Christmas Market on Campus
By Audrey Shon
The Christmas Market held by the Student Association on campus took place from December 21-24 at the Fenghua Plaza in front of the Chung Mei auditorium. A lot of students participated in this special annual celebration because of many eye-catching features in the Christmas market.
“Many students contacted us through social media a month ago to ask if we are going to hold the market this year,” said Jay Yu from the Department of Life Science. As one of the coordinators of the event, Yu mentioned that he was excited and had looked forward to the market weeks before, considering that it is his first Christmas event in Fu Jen after his transfer in September. Yu also claimed that since the Student Association wanted to make this market more relatable to the students, they designed a lot of interactive activities that will catch the student’s attention. “There are surveys about students’ opinions toward certain topics on campus, such as smoking areas and leave policies.” Yu said the survey combines with a check-in system, and students will receive a small gift from the association once they finish the survey. During the interview, many students were still waiting to check-in for the survey, so Yu says he holds an optimistic attitude toward this activity.
Other than the stands run by students, there were still many other vendors selling different merchandise as well. These vendors sold a great amount of products including snacks, second-hand clothes, and accessories, attracting students with a complexity of interest. When being asked about the most popular stand in the Christmas market, many students pointed to the doughnut stand without any hesitation. The stand selling doughnuts on the market is not just any random bakery, but a famous one named Lremumuteke, which stands for “a hollow circle” in the language of the Rukai tribe in the aboriginal culture. Originated in eastern Taiwan, Lremumuteke is famous for the special ingredients they use to make doughnuts. Unlike any other bakery in Taiwan, the owner of Lremumuteke uses millet, the most vital crop that supports the lives of Rukai people, for the ingredient of the doughnuts, creating a chewy taste that attracts many doughnut-lovers.
“Many students contacted us through social media a month ago to ask if we are going to hold the market this year,” said Jay Yu from the Department of Life Science. As one of the coordinators of the event, Yu mentioned that he was excited and had looked forward to the market weeks before, considering that it is his first Christmas event in Fu Jen after his transfer in September. Yu also claimed that since the Student Association wanted to make this market more relatable to the students, they designed a lot of interactive activities that will catch the student’s attention. “There are surveys about students’ opinions toward certain topics on campus, such as smoking areas and leave policies.” Yu said the survey combines with a check-in system, and students will receive a small gift from the association once they finish the survey. During the interview, many students were still waiting to check-in for the survey, so Yu says he holds an optimistic attitude toward this activity.
Other than the stands run by students, there were still many other vendors selling different merchandise as well. These vendors sold a great amount of products including snacks, second-hand clothes, and accessories, attracting students with a complexity of interest. When being asked about the most popular stand in the Christmas market, many students pointed to the doughnut stand without any hesitation. The stand selling doughnuts on the market is not just any random bakery, but a famous one named Lremumuteke, which stands for “a hollow circle” in the language of the Rukai tribe in the aboriginal culture. Originated in eastern Taiwan, Lremumuteke is famous for the special ingredients they use to make doughnuts. Unlike any other bakery in Taiwan, the owner of Lremumuteke uses millet, the most vital crop that supports the lives of Rukai people, for the ingredient of the doughnuts, creating a chewy taste that attracts many doughnut-lovers.
Photo taken at Fenghua plaza during the beginning of the market, photograph by Audrey Shon, 21 Dec. 2020
Other than the interactive activity and vendors, there were music performances during noontime at the market to light up the whole event and to increase the holiday atmosphere. This year, there were students from different music clubs, such as the Acoustic Guitar club and Jazz Piano club and a few cover artists as well. James Chen from the Department of Law was one of the singers who performed last year, and he was simply an audience this year. When being interviewed, Chen said that he thinks that performances given by students this year are awesome and has gone far beyond his anticipation. Chen also complimented many of the stands run by students, saying that these stands have great decorations with high quality products, and he truly thinks that all the vendors dedicated a lot of care and love to their stands. However, Chen mentioned that he missed the performance stage last year because it was larger and easier to fascinate more students back then. This year, the stage was smaller, considering the site plan this year is much more focused.
Though the market seemed successful and everything was functioning smoothly on the surface, there was still room for improvement. “We were unfortunate to experience rainy weather on our first day.” Yu sighed, “It was freezing and the ground was wet, so it was a rough beginning for us on the morning of the 21st.” Luckily, the weather got better in the next few hours, so the number of visitors started to increase. Another problem Yu mentioned was that some of the students enrolled for the stands but did not show up, causing trouble for other stand owners and the student association. As for improvement, Yu said that he will suggest the association to establish a stricter contract with the stand owners next year to prevent similar situations.
Chen said that he notices another problem, which is that some of the performing groups did not know how to get the microphones and speakers to work, so they delayed their performance time to start the devices. “I think the association can teach them how to use those devices first, or else they will feel desperate and fail to get it prepared every time.” As an amateur singer, Chen suggested that it is necessary for both the artists and the association to learn how to cooperate and make the performances better.
It was only the second day of the market when this article was finished, and the association was busy preparing for the remaining two days of activities. Yu said that he sends his true gratitude to all the visitors of the market, and he wanted to provide his most genuine welcome for those who have not yet visited the market. “2020 was really not a nice year for us all, so I think that we should try to celebrate the end of it. The Student Association invites every single one of the members on campus to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere with us,” Yu said. “Oh, and don’t forget to take the surveys for students if you walk by.”
Though the market seemed successful and everything was functioning smoothly on the surface, there was still room for improvement. “We were unfortunate to experience rainy weather on our first day.” Yu sighed, “It was freezing and the ground was wet, so it was a rough beginning for us on the morning of the 21st.” Luckily, the weather got better in the next few hours, so the number of visitors started to increase. Another problem Yu mentioned was that some of the students enrolled for the stands but did not show up, causing trouble for other stand owners and the student association. As for improvement, Yu said that he will suggest the association to establish a stricter contract with the stand owners next year to prevent similar situations.
Chen said that he notices another problem, which is that some of the performing groups did not know how to get the microphones and speakers to work, so they delayed their performance time to start the devices. “I think the association can teach them how to use those devices first, or else they will feel desperate and fail to get it prepared every time.” As an amateur singer, Chen suggested that it is necessary for both the artists and the association to learn how to cooperate and make the performances better.
It was only the second day of the market when this article was finished, and the association was busy preparing for the remaining two days of activities. Yu said that he sends his true gratitude to all the visitors of the market, and he wanted to provide his most genuine welcome for those who have not yet visited the market. “2020 was really not a nice year for us all, so I think that we should try to celebrate the end of it. The Student Association invites every single one of the members on campus to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere with us,” Yu said. “Oh, and don’t forget to take the surveys for students if you walk by.”