Taiwan: Children Learn and Thrive During Minghui Summer Camp

(Minghui.org) Nearly 200 children from across Taiwan attended the 2023 Minghui Summer Camp on July 27-30, which was held on the campus of TransWorld University in Yunlin County. They exchanged their thoughts on the last day and said that they learned a lot.

The camp activities consisted of games and other activities. The lively curriculum taught them the spirit of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and in four days they learned how to put others before themselves. Most children said they could not wait to attend camp again next year.

The 2023 Minghui Summer Camp participants took a group photograph during the closing ceremony on July 30 at TransWorld University.

The campers doing the Falun Dafa exercises.

The children read Zhuan Falun, Falun Dafa’s main book.

The Minghui Summer Camp is held between July and August every year. The four-day event includes reading the Falun Dafa teachings, doing the five sets of exercises, singing, playing games, watching movies, making lotus flowers, and going to a local tourist attraction to do the exercises and hand out information about Falun Dafa.

This year the participants were welcomed by a drama play titled “Secular Inn.” In the story a student in ancient times traveled to Beijing to take an important exam. However he enjoyed his stay so much at the Secular Inn that he stayed too long. He forgot why he was there in the first place, and lost his precious possessions. The participants had to work together to figure out ways to help the student recover his missing belongings. In the process the participants learned the correct way to look at things.

Minghui Summer Camp offers a variety of activities.

Determined to Follow the Principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance

Youxuan is now in fifth grade, and this is the fifth year she’s attended the camp. “I really look forward to the camp and want to go every year. The welcoming play and the games each year are so much fun. Through the drama play and the games, we understand the meaning of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and how to be courteous and behave properly. It helps us grow up,” she said.

“We get to go to the Green Tunnel (a tourist attraction) to give paper lotus flowers and Falun Dafa fliers to passersby. The people who stroll by or socialize there enjoy the gifts. It makes me happy to see that they understand Falun Dafa is good.”

Youxuan said that attending the camp helped her look inward, “I now know how to look for my own faults when I have conflicts with others. One morning my mother woke me up early and I got upset. I yelled at her. After I got to school, I realized that I took my anger out on my mother, which was a terrible thing to do. As soon as I got home, I apologized to her, and was determined to abide by the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance from then on.”

After the camp, Youxuan became more diligent in reading the teachings and doing the exercises. She also felt that her wisdom had grown. “I often could not come up with things to say when I wrote an article. I now often feel inspired when I write, and idioms or good phrases come to me naturally. My writing has improved significantly, and so have my skills. I can now finish my music teacher’s assignment and reach his standard as I keep improving,” she said.

The Camp Experience is Very Helpful

Dewei’s mother signed him up for the camp and she told him before it started, “You should cherish this opportunity.” This was his first year, and he had a lot of doubts before he went, “Would it be boring? Would the staff members be mean?” He was quite nervous, but he said afterward, “Everyone was cool and friendly. The class I enjoyed the most was the solar terms and the four seasons. I learned a lot and thought that nature works in mysterious ways. I want to attend again next year, and I look forward to it.

“I enjoyed the camp’s drama Secular Inn and could not stop thinking about it. I want to watch it again. In the story the staff members demonstrated the attachments we often see,” he said. “There were many interesting classes that helped me understand the Falun Dafa teachings better. I like to read the teachings and exercise with the other campers. I feel that I have a deeper understanding of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance after attending the camp.

“I think I have improved in my cultivation. During the camp I read the teachings and exercised every day. I used to do only one of them per day. Doing the exercises can purify my body; reading the teachings makes it easier for me to detect my attachments and remove them with Teacher’s help.”

Through exercising his health has improved. “The air quality is poor where I live. It caused me to have allergies, and I often had a runny nose. The symptoms aren't as bad now. My eyes used to itch and hurt and I could barely read two pages in Zhuan Falun. Through exercising more, my eyes and nose improved significantly.”

The children exercise near the tourist spot Green Tunnel.

Four Days Are Too Short

This is the fifth year Yiyuan attended the camp. She did not want to miss it because, “I meet a lot of friends who practice Falun Dafa. The classes and activities were fun and I learned a lot.

“Four days are too short for me. Time went by so fast and I did not want it to end. I wish it were ten days, or as long as the entire summer break. That would be great,” she said. “I wish there was a Minghui Elementary School. I could spend every day of my life in a school like this, where everyone tries to improve their personalities, and learn and grow up happily.”

She recalled the first year she attended the camp, “They incorporated the magnificent culture of the Tang Dynasty and the story of a Tang Emperor into the welcoming drama play. It impressed me, because I like Chinese history, especially the history of the great Tang Dynasty.”

When they did the exercises outdoors, the weather was hot and there were a lot of mosquitoes. She persisted and finished all five sets of exercises with everyone. She said the experience was amazing, “Afterwards I felt that my endurance improved.”

She knows better how to conduct herself and judge things by following higher moral values. “At school my classmates often divide into small groups, and they protect their group's interests. I judge everything based on Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I do not just do what everyone else does,” she said. She’s read Zhuan Falun many times, as she reads it every day. Now, when she faces challenges she remembers the teachings.

Look Forward to Next Year’s Summer Camp

When Pinyi attended the camp with his older brother he always sat next to his mother at meal time. He has now become more independent and told his mother that she no longer has to worry about him. He said, “The opening and closing ceremonies were the most memorable. I met many friends, good friends whom I can practice Falun Dafa with. I feel happy just thinking about it.”

Qianru attended the camp this year and last year, and said he enjoyed it both times. “I especially liked the drama play Secular Inn because it made me understand that if I was tempted by inappropriate things, it was time to let go of my attachments and improve my character,” he said. “Even though the camp just ended, I already look forward to attending camp next year.”