To show the appreciation of Taiwan’s generous donations after the Tohoku Earthquake occurring on March 11, 2011, Japan’s NGO Earth brought volunteers to Taiwan for the sixth year in succession to repay the warmth of Taiwanese. The 2017 Taiwan—Japan Cosplay Street Clean-Up was held by NGO Earth, Ta Hwa University of Science and Technology, and its partner school, Japan’s Seijoh University, at Zhudong Animation and Comic Creative Park. Students and professors were picking up trash together along with volunteers dressed as dinosaurs and Supermen. In addition, they paid silence tribute to the Tohoku Earthquake victims. The event not only told our future generations to treasure the precious resources from Mother Nature, but also made people realize the meaning of helping each other out in times of need.
Magistrate Chiu said that, after the March 11 earthquake in Japan six years ago, the donations given by Taiwan, a country with only a population of 23 million, were much more than China, India and the US. This showed that Taiwan is a caring country, willing to give a hand when others need. The Hsinchu county government was fully supportive of this event and hoped to raise Taiwanese people’s awareness of environmental protection. By cherishing the earth’s resources and stopping littering, we can leave a clean and beautiful environment for the following generations.
Principal of Ta Hwa University of Science and Technology Li You-ting said that 50 of our students from Malaysia also took part in this event. For those students who had just arrived in Taiwan, this meaningful event created a great opportunity to enhance their thoughts of environmental protection and acquaint themselves with local environment and their Taiwanese classmates.
The university was grateful to its alumni for their strong support, with 30 alumni taking part in the event. Volunteers from Zhudong and Zhubei community colleges and senior citizens learning camps also actively participated. The event, which featured Taiwan—Japan—Malaysia cooperation with participants ranging from 16 to 70 years old from industry, government and academia, was successfully finished due to the efforts of all involved.