On April 26, 2012, Vice President of Student Affairs, Prof. Ping-Chiang Lyu, and Prof. Wong Wun Bin of China Research Center, Raman University signed a memo of cooperation to assist NTHU's International Volunteer Group in a project to preserve Chinese culture in Malaysia. The International Volunteer Group plans to establish a service station in Malaysia and cooperate with China Research Center to carry out a month-long project to collect and preserve historical documents and cultural materials in Gopen, Perak.

Perak was once the capital of the highest tin mineral output in Malaysia. Currently the state's economy is mainly in agriculture and industry. The city of Gopeng sits in the rolling mountain range and rugged lime hills, and has a unique culture and geographic background.

Early Chinese immigrants who settled in this area were mostly laborers with little formal education and did not have the knowledge and leisure to preserve history and culture. In more recent times, even though the educational level has risen, most capable young men decide to find work and live in cities. Under these circumstances, where manpower and resources are constantly lacking, historical and cultural preservation projects are still extremely difficult.

To preserve the local culture and historical materials, the International Volunteer Group will first investigate the historical background, development of Chinese education system, and religious organization, as well as the development of regional and clan associations and local industries. Interviewing with visual and audio recording, the data gathered will be analyzed, and it will be the first step in completing the documentation of Chinese settling in a Malaysian state. All work done by the International Volunteer Group is aim at promoting cultural preservation and to encourage residents in Gopeng to take responsibility to preserve their own heritage.

Furthermore, the volunteer group will also visit old streets of Taiwan, which was successfully preserved, to produce a five minute short film to share with the locals of Gopeng. They hope the film will serve as an example of how to manage and preserve historical and cultural buildings. In addition, with the help of regional museums, the volunteers hope to bring the Gopeng experiences back to Taiwan to inspire Taiwanese youth to value their own culture and heritage.