On December 8, 2023, an unveiling ceremony of the mural “Lotus Pond” on the NCUE Jinde campus took place. Around 30 students and teachers from NCUE and Malaysian Tsun Jin High School in Kuala Lumpur collaborated to complete the mural near the western entrance of the campus in just three days. The initiator of this project is Mr. Yung-Jui Chuang, an outstanding NCUE alumnus serving as a teacher at Tsun Jin High School. Besides the purpose of contributing to his alma mater through artistic expression, Mr. Chuang hopes that his students can build confidence through the experience of painting. This vibrant mural adds a meaningful pleasing touch to the campus.

Mr. Chuang graduated from the NCUE Graduate Institute of Education. He has served as the President of the NCUE Alumni Association in Malaysia and as a resident artist at the Ningbo Art Museum in China. Additionally, he has been the chief organizer for multiple years of the Malaysia Art Exhibition. For this project, Mr. Chuang led 10 students and a teacher from the Art Society of Tsun Jin High School to Taiwan to collaborate with Professor Shih-Chiang Chen from the Department of Fine Arts and 17 of his students, including an exchange student from Northwest Normal University in mainland China. The mural is situated on a wall that separates NCUE from the Affiliated Industrial Vocational High School of NCUE.

The theme of this mural "Lotus Pond" is inspired by the “Essay on Loving Lotus” written by the Confucian scholar of the Song Dynasty, Tun-Yi Chou. The scholar uses the lotus as a metaphor, illustrating how it remains unstained despite growing in muddy waters, representing the idea of maintaining a noble character in a turbid world. Mr. Chuang encourages students to contemplate the beauty and elegance symbolized by the lotus, aiming to instill confidence in students facing an uncertain future through their artistic expressions. This embodies the essence of education.

The beautification of the western wall on campus has been a long-standing idea for NCUE. Now, it has become a reality through the planning and fundraising efforts of an overseas alumnus, with the support of the school, students, and parents he serves. NCUE President Ming-Fei Chen not only expresses gratitude but also instructs relevant offices at NCUE to fully cooperate in aspects such as wall surface cleaning, material procurement, location selection, and the itinerary arrangement for the students and teachers from Tsun Jin High School. This not only adds a scenic spot to the campus but also ensures the continuous expansion and enhancement of the beautification of adjacent areas of this wall in the future.

The painting depicts lotus leaves reaching the sky and lotus flowers reflecting the sunlight, and, as a collective creation, it captures various postures and brushstrokes, showcasing elegance and charm. Whether it's the buds waiting to bloom, standing tall and beautiful, or dancing in the wind, each element carries a unique style. There are even leisurely koi swimming in the pond. During the unveiling ceremony, President Chen presented certificates of appreciation to representatives of the students and teachers from both schools who participated in the painting, acknowledging their outstanding contributions.

Li-Yan Wang, Chair of the Department of Fine Arts, pointed out that outdoor painting not only tests students’ drawing skills but also requires them to concentrate on continuous working for several days in the harsh conditions of sunlight, wind, rain, and even mosquito bites. It is a significant test of students' willpower and patience. Therefore, she hopes that even the mural may gradually weather with time, its beauty can still linger in everyone's hearts, unfolding gracefully like lotus flowers. Additionally, she was impressed by the politeness, eloquence, and seriousness of the students from Tsun Jin High School, hoping that this exchange experience would be a highlight in their artistic careers and looking forward to them pursuing further studies at NCUE, continuing this beautiful connection between the two schools.

Dean Hon Man Lee of the International Office expressed gratitude to President Chen for providing financial support and highlighted the importance of beautifying the campus in this great area with the mural project. With the assistance of the General Affairs Office and the Department of Fine Arts, the event was successfully carried out. Dean Lee mentioned that, in addition to students from Taiwan and Malaysia, the participants included an exchange student from Mainland China. The unveiling ceremony featured "International Ambassadors" trained by the International Office and students from Indonesia serving as an emcee and traffic controllers, demonstrating international collaboration with significant educational value.

On that day, other attendees at the ceremony included Vice President Yu-Min Tseng, Dean of Academic Affairs Office Yang-Wei Lin, Director Chih-Hung Wang of the Teacher Education Center, Principal Wen-Chieh Shih of the Affiliated Industrial Vocational High School of NCUE, Teacher Yu-Chin Lin from Tsun Jin High School, and students who collaborated on the painting from both schools.