【Article by Office of International Cooperation】
The northeastern monsoon brings with it the gentle winter rain, casting a serene ambiance over the Maokong Skyline mountain range. However, it fails to conceal the warmth of music, gastronomy, and the heartfelt gatherings of people. The Office of International Cooperation, based at the NCCU-iHouse, organized an end-of-year concert. The grand event commenced at 6:40 pm on December 1st, drawing nearly 150 guests with versatile backgrounds, including National Chengchi University students, alumni, local residents, and visiting scholars.. This year's performances featured not only international students from the United States, India, Japan, Singapore, and more but also collaboration with the NCCU Jazz Music Club and NCCU Guitar Club. Students were encouraged to freely design their performance pieces based on the essence of the event, breaking language barriers with the hope of fostering interaction and exchange between international and local music enthusiasts.

The event began with a speech by NCCU President Tsai-Yen Li, who extended his wishes for international students to consider NCCU and Taiwan as their second home, maintaining a healthy and joyful spirit and leaving with fond memories. The Vice President for International Cooperation, Tang Ching-Ping and the Associate Vice President for International Cooperation, Elain Lin were also present to share in the musical celebration. Despite the sudden drop in temperature that night, the participating students remained enthusiastic, and the provided hot tea and delicious snacks added a heartwarming touch to the atmosphere.

The performances kicked off with a collaborative traditional Indian dance by Hayle Hall from the United States and Asmita Banerjee from India, adorned in black and white dance attire with sequins on their long skirts. They gracefully performed a fusion of traditional and modern Indian dance styles, showcasing the individuality of students from different cultural backgrounds through music, which is the essence of the Year-end concert. Following this, there were uninterrupted singing performances. Members of the NCCU Guitar Club, Li Zai-Feng, and You Xiao-Jie, presented legendary songs like "First Love" by Utada Hikaru and "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston, showcasing not only their melodious voices and exquisite guitar skills but also highlighting the multilingual capabilities of NCCU students. Alumnus Ma Jingyun also earned applause with the iconic track 'Stars' from the classic musical theater piece 'Les Misérables. Reed Bauer from the United States then performed the Mandarin classic "I Believe"（我相信） fluently, lifting the mood with his lively style.

Representing the NCCU Jazz Music Club, Zheng You-Peng, Hou Bai-Qian, and Zeng Cheng-Xu delivered a bluesy vocal and guitar/bass performance of "Leave the Door Open" and joined the audience in singing "All I Want for Christmas Is You" to celebrate the upcoming new year. Following this, Hayato Yoshimura from Japan sang the theme song "Is There Still Anything That Love Can Do?" from the popular animated film "Weathering with You." The audience continued to wave their hands in excitement, enjoying the music together with the performers. The final performance was a series of captivating guitar and vocal solos by Darren Lin from Singapore, including "Silent," "Love Story," "When You Appear in My Dreams," and "Dysfunctional." When singing Taylor Swift's classic "Love Story," everyone joined in a heartwarming chorus, creating a scene that not only exudes warmth but also conveyed the emotional connection among people from around the world through music.

Norbert Francis, a scholar from the University of Northern Arizona, came to Taiwan to participate in research on bilingualism and language learning. At the same time, he collaborated with colleagues from National Chengchi University to promote academic cooperation between Taiwan and Vietnam. Residing at NCCU iHouse, he learned about this event through promotional posters. Norbert believes that the year-end concert holds significant importance for cross-cultural communication and traditional music exchange. "From various perspectives, this event has been a tremendous success," Norbert said. "The concert not only showcased the diverse talents of NCCU students but also allowed participants to experience the profound interchange of music and poetry.

The OIC Year-end concert concluded perfectly amidst cheers and laughter. The performing students were pleasantly surprised to receive certificates of appreciation prepared by the Office of International Cooperation. On this chilly winter night, NCCU's Office of International Cooperation used music to create a home away from home for international students, allowing them to feel the warmth and friendship of NCCU.