臺北市新住民專區網站英文版

Taipei City Department of Civil Affairs press release

Released by the Population Policy Division 

Released date: February 10, 2023

Contact: Chief Wu Chung-hsin, or Ms. Lo Hsiang-yun

Telephone:1999 ext. 6258 or 6375; 0966590813; 0935265759

  If you take a walk along Guangfu South Road from Exit 5 of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall MRT station, you will arrive at the Fount of Light Display Zone of the 2023 Taiwan Lantern Festival in the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. Here, you can see lanterns full of the enthusiasm and vitality of new immigrants. The Taipei City Department of Civil Affairs invited artists and new immigrants from all walks of life to collaborate on creating lanterns that are rich in meaning based on their own personal experiences. Since its launch, the lanterns have received widespread acclaim. The viewers who admire the lanterns are deeply impressed by the creative concepts and rich cultural emotions expressed in the lanterns.

  In addition to the lantern instalations, the Taipei City Department of Civil Affairs has also added exciting flash mob performances at designated times and locations to connect the creative concepts behind these new immigrant lanterns. The first show takes place under the lantern installation Here We Are by Wang Wen-chih. Burmese international students, Filipino migrant workers, and students and alumni from National Taiwan University of Arts and Taipei National University of the Arts performed a total of 27 shows with 5 different themes every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 18:30, 19:30, and 20:30, providing a diverse cultural experience for the lantern viewers.

  Next, the New Year's Cuisine Showdown event showcased a culinary celebration. The show began with second-generation new immigrant actors wearing traditional costumes from their countries, acting as restaurant servers. Each actor held a dish of their hometown, echoing the theme of Grow the Taipei Tastes. The event also featured the collaborated  work of Filipino artist Mark Lester Reyes and the Light Arts LAB named The River of Memory. Mark drew inspiration from the Filipino tradition of Bayanihan, and together with more than 20 Filipino friends, showed the spirit of unity through music and dance. Another event inspired by The River of Memory was the Water Carnival, a performance that instantly transported the viewers to a different country. The performers wear Vietnamese conical hats and carry Indonesian batik cloths in their bamboo baskets. They also hold bamboo plates with pla tuu fish and Southeast Asian fruits while walking around with their little bees, gathering crowds. The new immigrant travel group is now ready to leave!

  The performance, 'Lanterns Under the Stars,' symbolizes the people of Taiwan and Myanmar share the same starry sky. Led by the Thanaka Dance Troupe, Myanmar students from all over Taiwan showcase their traditional music and dance, offering a refreshing cultural display. The dance begins with a solo performance and transitions into a partner dance, conveying the message of communal support, similar to that of Hito Bito. This is a fantastic performance that should not be missed.

  Along with the regular performances on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the Department of Civil Affairs has organized guided tours in seven languages, which include Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, and Indonesian. These tours will be led by new immigrant guides, who will provide fascinating explanations of the performances to the viewers. Each tour will last approximately half an hour, and visitors are welcome to sign up for a tour on-site To increase the interaction between the lantern viewers and the lanterns, Facebook and Instagram  AR filters have been developed for Under the Stars and About Taipei. By scanning the QR code on the description sign with a smartphone and blinking at your phone, viewers can summon rabbits from different countries to play with starry balls. Viewers can also interact with the text rain of About Taipei by nodding or shaking their heads. These AR filters allow visitors to experience great fun while walking around the lantern festival.

Event Information

1. Performances: Starting today to February 19. Performances will be held on every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 18:30, 19:30, and 20:30.

2. New immigrant lantern tour: Starting today to February 19. Tours are available every day from Monday to Sunday in the following languages: Korean, Japanese, English, Thai, Indonesian, English, and Vietnamese. In addition, to serve Taiwanese nationals and foreign tourists from countries not listed above, there are daily tours available in Mandarin and English.

A.    Weekdays (Monday - Thursday): 15:00 to 21:30 (one show every 60 minutes from 15:00 to 18:00; one show every 30 minutes after 18:30).

B.    Weekends (Friday - Sunday): 11:30 to 21:30 (one show every 30 minutes).