Taiwan Immigrants' Global News Network-First new immigrant national policy adviser in Taiwan actively engages in public affairs and advocates for new immigrants

【Taiwan Immigrants' Global News Network】In cooperation with IC Voice FM97.5 【New Students Report For Sharing -We are in Taiwan】, a series of exciting stories about new immigrants in Taiwan is launched. Hu Qing-xian (胡清嫻), a new Vietnamese immigrant, is invited in this episode. Hu is Taiwan's first national policy advisor who has the status of a new immigrant. She has dedicated herself to fostering a sense of community, supporting cultural programs, and advocating for the new immigrants.

【Taiwan Immigrants' Global News Network】presents this episode in 5 languages including Chinese, English, Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian, enabling more readers to explore Hu’s journey of participating in public affairs.

Hu Qing-xian (胡清嫻) married to Taiwan in 2005, who lives in Pingtung with her family, and actively got involved in building local communities, organizing cultivation classes for new immigrants, and promoting Southeast Asian cultural programs so that more people could learn about the cultures of new immigrants and aid their integration into Taiwanese society.

First new immigrant national policy adviser in Taiwan actively engages in public affairs and advocates for new immigrants.Photo provided by IC Voice FM97.5

Hu feels that the community was not as welcoming to new immigrants as it is now when she first arrived in Taiwan, and even highlighted the harsh treatment she had when looking for a job. But she also made notice of how much better the environment is now than it was before. Different ethnic groups will be respected, and people will desire to get to know one another better.

When Hu was a teacher in the past, she frequently saw that many children of new immigrants could not comprehend and even did not agree with the culture of their mother's country. This had an impact on how she taught kids as well. Hu frequently brings her children along when she participates in public events. She intends to build their self-identify as members of the second-generation immigrants in addition to helping them get to know their mother better.

Hu Qing-xian (胡清嫻) also shared a memorable event. Together with the new immigrants, artist (王文志) created the installation art piece "Goddess of the Sea" for the 2019 Pingtung Lantern Festival. It stands for acceptance and blending. The "Goddess of the Sea" was left in place after the Lantern Festival was over rather than being taken away. Numerous new immigrants who took part in the production felt like their identities were "identified" as a result of this.

The installation art “Goddess of the Sea" that symbolizes tolerance and integration.Photo provided by IC Voice FM97.5

Regarding the promotion of community building and cultural promotion, Hu admitted that the process was indeed a hard work, but it also gave her a lot of gains. Therefore, she encouraged new immigrants to participate in public affairs more.