Taiwanese Student documents Chinese in Sweden

National Tsing Hua University graduate student Lo Yu took two months to finish a 3,000-kilometer bike trip in Sweden to document stories of overseas Chinese.

Graduate student from National Tsing Hua University Lo Yu (羅聿), middle, and National Tsing Hua University President Lih J. Chen (陳力俊), right, pose at Lo's book launch ceremony. (CNA)
Graduate student from National Tsing Hua University Lo Yu (羅聿), middle, and National Tsing Hua University President Lih J. Chen (陳力俊), right, pose at Lo’s book launch ceremony. (CNA)

Lo described the trip as a “life journey of dreams come true” for all the people he met and all the friends he made.

Tsing Hua University published a book documenting Lo’s journey and the life stories of the overseas Chinese he recorded, which is the first book the university has ever published for a student.

“Each encounter during the trip created different stories that touched me,” said Lo.

Lo said that he went to Sweden as an exchange student two years ago. After meeting with an overseas Chinese person he got the idea of documenting these people’s life stories.

Lo started his trip with less than NT$5,000, which he earned from work, and another NT $35,000 (approximately USD $1185) that the school provided.

“It was so difficult” Lo said, “but I knew it was worthy to finish the trip.”

Lo said that he once camped on a football field and the security guard of the field was very friendly. He invited Lo for a cup of coffee and showed him the office where all the trophies are stored.

“I was so surprised to see a flag from the football team of Tainan’s Pei-men Senior High School,” Lo said.

“I pointed at the national flag on my shirt and told the guard that I am from this place.

“The security guard gladly told me that this is Formosa and it really touched me because I did not expect to have this special connection with Taiwan in a small town like this,” Lo said.

During the trip, Lo met a Swedish woman traveling without food, so he decided to give the woman a meal.

Lo said “The woman told me that she went to Taiwan and the International House of Taichung because she adopted a Taiwanese aboriginal child.”

“Even though I did not have the chance to meet the child,” Lo said, “I still feel so proud because the Swedish woman selflessly takes care of the child from Taiwan and I kept her from being hungry.”

“It is like completing a cycle of love,” Lo said.

Many overseas Chinese that Lo visited were chefs, and they would tell him how much they miss Taiwan. Lo said that one of them even gave him a red envelop with a great amount of money to help cover traveling costs.

“I enjoy having adventures,” Lo said, “and I think that every journey should be meaningful because I know there is always someone special waiting for me.”

Source: The China Post

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