Saturday August 15, 2015 was a very special day for Koreans in Shanghai. For the first time, the Korean national flag, Taegeukgi, was put up in Korean homes in parts of the city. In addition, there was an event that celebrated the 70th anniversary of Korea’s National Liberation day.

All this was hosted by the Korean newspaper Shanghai Journal’s high school student reporters. Their ideas motivated much help from the newspaper company as well as adult residents in Shanghai. People received Taegeukgis to put on at home, each donating 10 RMB or more. The later event, which took place outdoors in the afternoon, led many Korean and Chinese passerbys to participate and understand more about Korean history and our liberation. Meanwhile, Shanghai Journal started a Taegeukgi photograph contest open to everybody, of which the results will be announced later.

The student reporters started their work early in the morning. Several participated in the celebration ceremony which took place in the Korean Consulate, and the others walked around the neighborhoods, selling flags to Korean residents and shop owners. After lunchtime, they set up materials for face-painting, Taegeukgi drawing, quizzes, and photo taking. Passing people, especially families with children, showed great interest in these events. Many of them stopped by, and the student reporters drew taegeuk marks on the children’s faces. The young children also learned about the national flag, decorating paper fans by drawing the flag with markers. Everything was done for free except for the 10-yuan Polaroid photos that people took home. Nevertheless, many people were enthusiastic about donating money. Some older students gave a try on answering questions related to Liberation Day, which included information about famous activists for independence, historical events, and the national flag. Those who got the answer were given snacks as a reward. Everybody had a fun, meaningful time celebrating National Liberation Day.

The day was memorable especially because being able just to put on the flags took great effort of getting permission from the Chinese government, buying the flags from Korea, helping residents receive the flags from Korean stores in the neighborhoods, and so on. However, all the great care resulted in valuable achievements. The student reporters learned how small ideas and actions can make a big difference, and furthermore knew to be thankful to all the helping hands. Hopefully, the tradition of celebrating Liberation Day at its fullest could go on and improve in Shanghai, year by year.