reflection

OUR TEAM

HARRY WANG

During our recent project, we delved into the realm of Taiwanese elections. This journey led us to engage with various facets of the electoral process, including conducting interviews with candidates and visiting the Legislative Yuan. Through these experiences, I gained profound insights into the intricacies of Taiwan’s electoral system.

One of the most impactful moments occurred during our interview with Legislator Hong. He shared how he and his wife deliberated extensively before committing to his candidacy. This highlighted to me the far-reaching implications of electoral decisions, transcending individual ambitions to influence broader societal dynamics. I was particularly struck by the unwavering support demonstrated by Legislator Hong’s wife, underscoring the importance of familial encouragement in navigating the electoral arena.

Exploring Taiwan’s electoral landscape has been a deeply enriching experience. It not only deepened my understanding of democratic principles but also underscored the pivotal role elections play in shaping a nation’s trajectory. Despite not yet having the right to vote, I now appreciate the collective responsibility we all bear as citizens to actively engage in the electoral process. I aspire to channel this newfound awareness into becoming a more proactive participant in societal and political affairs, contributing to the ongoing development of Taiwan’s democracy.

Chih-Yin Chang

With the elections nearing, we decided to focus on creating a website dedicated to showcasing Taiwan’s electoral process. Throughout this journey, we delved into extensive research, gradually sparking my interest in societal issues previously overlooked. Elections hold significant cultural importance in Taiwan and will profoundly shape the nation’s development over the next four years, impacting everything from international relations to economic progress.

Our journey began with watching “Wave Makers,” a series vividly portraying the lives of voters in their workplaces and homes. This series sparked an unprecedented interest in elections for me. Subsequently, we delved into the history of Taiwan’s elections, the electoral process, the campaign activities of various candidates, and their legislative agendas. To gain a deeper understanding of candidates’ work, we conducted interviews with legislators representing our constituency. This experience offered valuable insights into how candidates organize campaigns, canvass support, and adjust policies based on the people’s needs. It was an enriching journey filled with inspirational discoveries and beneficial experiences.

Oliver Yang

For my first time participating in this contest, we decided to research the topic of Political culture in Taiwan. This process of research and collaboration over multiple months was unprecedented for me, and now looking back I feel beyond grateful for such an experience. To begin, the concepts and knowledge we gained through our first stages of research gave us a better perspective to study the political environment in Taiwan. Much of this knowledge was unfamiliar before, which is part of what made this knowledge so memorable. The perspective we gained from this knowledge was also contributional, as we can use this new perspective to examine things differently in the future. Our process of collaboration throughout these months was also memorable, as we worked together on this project as a team with everyone contributing to this project and for each other.

One of the most memorable experiences throughout our research was our interview with Legislator Hong of New Taipei City. Legislator Hong, who seeks to be re-elected as a Legislator, generously shared his stories and knowledge with us when discussing the political environment of Taiwan. He shared his story of becoming a legislator, opinions on what it takes to be a legislator in Taiwan, and ways he believes are essential to modern-day elections in Taiwan. Getting to interview an active member of the Taiwanese political environment privately was especially beneficial and memorable to us, for we had the chance to come face-to-face with experiences on our topic. We were grateful for the opportunity and analyzed his words for this project to present to a greater crowd.

On the other hand, our visit to the Legislative Yuan in Taipei was also a fruitful and memorable experience. Although we weren’t allowed to enter the inside Legislator Yuan due to construction activities, we paid our visit and attention to every other part of the building. This time we didn’t get the chance to meet an elected Legislator of Taiwan because it wasn’t their working day, but we still learned a lot from being personally inside the Legislative Yuan and touring around it with an experienced guide. It was my first time at any place that belonged to a part of the political system of Taiwan and certainly, my first time seeing and visiting the Legislative Yuan in person. While touring around the place, our guide introduced us to much of the deep history behind the Legislative Yuan and related parts of the politics in Taiwan. We were also fortunate to be presented with a presentation from the guide that introduced us to the political system of Taiwan and political-related concepts that were especially beneficial for our research.

As a whole, this past span of months was fruitful and memorable for me to have experienced the above events and gained new perspectives on the political environment in Taiwan. I feel grateful to have joined this team to experience this journey in an unfamiliar territory for me. I hope that what we learned and experienced throughout the months, which we successfully analyzed and transformed into our project, will also be educative and inspiring for a greater crowd.

Ashley Chen

Participating in Cyberfair was a big deal for me—it was my first time joining, and it felt like a major event. We watched a video called “Wave Makers” together, and everyone loved it. Working together, we looked into elections, digging up info on their history, process, and other related stuff. Time flew by, and we even got to visit Mr. Hong, a legislator. He was super welcoming, sharing all about his life in politics, which made us feel like we were right there in the midst of elections.

After class, we kept hunting down election materials to make our report top-notch. I’m thankful to my teacher and family for giving me this chance to shine. I’m sure I’ll do even better next time. Let’s keep the momentum going!

Justin Lin

As a team of ambassadors, we scheduled several interviews and visits to gain knowledge about the Taiwanese political environment. This includes our in-person interview with Legislator Hong of New Taipei City and our visit to the Taiwanese Legislative Yuan.

The interview with Legislator Hong back in the Winter of 2023 was one of the most essential and contributional events throughout our timeline of completing this project. To begin, although we were noticed very suddenly before the interview, our questions were well prepared and our group members effectively recorded our desired results. We inquired about strategies to win an election in Taiwan, his experiences in the political field, and the average budget and spending of election candidates. He kindly and concisely detailed his answers, which made the interview more than beneficial for us and contributed to our project, as we were talking in person with an experienced professional on our topic.

On the other hand, our visit to the Legislative Yuan was another fruitful experience that was essential for our research. Previously, none of our team members had had an opportunity to visit the Legislative Yuan, which made the tour an interesting experience outside of contributing to our project alone. We were guided around the Legislative Yuan by a passionate tour guide who taught us more than we expected. We started our tour with the tour guide highlighting the structure and history of the Legislative Yuan building. Although this wasn’t part of our expectations, it was interesting to have learned about the building itself. We were then presented with a digital presentation by the tour guide in a guest room that occasionally hold visits from foreign political visitors. The presentation detailed the roles of the Legislative Yuan and the legislators while explaining the entirety of the political system of Taiwan.

Jennifer Kuo

This semester, I joined the afterschool club for the Cyberfair. After discussions with fellow members, we settled on studying political elections as our main focus and planned to participate in related competitions. During this period, I wasn’t just conducting research and preparing presentations; we also interviewed elected legislators to gain deeper insights into the election process and related issues, compiling the information we gathered. We received a sudden notice to visit a current legislator, which left me excited yet nervous. It was my first time, and I worried about being too nervous during the interview and forgetting my questions. Throughout the interview, the legislator patiently answered each of our questions, providing detailed explanations, such as preparations before elections and how to handle common issues. This experience enriched my knowledge and deepened my understanding of elections. I’m grateful to my teacher for providing me with this valuable opportunity to participate in this activity. Through Cyberfair, I not only learned presentation skills but also expanded my knowledge. I hope to continue improving and going even further!

Dorina Kung

Our project focuses on Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election, aiming to stay updated with the latest news. However, it’s challenging to find reliable information, especially with some topics not getting enough coverage and older data needing verification. Participating in the Internet Expo was eye-opening, showing us how crucial it is to have accurate online information to combat fake news. This experience made us more aware of the importance of accuracy in today’s world filled with misinformation. Although organizing our weekly reports is tough work, the sense of accomplishment we feel afterward is rewarding. It also helps us learn more and improves our ability to discern accurate information.