On the evening after the Mid-Autumn Festival, participants in the New Southbound Policy Elite Study Program gathered at the university dining hall for a festive dinner together. The table was set with barbecue, small mooncakes, and pomelos, allowing everyone to enjoy the meal while soaking up the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere. Of course, the festive “pomelo hats” were part of the fun as well. For many participants who had left their hometowns to spend several months studying in Taiwan, this was a new way of experiencing the festival away from home. As the Mid-Autumn Festival is traditionally associated with reunion, the gathering also offered everyone a chance to sit down together, share a meal, and enjoy a sense of togetherness in a new environment.

After dinner, the lively conversation naturally continued into an informal talent-sharing session. Some participants played music from their phones and invited friends to sing along, while others stepped forward to perform, with classmates cheering, taking photos, and joining in the fun. What had been planned as a relatively short gathering eventually stretched to nearly three hours, with everyone reluctant to leave. One participant joked that they had expected to come for dinner, but ended up feeling as though they had joined a small party. For participants living far from home, the evening offered a warm reminder that a sense of reunion can also be created through shared food, music, laughter, and new friendships.