Graduating student Shen Chien-yi (沈健一), 84, was honored in a special way at the commencement ceremony of Chang Jung Christian University in Tainan County yesterday.
Shen had his feet washed by school president Chen Chin-seng (陳錦生), while 23 other fellow students — six decades younger than Shen — had their feet washed by other faculty members. Having school faculty wash the feet of selected students is a traditional ritual at the school to underscore the value of service with a humble spirit.
The 24 students were selected because of their special characteristics, such as excellent performance or enthusiasm in serving others.
Shen was chosen because he has shown a passion for learning and has not missed a class during his four years of college, making him a shining example of “life-long learning,” the school said.
Shen held a personal exhibition earlier this week to mark his commencement, featuring more than 100 works of art that included oil paintings, watercolors, stereography and Chinese brush calligraphy.
“Now my dreams have come true,” Shen said at the opening of his exhibition.
Shen yesterday donated a check for NT$100,000 to the school to be used to fund scholarships and urged his classmates to “seize their prime days of a lifetime and learn with zest every day.”
Shen was born in a tumultuous era in China and was not able to receive a formal fine arts education. He fought in World War II as a career military officer and came to Taiwan from China more than five decades ago to work as a public functionary.
Shen applied to study at China Academy of Art in Hangzhou at the age of 73, years after his retirement. He began his program at the academy but was forced to return to Taiwan less than two years later when his health began to decline because of his age and fatigue from the frequent trips to China for class.
Determined not to give up his dream, Shen in 2005 took the university’s Department of Visual Art’s entrance exams and began full-time studies there.
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