NCCU Releases Centennial Video Featuring Sodagreen's Kay Liu and YouTuber HowHow

(CNA, Taipei, May 21, by reporter Chen Chih-chung) With its 100th anniversary approaching, National Chengchi University (NCCU) recently launched an image video titled "Forward," with music composed by Kay Liu, guitarist of the band Sodagreen, who wrote his affection for his alma mater into the melody. Famed YouTuber Chen Tzu-hao (HowHow) also participated in the filming. In a press release today, NCCU stated that following the well-received first installment "Heritage" of the "Centennial NCCU" video series, the university has released the second part, "Forward." It invites five alumni from different generations and fields, along with three current students, to look back on the meaning of "moving forward" through the lens of running, from the perspectives of different life stages. Sodagreen guitarist Kay Liu (a psychology department graduate) participated in the video's production. He said his first feeling upon receiving the invitation from his alma mater was being "very happy to be back at NCCU." Although his life path differed from what he studied, he has always believed that what truly shaped him was NCCU's unique atmosphere of "people." The creative starting point was "people of the same frequency meet here." Liu noted through the university that the opening of the score quotes a melodic fragment from Sodagreen's work "Frequency," which then extends to the main melody of NCCU's school anthem. This symbolizes the cultivation and influence students accumulate during their time at the university, maintaining a deep connection even after they leave campus and pursue different life paths. Famed YouTuber Chen Tzu-hao (HowHow) (an economics department graduate) also appeared in this video. He recounted how in his senior year, his love for fun led him and his friends to organize a graduation play, never imagining at the time that his future career would be related to filmmaking. Chen Tzu-hao shared that life is actually a long-distance race; whether you run hard, run slow, or run easy, the important thing is to enjoy the process. Hsu Ya-ting (a radio and television department graduate), director of the documentary "The Island of Grand Winds," mentioned that her "charge forward, not afraid of getting hurt" personality from her university days deeply influenced her later creative life. Hsu Ya-ting has been filming the story of Lo-Sheng Sanatorium for 20 years. She shared in the video that whenever she faces authority or seemingly self-evident questions, she asks herself, "Is that really so?" and contemplates how those who cannot run would complete their life's journey. NCCU pointed out that releasing "Forward" on the path to its centennial is not just about looking back at its 99-year history, but also hoping to present the spirit of NCCU people continuously forging ahead and illuminating each other in their times through the life stories of different generations. (Editor: Lee Heng-shan)