From February 1 to February 5, 2026, Hsinchu County Dongxing Junior High School visited Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, for an international educational exchange with Tozawa Gakuen. Principal Lin Jian-ming personally led 18 "Junior Ambassadors" on the trip, accompanied by the Dean of Academic Affairs, teachers, the Parents' Association Chairperson and Vice Chairperson, and County Councilor Chiu Ching-ya. This visit marked a significant milestone as the first physical international exchange since the school’s founding. During the trip, Dongxing Junior High School and Japan’s Tozawa Gakuen officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), symbolizing the establishment of a long-term and stable international partnership.
Hsinchu County Magistrate Yang Wen-ke stated that the starting point of international education lies in a deep understanding of one’s own locality. Through the exchange process in Tozawa Village, Japan, students expanded their horizons by making comparisons and learned to look back at their hometown through an international lens, practicing the Hsinchu County Government's educational vision of "Reading the Local, Leaping to the Global."
Tsai Shu-chen, Director of the Education Bureau, pointed out that the Bureau uses local issues as the starting point for learning. Through international exchanges, students are guided to better understand cultural differences and cultivate a world perspective through action, allowing learning to move from the classroom to the international stage while deepening local identity through global experiences.
The theme of this exchange was focused on UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11): "Sustainable Cities and Communities," specifically centering on regional revitalization. Under the global trend of declining birthrates, students from Taiwan and Japan jointly explored how localities can revitalize communities and industries through local characteristics and innovative strategies to form sustainable urban-rural development models, deepening their understanding of global sustainability.
Prior to the trip, Dongxing Junior High School conducted local field studies and issue-based training to guide students in understanding sustainability issues in their own hometown. Students visited farmlands at the foot of Litou Mountain, learned about the challenges facing rural sustainable development in Zhubei through the Harvest Association, and explored water environment issues, historical contexts, and ecological restoration practices of man-made wetlands in the Touqian River basin.
Simultaneously, the teaching team conducted online collaborative preparation with Tozawa Gakuen. Students completed two online exchanges and received cultural and English presentation training, laying a solid foundation for the physical visit. During the exchange, students participated in classroom interactions, gave cultural presentations, and experienced making Tozawa Village’s traditional foods, "Sasamaki" and "Kujira-mochi." Through teamwork and cross-cultural communication, they completed tasks using gestures and mutual aid despite language barriers, demonstrating high levels of engagement.
Several students shared that through hands-on cooperation, they quickly established a rapport. One student mentioned that when making Sasamaki together, communication was possible through gestures and smiles, instantly closing the distance between them. Another student noted that the exchange helped them better understand the value and preciousness of different cultures.
Principal Lin Jian-ming of Dongxing Junior High School emphasized that this exchange allowed students to realize that the value of culture lies in being understood and cherished. The teaching team hopes that as children step out into the world, they also develop a deeper appreciation for their own hometown. The event was honored to be covered by the local Japanese media outlet YBC (Yamagata Broadcasting Co.), which recognized that international exchange brings new perspectives to local culture.
Looking toward the future, the Hsinchu County Government will continue to deepen international education and integrate local and international resources, allowing students to start from an understanding of their home and expand into a global vision, nurturing future citizens with both global literacy and local concern.