welcome to National Central University

The 42nd Westide hosted by the Department of English chose hippie culture as the main theme and hoped to have students and faculty experience once again the trend in the Sixties. Taiwanese students as well as international students participated actively. The organizers of Westide hoped to make everyone realize the artistic spirit of hippie culture—love, peace, and music.

The popular “tie-dying” among foreigners is to bind randomly with rubber bands on a white T-shirt and dye with your favorite color as you like in different places on the T-shirt. After that, just set it aside for several hours, wash it, and finally you will get a unique and stylish tie-dye shirt. Such a shirt represents the unconfined, free, and creative hippie spirit.

The hippie movement originated from Northern Europe. After it spread to the United States, hippie movement gained great popularity because of the anti-Vietnam war sentiment. Hippies emphasize the ideas of love, peace, and music. The most famous and unprecedented event of hippie movement was Woodstock Music & Art Fair in 1969. During the festival, large number of hippies gathered at the great meadow in rural area and enjoyed the music for 3 days and nights against bad weather. At that time, most hippie advocates dressed casually, not in any ready-made clothing but in tie-dye clothing to show their strong personal characteristics. The illusive but artistic style has become the unique image of hippie.

“Our Westide group held the informative and interesting shirts-tie-dying to be the prelude to our series of hippie culture activities to attract people. Later on, we have courses that introduces hippie culture, and we will hold a film festival, a music fair, and other activities. With various media and different ways of interaction, everyone could have a better understanding of the hippie spirit,” said Yu-Nong Dai, a sophomore of the Dept. of English and the chief executive of the 42nd Westide.