Love Boat (study tour)

The alternate and original purpose for the Taiwan Government's subsidizing of the program was to shore up Overseas Chinese support for its cross-strait political policies, particularly those of the Kuomintang (KMT) party in regards to its tense relations with China.

The program was conceived by the Taiwan Government in part because the Kuomintang for many decades had recognized the historical importance of the Overseas Chinese community not only for its financing but also for its political support.

[8]" However, beyond the political origins of the Study Tour, the program is most famous for its historically positive influence on Chinese American identity in addition to its "Loveboat" reputation of spawning many relationships as well as hosting a frenetic nightlife scene which many participants indulged in.

As the popularity of the program grew, the number of participants increased and the headquarters moved to the Chientan Youth Activity Center[11] in the 1970s located in the Shilin District near modern day Jiantan station.

These various aspects of the Study Tour combined with the fact that 6 weeks of room and board (excluding airfare) only cost the participant $400 US dollars, due to Taiwan government subsidization, also led to increased popularity for the trip, as most agreed it was an excellent deal.

Conversely, some students who were interested in attending would often neglect to inform their parents about the Study Tour's Love Boat reputation for fear of not being allowed to go.

The job of implementing these many rules has traditionally been overseen by many local college-aged Taiwan counselors whose responsibilities, from early morning to late at night, consisted of organizing all the various logistics of the students' itinerary.

Due to the sheer volume of minor misdeeds many counselors had to turn a blind eye and instead focused their energies on ensuring the safety and well being of the students.

After 4 weeks of training, some students would perform what they learned during the "Closing Ceremony" in front of an audience of Study Tour participants and several high-level government officials at the Chientan Youth Activity Center auditorium.

In comparison, those students at Ocean Campus experienced slightly less convenient facilities albeit theirs did include more athletic and outdoor activities but unfortunately were a good cab ride away from the Taipei nightlife.

According to Valerie Soe's 2019 documentary "Loveboat Taiwan[16]", in August 1993 during that year's "9 day trip down south", a participant went against the wishes of the counselors to swim in the bay of Kenting.

Although complete enforcement is extremely difficult for the counselors of the Tour,[17] students caught breaking major rules such as fighting, stealing, or sexual harassment are immediately sent home.

After the 2000 Taiwan election, the incoming change of administration of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) did not fully support the aims or goals of the Study Tour.

[18] To cut costs, most students of that year were removed from the traditional Chientan building and moved to a smaller adjacent one that historically hosted the "Baby Boat", a much younger Study Tour, where participants were aged between 12–18.

In the over 50 year history of the Taiwan Study Tour, the students have survived through many travails such as earthquakes, typhoons, localized disease outbreaks, and even missile threats/military posturing from China.

Parents were hesitant to send their children to Taiwan at the time and Tour organizers recognized the logistical nightmare due to widespread quarantine conditions.

Due to the insistence by the Democratic Progressive Party between 2005-2007 there was increased pressure on the Study Tour to offer language classes in Taiwanese.

[20] Complicated negotiations between the China Youth Corps and the Taipei City Government continued into September 2016 until finally coming to a compromise.

[22] It is now solely the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) of Taiwan and according to its official website[23] the Study Tour is now only a 3 week long program with an age group of between 12 and 24 years old.

Due to the shorter period of time, language training is less stressed than in previous years and with comparatively less emphasis on cross-strait relations.

With far fewer cultural classes offered as in past Study Tours due to the much smaller number of students, the current Tour focuses on introducing participants to Taiwan history, culture, landmarks, and also includes "participation in earth environmental activities and charitable activities" as described in the OCAC's application form.

The documentary Loveboat Taiwan by Valerie Soe was released in 2019 to film festivals internationally and to public acclaim, receiving several awards.

[24] On January 7, 2020 Harper Collins published Abigail Hing Wen's debut novel, Loveboat, Taipei,[25] which made the New York Times Top Ten best seller's list for Young Adult fiction.