National Taiwan University's annual grand event—"The NTU Azalea Festival" serial activities will be brought into high swing throughout the Month of march As 2008 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the university, the Azalea Festival also serves as an overture for the celebrations of the octogenarian university. The contents of the activities include: departmental Expo, joint exhibition of student clubs, student performances, campus tours, arts and entertainments, etc. All high school faculty and students, parents and the general public are welcome to attend!!

Since its inception in 1997, the NTU Azalea Festival now embarks upon its 12th year. Over the last decade the Azalea Festival attracted tens of thousands of high school students and their parents every year to visit. The opening ceremony for this year was held on March 8th, officiated by President Si-chen Lee who delivered the opening speech. During the ceremony, awards were given to the winners of the "80TH anniversary mascots design contest," and the roster of NTU outstanding youth was announced. There were also all kinds of brilliant performances by student clubs such as the NTU Wind Orchestra, the NTU Popular Dance Club, etc., which attracted throngs of people to stop and watch.

Of the serial activities of the Festival, the Department Expo and the Student Clubs Joint Exhibition held on March 8th and 9th brought the Festival to its climax. Altogether there were 54 academic departments' personnel who participated in the Expo, which was held on the third floor of the Sports Complex (the NTU Arena). The courses, faculty, and future developments of each discipline were given complete and exhaustive explanations and demonstrations during the Expo, providing direct information to the visitors, whereas the Joint Exhibition of Student Clubs was staged at the perimeters of the Sports Complex and its neighboring thoroughfare, with over 100 student clubs putting up various kinds of performances and activities, showcasing the lively and diversified facets of the extracurricular activities at NTU.

National Taiwan University enjoys a long history and a reputation of being the gathering place of la crème de la crèmes of society. The University plays a role of being the pioneer, the torch bearer, and the innovator of the developmental trends of Taiwan. For this year's Azalea Festival, many arts and literary activities were arranged. The Office for Art Promotion organized "Cathay at Lu-ming Sqaure," "Voice Thunder Music Festival" so on and so forth, instilling a rich flavor of culture and humanities into the NTU campus. The NTU Visitors Center and the NTU Museum Group, on the other hand, prepared " NTU Sightseeing Tour—The Azalea Festival Campus Guided Tours" and " Stroll of the Museum Group" for high school students and the general public, allowing them to better their understanding of NTU through direct visits.

Official Website for the Azalea Festival:http://www.ntu.edu.tw/actives/azalea2008/