Canadian Trade Office in Taipei
representative Ron Macintosh
(second from the right), city
councilor Liu Guo-long (second
from the left) and Taichung
Deputy Mayor Hsiao Jia-chi
(first from the right) showed
up at the Canada Day Carnival
and had a blast with
participating local residents.

The America Day Celebration at
Nan Yuan Park was a day of
outdoor fun, and one of this
year's truly successful public
events.

The crowd at the Canada Day
Carnival.

Mayor Jason Hu wears the
"2009 Canada Day in Taichung"
T-shirt at a press conference,
promoting the events with
Canadian Trade Office in Taipei
representative Ron Macintosh.

2009 Canadian & American festivities in Taichung

Words and photos by Taichung City Government
Translated by Ann Lee

This year, both the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei and American Chamber of Commerce in Taichung (AmCham) cooperated with Taichung City Government to host local festivities celebrating their respective countries' most important days. This series of celebrations in Taichung encouraged interactions between all American and Canadian citizens living in central Taiwan, and also provided local residents with an opportunity to learn more about the cultures of these two nations.

Taking place first, from June 30 to July 5, was the Canadian and Taiwan Environmental Film Festival. This festival, held at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, showcased a series of documentaries relating to the issue of environmental protection, and shared Canadian environmental protection concepts with Taiwanese audiences. The Canadian Gourmet Food Festival also took place in July at Hotel ONE. Hotel Executive Chef Nicolas Pena-Alvarez incorporated top-grade Canadian ingredients, such as Canadian imported beef and seafood, in a display of his extraordinary culinary skills throughout the month in an event that allowed local diners to savor the best that Canada has to offer in food.

Another celebratory event taking place at Hotel ONE was put together by central Taiwan's industrial and commercial representatives, who hosted a luncheon feast for related industry representatives and professionals. On the night of July 1, a great Canada Day party also was held at local nightspot FuBar, operated by Taichung-based Canadians.

In addition, another event put on by the Taichung Cultural Affairs Bureau was the "New Immigrant's Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar", which also took place on July 1 and allowed Taiwanese citizens considering immigration to Canada to learn about a variety of important related information. On July 2, the National Museum of Natural Science hosted a "Fire Protection and Fine Quality Architectural Methods" seminar which included specialists from the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), as well as Taiwanese architects, informing their Taiwanese audience about a safe, comfortable new way of living that is also environmentally friendly.

One other significant Canadian event was the Canada Day Carnival, which started at 3 p.m. on July 4, right outside the Park Lane by CMP shopping mall. Visitors enjoyed seeing an array of Canadian farm products that were on display, savoring tasty, traditional Canadian dishes prepared on site by hotel chefs, and looking through a variety of tourism, education and immigration related information for those interested in heading to Canada. A variety of great prizes were also given away.

On the same day, a July 4th America Day Celebration took place at Nan Yuan Park to celebrate America's Independence Day. This large-scale annual American festivity, which takes place each year in Taichung, included live band performances, as well as other games and food vendors, providing a fun time under the sun for the whole family. This one-day event successfully attracted thousands of visitors this year and took place from noon to 9 p.m. Overall, it was a big hit for all participants.

By hosting this variety of festive events, Taichung is able to share in the joys of Canadian and American national-day celebrations, and boost its image as a city of international cultures.