In the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association News from Taiwan, also known as Formosa…
On the occasion of the 6th International Artist Day, our Association members in Taiwan (Formosa) organized an art exhibition and a vegan culinary arts competition. Held on April 29, 2023, at the lakeside campus of TransWorld University in Douliu City, Yunlin County, the exhibition titled “Arts, Illumination in Heart: 2023 Art Realm, Glory to the World” showcased the works of 13 talented Taiwanese (Formosan) artists. These included paintings, wooden carvings, vegan dough art, and piano compositions.
A special part of the exhibit also featured photographic artworks by our Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) including Her bestselling book “The Noble Wilds.”
In 2018, Master designated April 3 as International Artist Day to honor the world’s gifted artists of all fields.
Our Association members also co-organized the first “Soybean Whole Food Vegan Culinary Arts Competition” in partnership with TransWorld University, with the goal of “combining the light of art and the love of vegan food.” The participants included students from colleges and high schools in catering and culinary arts-related departments. Dr. Chien-Hua Shen, president of TransWorld University and co-organizer of the vegan culinary arts competition, commented on the trend towards plant-based food and the direction of his own university.
“In the culinary industry, the future development and trend...I know that a plant-based diet plays a key role in the coming advancement. This is completely in line with the development direction of TransWorld University. Through promotion and education, we can let the public understand that actually there is an excellent choice to keep us healthy, which is to be vegan and to eat plant-based food.”
Nantou County Councilor E-Jun Chen (vegan), an honored guest at the event, thanked Master for Her inspiring artworks. “I also saw some of Master’s artwork just now. And I feel we can see that as a spiritual teacher, She earnestly promotes and hopes for peace in the world, and for peace amongst all sentient beings. Therefore, I am very grateful and also thankful to Master for working so hard on peacemaking.” Ms. Chen praised the artists for their contribution in spreading more positivity in our society. She also urged the government departments and executives to set a good example by being vegan first and extending it to the rest of the country.
Chih-Wei Pei, an eight-time gold medal-winning vegan dough artist, and an international judge of the World Kitchen Association, created a fascinating vegan dough art piece called “The Rising Sun” for exhibition at the event.
Tse-Chen Hsu, a pianist, who was born blind but started to show his musical talent when he was three years old, winning several awards by the time he was eight, performed a piano piece titled “Light (2023).”
Professor Emeritus of The Art Institute of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, Bill W. C. Sy, who also served as the chief jurist in the judging panel of the vegan culinary arts competition, spoke to us of the worldwide plant-based trend. “Veganism is now a booming and accelerating new trend worldwide. Many young people in European and American countries have been advocating veganism. Therefore, there is an upward trend of veganism.”
The cooking competition focused on whole foods and vegetable protein, particularly showcasing soybeans, black beans, and edamame. Pei-Fen Lee (vegan), a professional nutritionist, who was specially invited to be a judge at this vegan culinary arts competition, emphasized the importance of including more beans in one’s diet. “We should eat more beans instead of meat. Not only are beans nutritious, but they also help lower the three highs, as well as cholesterol and blood sugar levels. And they even help prevent cancers.”
Hsiao-Hsuan Chung and Che-Wei Chang, a student team from TransWorld University, won the first prize in the college group category of the vegan culinary arts competition. You-Hong Chen and his teammate Yi-Han Jiang also from TransWorld University, were first runner-ups in the college group category. The team of Yi-Ru Liu and Yu-An Pan, students from YiFeng High School, won the first prize in the high school group category.
Congratulations to the winning teams and many thanks to all participating students for creating marvelous vegan dishes. Our sincere gratitude also goes to all the artists for sharing your beautiful works with us. We also offer our appreciation to the judges, co-organizers at TransWorld University, and our Association members for this delightful event. We wish you much success in your future creative endeavors. Our deepest gratitude to our Most Beloved Master for creating the International Artist Day as an event for us to celebrate the wonderful artists and admire their uplifting works.
