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Try out exciting sports, enjoy the team spirit and experience traditional Chinese culture in the new semester with over 40 different societies and clubs at NSYSU!

National Sun Yat-sen University strives to provide a comprehensive and memorable study experience to every student: with the start of the new semester, you can join over forty different societies and clubs and catch the opportunity to have a hands-on experience with traditional Chinese culture: learn to play Chinese musical instruments, try out martial arts and dragon boat racing, and, thanks to the University’s location by the sea, start sailing or windsurfing and even get a diving license! International students agree that joining different activities after class is the best way to meet new friends, build your network in Taiwan and immerse yourself in the local culture. Also, “the good thing about NSYSU is that it allows you to try all these different sports, mostly for free or for a small price, and you can see what you like and dislike”.
Joining the NSYSU Nan Yan Orchestra is a great way to familiarize yourself with traditional Chinese music. Chin Iuwen, a Malaysian fourth-year student of Chinese Literature joined the Orchestra to continue practicing playing the Chinese flute. However, you are not required to be able to play any instrument to join. “As long as you are passionate and perseverant about your instrument, normally you should improve enough to take part in performances and competitions”. Although it’s best to have your own instrument, you can borrow one from the Orchestra. Members playing different types of instruments – plucked strings, bowed strings, wind instruments, double bass, and percussion practice separately once a week with professional teachers, and get together to practice as an orchestra with a conductor every Sunday. At the end of each semester, the Orchestra gives a performance to showcase what they have learned. Another great source of motivation is the team spirit!
 
Because Chinese martial arts are inspired by different Chinese philosophical schools, religions and popular beliefs, joining the NSYSU Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Club is a great way to further dig into the roots of Chinese culture. The Club meets twice a week by the Gymnasium. Instructed by three rotating teachers, the members practice the Praying Mantis style – one of the hundreds of styles of Chinese martial arts. Josef Rössl, an Austrian student of NSYSU Chinese Language Center, is the only international member of the club. He admits that the two-hour training is exhausting, however, every member is free to learn at their own pace without pressure. Quality over quantity, precision over speed – in Chinese martial arts, great attention is attached to the details of different movements, thus every member has to get acquainted with the specific vocabulary, which might be a challenge for a foreigner, even with good command of Chinese. The group checks their progress twice a semester. “It is just to show the movements that we’ve learned and afterwards we talk with the teacher about what we can improve”. “Kungfu is also a very good exercise for your body and mind because it helps you become more self-confident”, Josef says.
 
The University’s unique location by the Sizihwan beach gives students plenty of opportunities to try out different water sports! Matthew Blackwell, a US student of the Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies, who already has experience with surfing and sailing, joined the NSYSU Sailing Club last semester to learn windsurfing. The club members meet every Saturday to practice windsurfing and sailing on small sailboats. “You usually choose one (sport) and focus on that one”. Newcomers train with their upper classmates and also, the coach is available to offer advice. For organizational reasons, the Sailing Club invites interested students intending to attend the Club training sessions for three or more years. Although there are no formal physical strength requirements for newcomers, one has to be strong enough “to pull a sail up” and have at least basic Chinese-language skills to communicate with club mates. Joining the club does not incur any major costs: the members pay a club registration fee of NTD 1,000 and an NTD 500 fee per semester; the entire equipment is provided by the University. Matthew agreed that university clubs are the best way for international students to meet new friends and engage socially. “And at the end of the day, we have a barbecue on the beach”.
 
Have you ever dreamed of exploring the underwater world? There are few great diving destinations in Taiwan, where you can enjoy wonderful coral gardens and a variety of marine life all year round, including sea turtles around the calm waters of Little Liuchiu Island. More experienced divers can even visit Green Island to spot hammerhead sharks! Jerushah Bull from Australia, who did her exchange at NSYSU two years ago, got her Open Water Diver license (international PADI Scuba Diving Certification) as a member of NSYSU Diving Club (the Club schedules dates for both OWD and Advanced OWD). The students practice with a professional instructor and take a certification exam at the end of the course. “The exam is quite easy, and they make sure you are prepared for it”, she recalls, “the week before the license exam we had an education session every night Monday to Thursday, then on Friday we went down to Kenting to go diving”. Although diving is not a wallet-friendly sport and the examinees need to cover the costs of the license exam, it’s absolutely worth the money! The club members who already hold a license take trips to different diving spots for fun dives during weekends. “It was cool to be able to go diving in Taiwan and I always felt safe”. 
 
If you love competition, want to be part of a successful team and experience an ancient Southern Chinese tradition, the training sessions of NSYSU Dragon Boat Team are definitely something you cannot miss! The Team has won the Kaohsiung Dragon Boat Festival in International Traditional Boat Category for the past 11 years (2009 to 2019)! The Team joins several competitions a year, which take place on the Love River and the Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung. To achieve such good results, the Team practices twice a week – one session is strength training on dry land and another – pool training. Jerushah really appreciated the community feel between the members. The team is coached by international upper classmates and, unlike the Diving Club, being a member of the Dragon Boat Team does not require Mandarin-language skills, as the Team “is run by the international students”.
 
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