People from all over the Valley gathered on the West Valley campus to celebrate Taiwanese National Day, also known as the Double Ten Day Celebration, on Oct 5. The event was not only a lively atmosphere with dozens of vendors, food trucks, cultural performances and activities for all ages, but also represented a significant cultural and historic event for the Taiwanese community.
The term "Double 10" originates from the anniversary of the Wuchang Uprising that took place on Oct. 10, 1911, according to The China Project website. For many overseas communities with Chinese heritage, such as Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Double Ten Day represents ties to a shared culture.
Often times Taiwanese citizens receive the day off from work every year to celebrate together on Oct. 10. ASU's third annual Double Ten Day festival featured various attractions, such as the Dragon Dance, fireworks, cultural music and over 10 food trucks with different types of Asian cuisine.
In partnership with the Phoenix Sister Cities, the West Valley campus planned the event with the hope of creating a community for Taiwanese international students, as well as connecting individuals from all different cultures and backgrounds in celebration.
Todd Sandrin, Vice Provost of ASU West Valley, said the creation of the event was inspired by the opening of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, about a dozen miles north of the campus.
"As part of the ASU Charter, we welcome (the Taiwanese) community and build our relationship with the community and with TSMC," Sandrin said.
The Double Ten Celebration had taken ASU and Phoenix Sister Cities over a year to create, said Wen Chyi Chiu, a Chairwoman of the Phoenix Sister Cities Taipei Committee. One of the reasons for the extensive preparation was to make sure "everything is perfect with the event."
One of the aspects Chiu brought from Taiwan was the night market. Chiu said the night market is a popular gathering area where friends and family would have fun, peruse knick knacks and eat international food.
The Double Ten Day festival first started indoors in the La Sala Ballroom but quickly expanded to the outdoor SDFC field to accommodate an anticipated attendee list of roughly 4,000 people, Sandrin said.
The event included booths from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Arizona, the Taipei Committee and even the City of Phoenix Councilwoman Ann O’Brien.
Cassidy Tran, a recruitment coordinator at ASU West's New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, said this was her second year attending the event and found its growth exciting.
"I recently learned the background of this event in what it means and what it means for the people, and how empowering it is to have this day for them," Tran said.
As a first generation Vietnamese American, Cassidy said it was comforting to see people that looked like her and celebrated a similar culture as her in the West Valley.
Apart from the Taiwanese community, international ASU students were able to join in on the festivities and learn about a new culture, and feel connected to a diverse population of students.
"For me I really love to see the people out here," Chiu said. "They got to know each other, they bring in their neighbors, and they bring their friends together and they just enjoy having fun. It's kind of like seeing ... a little bit of home here."
Edited by Senna James, Sophia Braccio, Tiya Talwar and Madeline Schmitke.
Reach the reporter at dmurthy1@asu.edu.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on X.
