Tourism Bureau, Republic of China (Taiwan)

The 2021 Taiwan International Orchid Show will take "a map of orchids for happiness in Tainan" as its theme, and use "ultimate grey" and "splendid yellow" to suggest light that comes out of darkness. The color combination also indicates hope and a better future for Tainan in the year of 2021.

The inspiration of the Tung Blossom Festival comes from the Hakka people, who live a hard working and simple life nurtured by wisdom that has come down from their original integration into the Taiwanese local culture. The Tung Trees that cover the hills and fields were an important cash crop for the Hakka. They also brought many economic opportunities to the local economy. Tung trees were widely planted in the nearby mountains of the Hakka area. Tung seed can be used to extract tung tree oil, and its wood is a basic material in the production of consumer goods at that time, when the economy was much more local, the Tung tree wood's economic value was an important resource in helping many Hakka families make ends meet, and helped Hakka communities purchase food. That is the main reason that the Hakka have deep feelings and heartfelt gratitude towards the Tung tree, the mountains, and nature in general. During The Tung Blossom Festival, in addition to inviting people to enjoy the flowers and tour around the Hakka village, the Council for Hakka Affairs has the honor of conducting a grand ceremony to worship the three Mountain Gods, the guardian spirits of the Hakka. The ceremony will not only offer thanksgiving and respect to the mountains and forests, but also bring encouragement to the Hakka decedents, extolling them to respect the law, to be solemn and the holy, to be devout in prayers, and to cherish the roots of their culture. Today, although people's livelihood no longer rely on the economic value of tung tree, the modern Tung Tree Festival has been a great economy success. The Tung Blossom Festival hosted by Hakka Affairs Council is not only a sacrifice to the guardian spirits on the behalf of the people, but also an offering to the people on the behalf of the flowers. The Tung tree has very different stages in its appearance throughout the four Seasons. Around April or May the flowers will blossom, and are a beautiful snow white; in summer, green leaves sprout from the branches; in autumn all the leaves turn yellow and blow away with the wind; and during the winter tung tree looks withered and dead. The Hakka people's history has often mimicked these seasons. Several times the Hakka have been forced to migrate, and have faced extreme difficulty. However, they have always stuck to their traditional roots, and been innovative in their methods.

Taiwan International Festival of Arts is Taiwan's most important art event and Asia's brightest arts and cultural feast. Every year, it draws nearly 70,000 fans to watch performances together. The stage here is in sync with the rest of the globe's, and the audience can feel world's trends right here in Taiwan. The country's high-potential artists gather up at national theatres to show Taiwan's powerful, creative energy.

The gradual arrival of winter formally announces that Taiwan's peak hot spring season has begun! Taiwan abounds in the gifts of nature—cold springs, hot springs, mud springs, submarine springs—it is a world-famous scenic spot for springs of every variety. Beginning in 2007 the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communication combined two touristic resources--the unique healthcare aspects of thermal springs and the demand for a modern, healthy diet--to integrate Taiwan's "thermal springs" and "gourmet cuisine" for a plan to launch a "Taiwan Hot Spring Fine-Cuisine Carnival." This event takes center stage throughout Taiwan at the same time each year, with one of Taiwan's 17 thermal spring areas chosen as the year's kick-off location. Not only is the Carnival an opportunity for Taiwanese tourists to soak up the pleasures of thermal springs throughout the country and receive merchandise discounts, overseas tourists are also fascinated and attracted, and the Carnival is a driving force behind the annual autumn/winter Taiwan hot spring tourist boom. During this period, hot spring areas throughout the country hold a series of hot spring/fine-cuisine events and pull together hundreds of county and municipal companies, introducing the scenic beauty of the springs, the local cultural landscape, and special products.

Presenting Taichung City's 12 hundred-year-old temples at once, the festival aims to strengthen regional values whilst showing Taichung's cultural diversity. Based on traditional religious rites and combining the folk events of all participating areas, it promotes Mazu worship at the global stage, drawing fans of culture home and abroad to learn about in Taichung's folk religion.

To promote Taiwan's tourism in the global community, so as to attract more foreign visitors to the country and increase tourism revenues, Tourism Bureau, MOTC has held the Taiwan Lantern Festival in recent years with the idea of "spreading the roots of folk culture while holding traditional fests at an international level." Lantern parades are traditionally held on the Lantern Day. By combining traditional culture with top-notch technology, Taiwan Lantern Festival presents itself as a shining fest compatible with its international counterparts. The main lantern area is so beautiful that it is merely impossible to appreciate everything at once. Local and overseas folk troupes dedicate their remarkable performances to the festival's goers. Many other performance groups also bring their impressive shows to the audience. The festival has therefore been hailed by local participants and foreign guests alike. In 2007, a Discovery Channel producer and his team came to Taiwan to join the festival, and concluded that this international event is worth some recognition. In fact, Taiwan Lantern Festival has since been chosen by the Discovery Channel to be one of the best festivals in the world. Discovery has made an hour-long documentary that has been shown globally to introduce the dazzling, charming Taiwan Lantern Festival. Taking the theme of "Riding Dreams and Chasing Light along Winds of the Future," the 32nd Taiwan Lantern Festival will integrate design and craft art as well as tradition and innovation, and will speak to the world through art with "lantern festival 2.1." It aims to instill new creativity into Taiwan's traditional festivals, create a place where people can enjoy life together, and increase the country's global presence. This year, the festival brings together images of "traditional lanterns," "the innocence of children," and a "flight on lanterns" to suggest enjoyable family times on the lantern day. The children's joyful ride on the flying lanterns while gazing into the far distance symbolizes a hopeful look at the limitless future with a pure and innocent heart. Having hosted the festival in 2003 and 2015, this is the third time Taichung is hosting the festival. Taking "Splendid Taichung under rays of the rising sun" as a theme, the Taichung City Government will hold the festival in Houli Forest Park, a "fantastical forest land." It not only hopes that traditional lantern art can make the forest look anew, but that the lights of the lanterns can light up Taiwan like rays of the rising sun. In fact, "rays of the rising Sun" is pronounced as "Shu Guang," and in Mandarin, mice are pronounced as "Shu." To welcome the Year of the Mouse on the Chinese zodiac calendar, the rays of the rising sun / or mice indicates the government's high hope for a better future. The lantern festival will show Taichung's five policy focuses - ecological conservation, creative lifestyle, cultural assets, economy and industry, and diversity and inclusion. All members of the public are encouraged to explore the unique and beautiful city through this festive event. -->

Taipei Fashion Week, held by the Ministry of Culture, aims to garner global presence for Taiwan's fashion industry. It works with the film and media sector, as well as the art industry to gain more hands-on experience in building Taiwan as a fashion brand, bringing Taiwan's haute couture to the world. It generates new momentum for the industry to grow. Taipei Fashion Week AW21: 3/10-3/15 Taipei Fashion Week SS22: October

The Neimen District of Kaohsiung is called the "town of the battle array" (a type of folk street parade), as it holds more such parades—54—than any other place in the country, the Song Jiang Battle Array alone accounting for 18 of them. The Song Jiang Array, originally organized to strengthen, defend, and unite the town, under historical, generational, and government influence, turned into a theatrical drama that combined entertainment for the gods with furtive military training, eventually becoming the well-known folk art that it is today. The "formations" (also called "battle arrays," zhentou,) that are in the nature of artistic performances, come in many varieties that can roughly be divided into "civilian" and "military" formations. The civilian formations include the Drum Dance, the Ox Plough, and Peach Blossom Takes the Ferry formations, while the military formations include the Lion, the Dragon, Song Jiang, and the Eight Infernal Generals formation. No matter what variety of "battle array," they all represent the appearance of a popular and spontaneous, grass-roots energy. Preserving and handing down an important folk art, the primary and middle schools of Neimen all organize a Song Jiang Battle Array and develop creative approaches to make this traditional formation even more attractive! And fostering valuable feelings of friendship while studying and interacting is also at the core of the Song Jiang Battle Array.

Grey-faced buzzards, also called "nanlu ying" or "qingming niao" by locals in central Taiwan, fly northward every March and April, passing over Mt. Bagua. To protect these birds for the long term, the Wild Bird Society Of Changhua County hosts a special event called "Free Buzzard in Mt. Bagua." For a long time, GDP has been widely used as a measurement of economic and social progress. However, problems such as the widening gap between rich and poor and the destruction of natural habitats have revealed the limitations of GDP in determining a country's well-being. Gross national happiness has become the new trend instead. The United Nations appointed May 22 as the International Day for Biological Diversity, emphasizing the importance of understanding and valuing the living organisms around us. Similarly, Free Buzzard in Mt. Bagua promotes a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature. We can work towards achieving happiness together by protecting forests to ensure better living environments and responsible farming so that people stay healthy, as we build a green economy that protects biological diversity.

Yilan Green Expo was initiated in 2000. The insistent county government has managed to preserve Yilan's green rice fields and forests, while passing down a diverse ocean ecology in the past 20 years. "Green tourism" is a way to look at one's life from within. Travelers are encouraged to learn from mother Earth with a compassionate, open mind. Yilan's agricultural and fishery tours are informative, and they show Yilan in a really attractive way. Come and learn a few tips for living an eco-friendly green life, too.