- Publication Date: 2025-07-28 at 15:01
- Finish Date: 2025-08-27 at 15:01
The Choir of Jianguo Elementary School in Miaoli County participated in the 7th Tokyo International Choir Competition in 2025. As announced on July 27th, they won Gold in the Children's Choir (13-year-old or younger) category. The choir has shone on the international stage yet again following their success in winning gold and silver at the 12th World Choir Games in 2023, creating a new record in the choir's history.
The Choir of Jianguo Elementary School was established 34 years ago, and has dedicated its core mission to singing and spreading Hakka folk songs. On July 24th, 2025, 60 choir members accompanied by nine teachers visited Japan to participate in the International Choir Competition organized by the International Choir Organization of Tokyo (ICOT). The competition was held at Dai-ichi Seimei Hall in Harumi Triton Square, Chuo Ward, Tokyo, and has attracted top-tier choirs from around the world over the years, making it a leading international choir competition in Japan.
This year, 53 elite teams from Asia and America participated in the competition and competed for awards across 10 categories. The Choir of Jianguo Elementary School participated in the Children's Choir (13-year-old or younger) category. The competition was fierce and they faced six strong teams in this category. Facing these powerful competitors, the choir members of Jianguo Elementary School, who were much younger than other teams, remain cool, calm and collected, demonstrating confidence beyond their age. Their beautiful and enchanting Hakka and Hokkien choral performance blew everyone away and stood out from the competition to win the Gold Prize in the Children's Choir category.
Principal of Jianguo Elementary School Zeng Huan-gan stated that after arriving in Tokyo on July 24, the choir had to face lengthy customs clearance any intense rehearsals, and adjust to their accommodation. However, they faced the challenges and endured the pressure, demonstrating a highly focused and consistently high performance on stage. Their resilience was truly touching. The sixth-grader members who have already graduated, as leading members, sacrificed their vacation time to practice singing at school throughout July to prepare for the competition. Moreover, thanks to all the participating teachers' hard work, the Parents' Association of the School, and the accompanying parents' full assistance and chaperoning, the children had the opportunity to stand on the world stage singing the beautiful folk songs of Taiwan and showcasing Taiwan's choral strength. We also especially appreciate Magistrate Chung Tung-chin for his support and encouragement as well as the enthusiastic support from the Ministry of Education, the Hakka Affairs Council, private foundations, and the general public.
Magistrate Chung Tung-chin stated that the Miaoli County Government highly values the importance of cultivating students' diverse talent and skills. It regularly invests in promoting diverse school clubs to encourage schools to cultivate students' talent and broaden their international vision. The impressive achievement of Jianguo Elementary School in the competition in Japan is not only a positive recognition of the students' potential and talent, but also a demonstration of the Miaoli County Government's efforts in promoting diverse talent education. In the future, we hope everyone works together to present the beautiful folk songs of Taiwan on the world stage and showcase Taiwan's choral prowess. This is a great win for both Miaoli County and Taiwan!