Jakarta Taiwan School Celebrates Dragon Boat Festival with First-Ever Balloon Dragon Boat Race for Family Fun

Central News Agency Report

(CNA reporter Lo Wei-chia, Jakarta, June 20 special dispatch) Jakarta Taiwan School held a festive Dragon Boat Festival event on June 19, replacing traditional dragon boats with balloon versions for a 'land boat race' on the school field. Elementary students and parents participated enthusiastically, enjoying family bonding through cultural celebration.

Established in 1991 in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta Taiwan School is one of four Taiwan-affiliated schools in Southeast Asia supervised by Taiwan's Ministry of Education. As a trilingual school implementing Taiwan's curriculum, it primarily provides comprehensive education from kindergarten to high school for children of Taiwanese businesspeople, overseas compatriots, and international students in Indonesia. The school has long promoted high-quality Taiwanese education in Southeast Asia, fostering cultural and educational exchanges between Taiwan and Indonesia.

As most Indonesians practice Islam, traditional Chinese festivals like the Dragon Boat Festival are not widely observed locally. To address this, Jakarta Taiwan School organizes experiential activities during traditional holidays. In past years, it has introduced customs such as making zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings), balancing eggs, and crafting sachets, allowing Taiwanese students and international pupils living abroad to engage with traditional holiday practices.

This year, continuing its annual tradition, the school introduced a new element—dragon boat racing—for the first time. It launched a special balloon dragon boat race, where parents and children rode dragon-shaped inflatables and worked together to complete the race. Through this 'land boat' game, students, parents, and teachers deepened their experience of traditional culture.

Chang Chin-fu, principal of Jakarta Taiwan School, stated that the Dragon Boat Festival is an important traditional holiday. By organizing diverse and engaging activities, the school hopes to help students understand the festival’s origins and further cultivate their identification with and inheritance of traditional culture.

Chang added that the school aims to use a 'learning through play' approach, allowing children to learn and experience festival culture through games, while enhancing the festive atmosphere on campus. Such activities help strengthen trust and communication among parents, teachers, and students, and deepen relationships through shared memories. (Editor: Tang Sheng-yang) 1150620