Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (front, eighth right) is joined by officials at the start of the 2023 Hakka Expo Aug. 11 in northern Taiwan’s Taoyuan City. (Courtesy of Executive Yuan)
 

The 2023 Hakka Expo kicked off Aug. 11 in northern Taiwan’s Taoyuan City, highlighting rich and diverse local culture while spotlighting the government focus to develop the country as an international hub for Hakka revitalization, according to the Executive Yuan.

Co-organized by the Cabinet-level Hakka Affairs Council and Taoyuan City Government, the event is themed “Travel to Tomorrow” and will run until Oct. 15.

At the launch ceremony, Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan said the expo is an initiative resulting from the 2017 Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program. Taiwan’s Hakka culture is a shared national asset and the expo will showcase the best of the culture to the world, with the Taiwan Pavilion including a display area for 14 cities and counties, he added.

Introducing the event, Cheng said the main exhibition areas comprise the World Pavilion and the Taiwan Pavilion. The former tells the story of how the global Hakka diaspora came into being and how unique cultures emerged through blending in local elements; while the latter shows the development of Hakka in Taiwan through art, education, history and industrial economy.

In addition, there are eight secondary pavilions and 17 satellite exhibition areas around the city, where exhibits integrate innovative technology and interactive elements into traditional Hakka culture, history and products, Cheng said.

According to Cheng, the expo is expected to attract around six million tourists and over NT$3 billion (US$98 million) in direct consumption, driving the total economic output value to reach NT$ 20 billion.

Cheng said Taoyuan has the country’s largest Hakka population and has kickstarted the expo’s first edition in Taiwan. He added that he hopes the expo can be hosted by other cities and counties in the future to turn it into a global event and invited local and international visitors to attend. (YCH-E)