too, to work together for more activities with social improvement and self growth.
- Photographs by Jerry Hsiao
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