Amid crowds and the rhythmic sounds of gongs and drums, a group of international students joined one of Taiwan’s most iconic religious events—the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage. The Language Center of National University of Kaohsiung recently led a small learning group of 11 international students to Xingang, Chiayi. Through on-site participation and cultural instruction, the program extended language learning into authentic cultural settings, creating an immersive learning experience.

According to Director Jyh-wen Chern, the program centered on Taiwan’s representative religious culture and integrated language learning with local field experiences. By participating in the pilgrimage, students were able to understand language use in real-life contexts, enhance their cross-cultural communication skills, and experience how local culture can be transformed into educational resources.

In terms of instructional design, Mandarin instructor Pei-yin Tsai explained that the course adopted a “culture-first, contextual participation” approach. Before entering the field, students were introduced to key vocabulary, ritual meanings, and the cultural context of folk beliefs related to the Mazu pilgrimage. This allowed students to go beyond participation and understand the cultural logic and symbolic meanings behind the event. Mandarin instructor Ching-miao Wang also noted that immersive learning encourages active questions and interaction, such as speaking with pilgrimage participants and observing religious practices—learning experiences that are difficult to replicate in the classroom and that help students develop the ability to understand Taiwanese society from a cultural perspective.

The field course also incorporated diverse cultural experiences. Students visited an incense cultural park, where they experienced incense-making, incense appreciation, and sachet crafting, gaining a sensory understanding of the symbolic and emotional role of incense in religious culture. In the afternoon, they entered the core pilgrimage area in Xingang, walking alongside participants and observing rituals around Xingang Fengtian Temple. Through the rhythm of the procession and collective rituals, including the traditional practice of passing under the palanquin, students became not only observers but also participants in the cultural setting.

A Vietnamese student, Nguyen Cui-ren, shared, “The experience was truly overwhelming. Seeing everyone move forward with a shared belief is something rarely seen in my country.” During the event, an Indonesian student, Susan, spoke with a pilgrimage participant and learned that the participant joined the pilgrimage to fulfill a vow made to Mazu. This cycle of “making a vow, fulfilling it, and giving thanks” helped students understand that Taiwanese folk religion is not merely an abstract ritual, but a practice deeply embedded in everyday life. Many students also noted that experiencing the pilgrimage firsthand allowed them to better understand the cultural meanings and values carried by language.

The Language Center emphasized that the small-group learning design helped enhance the depth of learning and quality of on-site interaction, allowing students to engage more closely with cultural contexts while strengthening their observation and understanding. This approach represents an important practice of immersive cultural learning. The center will continue to promote culture-based Mandarin teaching, using Taiwanese local culture as the foundation for language learning and embracing the concept of “culture as teaching material, and the field as the classroom”. Through programs such as ecological field trips, food culture workshops, and religious culture experiences, the center aims to help students deepen their language application and cross-cultural understanding in real-life contexts.

For more course information, registration procedures, and important notes, please visit our official website or the Mandarin Courses section.