Tunghai Lights Up Taiwan’s Only Glow-in-the-Dark Rose Garden and a 9-Meter Sustainable Christmas Tree
- Department : THUPR
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- Date : 2026-05-11
Tunghai University celebrated Christmas Eve yesterday (December 24) under the theme “Born for Love,” holding a Christmas Eve service at Luce Memorial Chapel. The campus was simultaneously illuminated with Taiwan’s only glow-in-the-dark rose garden and a nearly 9-meter-tall sustainable Christmas tree, creating a warm and distinctive “Christmas Town” atmosphere. According to the university, the event attracted tens of thousands of visitors, setting a record for the highest Christmas Eve campus attendance in nearly a decade. During the service, President Kuo-En Chang and his wife, Hui-Lien Lo, lit the fifth candle, offering blessings to everyone present.
Tunghai University held its Christmas Eve service at Luce Memorial Chapel under the theme “Born for Love,” attracting tens of thousands of visitors.
This year’s highlight was the first-ever integration of two signature installations: the Glow-in-the-Dark Rose Garden and the Sustainable Christmas Tree. At night, the rose garden is presented with soft, low-intensity lighting that gently traces the pathways. Thousands of roses appear subtly in the darkness, creating a rare and enchanting festive landscape seldom seen on university campuses in Taiwan.
Complementing the rose garden is the nearly 9-meter-tall sustainable Christmas tree. Ho-Chieh Hsu, Dean of General Affairs at Tunghai University, explained that as part of the university’s commitment to sustainability, a real pine tree was used this year to replace conventional resource-intensive artificial Christmas trees. The living tree will continue to grow taller over time, symbolizing that Tunghai’s blessings extend beyond the holiday season and will continue to flourish year after year—embodying both the spirit of Christmas and the values of sustainability.
For the first time, Tunghai replaced a traditional artificial Christmas tree with a real pine tree. The nearly 9-meter-tall Sustainable Christmas Tree will continue to grow taller over time.
As night fell, a large-scale projection mapping display lit up the exterior of Luce Memorial Chapel, gradually unfolding images of faith across the night sky. Across the campus, visitors could enjoy a Christmas bus, festive markets, and cultural and creative stalls. Student organizations and clubs also organized DJ parties, survival games, and pop-up performances, infusing the evening with youthful energy. With an increased number of vendors this year, the overall atmosphere was especially vibrant, drawing large crowds and creating the feel of a warm holiday carnival.
Projection mapping on the exterior of Luce Memorial Chapel, along with Christmas markets, cultural stalls, and festive performances, created a warm holiday carnival atmosphere.
The midnight service inside the chapel was led by Senior Pastor Shang-Jen Chen under the theme “For unto us a child is born,” conveying the core values of faith through a solemn and meaningful ceremony. President Chang expressed his hope that everyone who visits Tunghai can experience peace and blessings amid the soft glow of roses and Christmas lights, and carry that sense of serenity into the new year.
President Kuo-En Chang and his wife Hui-Lien Lo lit the fifth candle, offering blessings to everyone present.
At midnight, the traditional bell rang 100 times, symbolizing completeness and blessings. According to the university’s Office of General Affairs, crowds had already begun forming around the campus as early as 6:00 PM, with long lines at food vendors. After 8:00 PM, the number of visitors increased significantly, and people continued to stream into the campus throughout the night—marking the highest Christmas Eve attendance in nearly ten years.
